Part of the Explorers of New Worlds series.
About the series: "[L]ively and accessible, and the illustrations are well chosen and diverse: maps,
portraits, facsimile letters and documents, historical drawings and paintings, and
even photographs of the present-day places that these explorers once roamed.
Plentiful sidebars extract main ideas from each chapter or offer interesting trivia
about the men and their times." - from School Library Journal
From the Canadian Musuem of Civilization, this biography is broken up into short sections and includes many good pictures and maps.
A short description of Cartier's discovery of the St. Lawrence River.
A short description of the Chinese Treasure Fleet's exploration of the seas in the early 1400s. "...Admiral Cheng Ho increased China's trading territory to include 37 countries from the Vietnam coast to the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and eastern Africa."
A short biography from the InfoPlease encyclpedia.
A 2005 news article from the BBC.
PBS's Nova offers this history of Chinese treasure junks (ships) and a biography of the famous admiral Zheng He. Includes an animated movie about the ships (can be viewed with QuickTime or RealPlayer).
Part of the Explorers of New Worlds series.
About the series: "[L]ively and accessible, and the illustrations are well chosen and diverse: maps,
portraits, facsimile letters and documents, historical drawings and paintings, and
even photographs of the present-day places that these explorers once roamed.
Plentiful sidebars extract main ideas from each chapter or offer interesting trivia
about the men and their times." - from School Library Journal
"Osborne concentrates on the adult life and voyages of Christopher Columbus. She explains the religious and commercial reasons for the voyages and discusses the disappointment felt by Columbus (and Spain) when it became clear that he had not reached the Far East...Osborne presents Columbus as a hero, but also as a man who had both strengths and weaknesses in his nature." - from School Library Journal
"...[C]learly shows how history is ever-changing, continually altered by the discoveries of explorers and scholars. A well-researched, well-written study of how the facts surrounding Columbus's life are still being uncovered." - from School Library Journal
"Dramatic, revealing entries - including Columbus' own words - document epochal voyage, heavy seas, discouraged crew, first sighting of land, appearance of island natives, more. Translated into English... 44 illustrations, including a number from rare sources. Fascinating historical document." - Publisher's note.
Facts about Columbus in a question and answer format.
Part of a ThinkQuest created by students, this biography of Columbus concentrates on his first voyage and includes an animated map and a quiz.
Another ThinkQuest, this one featuring Christopher Columbus in an Explorers Hall of Fame. Includes a link to a much more challenging site on Columbus.
A large collection of images from the Library of Congress archives.
"A brief biography of the British navigator and explorer whose three famous voyages resulted in the accurate mapping of much of the South Pacific." - card catalog description from Amazon.com
Facts about Cook in a question and answer format.
Part of a ThinkQuest created by students, this detailed biography of Cook includes many pictures, an animated map, and a quiz.
This site from Australia features maps of Cook's voyage and transcripts of Cook's journals. Very good site for primary sources.
An animated tour of Cook's ship the Endeavour. Requires a free software plug-in.
Part of the Explorers of New Worlds series.
About the series: "[L]ively and accessible, and the illustrations are well chosen and diverse: maps,
portraits, facsimile letters and documents, historical drawings and paintings, and
even photographs of the present-day places that these explorers once roamed.
Plentiful sidebars extract main ideas from each chapter or offer interesting trivia
about the men and their times." - from School Library Journal
Based on a PBS series, this one page biography describes Coronado's exploration of American West and links to related resources on the events and places through which he moved.
Part of the Explorers of New Worlds series.
About the series: "[L]ively and accessible, and the illustrations are well chosen and diverse: maps,
portraits, facsimile letters and documents, historical drawings and paintings, and
even photographs of the present-day places that these explorers once roamed.
Plentiful sidebars extract main ideas from each chapter or offer interesting trivia
about the men and their times." - from School Library Journal
This ThinkQuest created by students lists Cortes in the Explorers Hall of Fame.
This encyclopedia entry has three main parts: Expedition to Mexico, Fall of the Aztec Empire, and Later Career. See also the entry for Spanish Conquest at http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/society/A0856803.html
Part of the Explorers of New Worlds series.
"...[A]n interesting
account of the featured explorer's most famous contributions and experiences...
give[s] young readers a glimpse of the driving force behind the individual's personality.
Along the way, good-quality photographs; sidebars; and primary sources such as
documents, letters, and maps help relate the facts." - from School Library Journal
A short biography of Drake with nice pictures and a map.
This ThinkQuest created by students lists Drake in the Explorers Hall of Fame.
Scroll about halfway down this long page to find five colored maps of Drake's voyage that were published in 1588-89. Click on the images to enlarge them.
Part of the Explorers of New Worlds series.
About the series: "[L]ively and accessible, and the illustrations are well chosen and diverse: maps,
portraits, facsimile letters and documents, historical drawings and paintings, and
even photographs of the present-day places that these explorers once roamed.
