This book is a biograhy about Captain John Smith who was an explorer. This book gives details about his journey to the New World and how he set up a colony. It ends by explaining how he left the New World and went back to Europe and wrote about his adventures in the New World.

I enjoyed the book because it was simple yet had many great facts about Captain John Smith. I appreciate how the author had some words that were bold, and then at the end of the book had a glossary explaining the definitions of these words. I again learned a few new facts about John Smith and enjoyed this book.

I would use this book in the classroom when it came time to talk about the New World and the set up of some of the colonies. I would use the book to help the class remember a few important dates. I think that it would be a nice book for the class to read to help on facts about John Smith and with some vocabulary words.

Another of Genevieve Foster's World of... books, this one focuses on the years 1580-1631, the lifetime of John Smith. Smith, of course, is the first leader of the Jamestown colony in Virginia. Like the other volumes, Ms. Foster takes a look at events around the world during those years. Or at least around the Northern Hemisphere. Either there was not much happening in South America and Africa during those years, or Ms. Foster has a Eurasian bias. Even so, it is an enjoyable read. Surprisingly enough, part of the appeal is that the life of Captain Smith is an interesting tale in and of itself. If you want to share either his life story or the history of the time with your young'un, I'd advise you to check it out.
--J. ( )