Sacred Mountain: Everest

by Christine Taylor-Butler

Mount Everest - a place of mystery, majesty, and unparalleled beauty - rises into the sky higher than any other mountain on Earth. Many stories have been told about the dangers and triumphs of climbing to the summit; but few have been written about the Sherpa, the people who have lived on the mountain for centuries and consider it sacred. Known for their bravery, strength, and skill in navigating the mountain s treacherous slopes, Sherpas have played a crucial role in Mount Everest s exploration since the 1920s. In recent years, however, increasing tourism has threatened the mountain s fragile ecosystem. The Sherpa now face the challenge of restoring and protecting this sacred mountain for their future and for the world. With stunning photographs and engaging text, Scared Mountain presents a unique picture of Mount Everest its history, its ecology, and especially its people that will captivate readers of all ages.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction

48 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2009

Reviews

[Sunday · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Christine Taylor-Butler, the author, at the ALA conference (New Orleans, 2011) and spent several minutes talking with her about this book. Originally, she just wrote a manuscript about Mount Everest and the climbers. After she'd turned in the manuscript, she began to think about how in all of the sources she'd studied the focus was always on the climbers from other countries - Sir Hillary and so forth. Why wasn't there more on the Sherpa - "people of the East" who were the reason the tourists were able to climb this mountain? They carried the heavy packs, they took care of ailing climbers and on and on. Christine called the publisher and told them to throw out her manuscript and wrote this book instead which tries to do some justice to the overlooked Sherpa, their culture as well as the impact that tourism has had on this fragile ecosystem and Sherpa culture.

My caution to young readers or teachers using this book in the intermediate/middle grade classroom - there is a lot of content that is easier to understand with some background knowledge. This would be an excellent supplemental text in the content areas - if you were studying the impact of tourism on ecosystems, mountainous regions/habitats/climate zones, the culture of Buddhists, geography of the Asian continent, etc. and students came to the book with some instruction on these topics (and numerous others) tucked into their thinking.

[Ann Beej · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to the Everest region for middle-grade kids (and honestly anyone who wants just a soupcon of cultural context). Taylor-Butler doesn't focus solely on the climbing history, but also recognises that many readers will be drawn in for lists of "firsts" and adventures. She gives proper shrift to the Sherpa in all matters and even includes a little "days of the week" infographic!

There's only one factual error that I found (which to me means she did a grade-A job) -- on p 27 she states that thirteen climbers died on the 1924 expedition. What she means to say is that 13 people died across the three pre-war expeditions in 1921, 22, and 24.

[Beth G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relatively simple text combined with gorgeous photographs make this a fantastic selection for young readers. Historic journeys up the mountain are related, but the main focus is on the Sherpa people who live in the region. Short chapters touch on geography and history of the area, as well as the family life and culture of the people. A glossary and pronunciation guide are provided along with a bibliography for further reading.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning photos and readable text take readers on a trip to Mount Everest. The book includes information about the Sherpas (people who live on and around Mt. Everest), the plants & animals of the region, attempts & successes at climbing the summit, and the effort to protect the mountain's ecological systems.

Read my full review on my blog: http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/200...

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does a good job of explaining who the Sherpa people are (I used to think that "Sherpa" was a translated word for "porter" but actually, the Sherpa are a cultural group in Nepal who migrated from Tibet long ago). It also emphasizes the sacredness of the mountain to the Sherpa and the negative impact of tourism, without using a tragic or dire tone.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book full of great pictures. It is about Everest and its people. Not about the famous white people that spend so much money to climb Everest but about the people that live there and really know the mountain. Great Read!!

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, mostly because it purposefully covers lots more than Sir Edmund Hilary and his predecessors. This book is fully focused on the Sherpa and how they contribute to the protection and destruction of their sacred mountain. Really great book.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. This book covers many aspects of the mountain and the people who live around it.