Land Ho! Fifty Glorious Years in the Age of Exploration

by Nancy Winslow Parker

Did you know that Columbus was not actually searching for America when he found it? Or that many of the explorers after him were looking for a sea route to China instead? During the golden age of exploration, men set sail with hopes of finding different travel routes, treasures, and spices. The fact that they came ashore on uncharted land was not only one of the greatest accidents of all time, it also led to one of the greatest discoveries -- the New World! From Columbus to Cabrillo, this book follows the adventures and misadventures of twelve famous explorers from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Nancy Winslow Parker has mapped out a truly enjoyable and educational journey filled with dozens of detailed and colorful illustrations depicting the explorers' ships, equipment, and travel routes.

Genres: History, Picture Books

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Gabrielle Palmisano]

Land Ho!'s illustrations were hand drawn and colored then digitally scanned. The cover and illustrations look so kid-friendly this way. This made the book more interesting for myself and. This book is to inform children of who the 12 explorers were who set foot on Christopher Columbus's Niña. The first page after the cover is a hand drawn picture of the Niña with sub-captions of what is what and some even say why it is important. The book consists of 12 double page spreads dedicated to each explorer. These pages contained general information on where they were from, who their rulers were, maps, their date of birth and death, and details about their trips. This book is a great read for children who are learning about Christopher Columbus and this time period.

[Melissa King]

Best kid-friendly maps I’ve found on this subject so far. Writing is textbook-ish, not worth reading.

[Scott Volz]

Land Ho! is a picture-book consisting of brief biography for twelve of the most famous explorers in the Age of Exploration (1492-1543). the explorer group includes Christopher Columbus, Juan Ponce de Leon, Hernando de Soto, and Amerigo Vespucci. Each double-page spread includes two or three paragraphs about the explorer and is enlivened by maps and a variety of colored pencil drawings.

The book's information is necessarily basic, but Land Ho! provides a visually inviting introductory overview of a critical juncture in world history.

[Kira Richardson]

This book was actually used in my 4th grade classroom and integrate into the Exploration unit. It gives a short bio and brief history of important European explorers. It also shows maps of their important voyages, so it can be used to tie in prior knowledge of maps. The students can use this book to gain general knowledge about an explorer for a research paper of project.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Very clear and informative.