Columbus Day

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-- The sea battle from which Columbus was forced to swim to Portugal opens this easy-to-read book. Unfortunately, readers never learn who was fighting or why Columbus was there, except that he wanted to be a sailor. The text is printed alternately with a poem that seems to be included to emphasize Columbus's determination, as the refrain, ``He wouldn't give up,/though others might./ He believed in himself/ when he thought he was right,'' appears several times. There are few details of life aboard ship or of the real dangers the men faced. The explorer's desire for gold, his brief period as a hero in Spain, and three later voyages are covered in a few sentences. No mention is made of his treatment of the Indians, and his problems are summed up in the lines, ``Angry natives,/stormy seas,/ greedy sailors,/ and disease.'' Sperling's watercolors are well done and include some of the plants and animals Columbus found and good examples of 15th-century clothing, but they are not strong enough to compensate for the weak text. Liestman's Columbus Day (Carolrhoda, 1991) is as easy to read and much more informative, and it contains a thoughtful treatment of Columbus's role as invader and oppressor of Native Americans as well as brave explorer. Adler's A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus (Holiday, 1991) is a more dignified short book for reading aloud to younger students. --Jean H. Zimmerman, Willett School, South River, NJ