Plentiful sidebars extract main ideas from each chapter or offer interesting trivia
about the men and their times." - from School Library Journal
"...[I]nteresting text that details the initial 1497 voyage of Vasco da Gama around Africa to the Orient...includes sidebars taken from the journal of one of da Gama's crew members - an excellent example of primary-source material." - from School Library Journal
Part of a ThinkQuest created by students, this detailed biography of da Gama includes an animated map and a quiz.
Another ThinkQuest, this one featuring da Gama in an Explorers Hall of Fame.
Part of the Explorers of New Worlds series.
About the series: "[L]ively and accessible, and the illustrations are well chosen and diverse: maps,
portraits, facsimile letters and documents, historical drawings and paintings, and
even photographs of the present-day places that these explorers once roamed.
Plentiful sidebars extract main ideas from each chapter or offer interesting trivia
about the men and their times." - from School Library Journal
A brief entry on Juan Ponce de Leon and the legend of the Fountain of Youth.
Part of the Explorers of New Worlds Series.
About the series: "[L]ively and accessible, and the illustrations are well chosen and diverse: maps,
portraits, facsimile letters and documents, historical drawings and paintings, and
even photographs of the present-day places that these explorers once roamed.
Plentiful sidebars extract main ideas from each chapter or offer interesting trivia
about the men and their times." - from School Library Journal
"When Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Spain in 1519, he believed he could get to the Spice Islands by sailing west through or around the New World. He was right, but what he didn't know was that the treacherous voyage would take him three years and cost him his life. Black-and-white line drawings illustrate Magellan's life and voyage, with sidebars and a time line that enhance readers' understanding of the period." - book description from Amazon.com
"Each two-page spread is devoted to a portion of the trip with a large heading providing the topic covered. Detailed, full-color pen-and-watercolor illustrations and small text bits provide lifestyle and cultural details about the areas traveled. An interesting 'What Happened Next' section fills in the aftermath of [the] journey." - from School Library Journal
Facts about Magellan in a question and answer format.
A detailed account of Magellan's voyage with nice pictures and a map.
Part of a ThinkQuest created by students, this detailed biography of Magellan includes a quiz.
"Each two-page spread is devoted to a portion of the trip with a large heading providing the topic covered. Detailed, full-color pen-and-watercolor illustrations and small text bits provide lifestyle and cultural details about the areas traveled. An interesting 'What Happened Next' section fills in the aftermath of [the] journey." - from School Library Journal
Part of the Explorers of New Worlds series.
About the series: "[L]ively and accessible, and the illustrations are well chosen and diverse: maps,
portraits, facsimile letters and documents, historical drawings and paintings, and
even photographs of the present-day places that these explorers once roamed.
Plentiful sidebars extract main ideas from each chapter or offer interesting trivia
about the men and their times." - from School Library Journal
Part of a ThinkQuest created by students, this biography of Polo includes several good pictures, an animated map, and a quiz.
Another ThinkQuest, this one featuring Marco Polo in the Explorers Hall of Fame. Includes a link to a much more challenging biography.
Part of the Explorers of New Worlds series.
About the series: "[L]ively and accessible, and the illustrations are well chosen and diverse: maps,
portraits, facsimile letters and documents, historical drawings and paintings, and
even photographs of the present-day places that these explorers once roamed.
Plentiful sidebars extract main ideas from each chapter or offer interesting trivia
about the men and their times." - from School Library Journal
This National Park Service site has a short history of the de Soto expedition. Be sure to watch the three minute tour video.
This site from the Library of Congress provides a brief history and four primary source documents, including a map and a portrait of de Soto. Click on the images to enlarge them.
This ThinkQuest created by students lists Vespucci in the Explorers Hall of Fame.
"Based on old Icelandic sagas, this account of the life of Eric the Red and his son Leif is an exciting adventure story. As the author states, we don't know how much of these ancient tales are true, but recent archaeological discoveries in Greenland give credence to some of the events. The full-color illustrations that take up half of each page capture the bold spirit of these daring Vikings and the tumultuous times in which they lived." - from School Library Journal
Part of the Explorers of New Worlds series.
About the series: "[L]ively and accessible, and the illustrations are well chosen and diverse: maps,
portraits, facsimile letters and documents, historical drawings and paintings, and
even photographs of the present-day places that these explorers once roamed.
Plentiful sidebars extract main ideas from each chapter or offer interesting trivia
about the men and their times." - from School Library Journal
Part of a ThinkQuest created by students, this page links to biographies of Eric the Red and Leif Erikson. Each includes an animated map and a quiz.
A site written by an elementary teacher in Newfoundland, Canada to help children explore the story of a possible Viking settlement there.
Facts about Vikings in a question and answer format.