Sailor through History

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Salient facts about sailors and their ships are sketched in this slender survey, whose four-page chapters introduce Polynesian, Roman, Viking, and Portuguese sailors; an Armada crewman; the voyage of the Mayflower; the transition from sail to steam; and liner, U-boat, and supertanker crewmen. Full-color drawings, reproductions, photographs, and information boxes enliven the rather challenging text. The illustrations are clear and appropriately placed; however, they offer nothing out of the ordinary. Richard Humble's Ships (Watts, 1991), A World War II Submarine (Bedrick, 1991), and U-Boat (Watts, 1990) as well as Robert Ballard's Lost Wreck of the Isis (1990) and Exploring the Bismarck (1991, both Scholastic) are similar in scope. The thoughtful choice of eras that are used to illuminate marine history is a strong point of this brief treatment.-Don Reaber, Meadowdale High School, Lynnwood, WA