Thor Heyerdahl

School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-When Heyerdahl and his crew set sail in the balsa-wood raft, Kon-Tiki, they attracted a lot of attention. By the time they completed their voyage from Peru to the Tuamoto Islands in eastern Polynesia, the expedition had become world famous. The man's enthusiasm and the excitement surrounding him are beautifully captured here. The writing is both straightforward and lively. Beginning readers will be fascinated by a well-chosen selection of full-color and black-and-white photographs that take them from the wild moors of Norway where Heyerdahl loved to walk as a child to the colorful fruits he ate in the Pacific and to Easter Island. There is even a whimsical map showing the way to Fatu Hiva that Heyerdahl drew himself. An outline of important dates, a brief glossary, and an index increase the usability of this already well-organized and fascinating book.-Lisa Wu Stowe, Great Neck Library, NY Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Intended for beginning readers, this brief biography in the Tell Me About series (see review, above) captures little of the vision, drama, adventure, or excitement of the story of the explorer. The text here is brief and choppy, pulling up details that are either extraneous (offering Ola Bjorneby and his undefined "simple life" as inspiration for Thor) or needlessly vague: "When he was old enough, Thor went to Oslo University and studied many kinds of science. His teacher said he should live on a Pacific island and study how animals had crossed the sea to get there"). The photographs offer a far better sense of Heyerdahl's personality, especially one of the bearded explorer on the island of Fatu Hiva, wearing an ancient crown. (chronology, glossary, index) (Biography. 6-9)