The Voyage That Changed The World: The Epic Story of The First Crew to Sail Around the Globe

by Thekla Priebst

Overview

The Spice Race is on—and Captain Ferdinand Magellan's expedition to find the treasure will change the course of history. Welcome to a bold new telling of his famed but ill-fated voyage.

This is the epic true story of the sailors who circumnavigated the Earth for the very first time, and of the people who shaped the voyage along the way. You'll meet the Indigenous peoples who encountered the crew, and Enrique de Malacca, the Malay guide who was forced to join the expedition and influenced it in undeniable ways.

Travel with the crew as they survive humid jungles, frozen wastes, and wild waters, as well as danger and mutinies both on and off their ships. They carried home tales of faraway lands and people, and a powerful piece of knowledge: their expedition confirmed that the Earth is round. It was a history-making voyage that changed lives—and the world.

Unapologetically and poignantly written and illustrated by Thekla Priebst, The Voyage That Changed the World will sweep you along on a globe-spanning adventure, exploring the triumphs, dangers, betrayals, and tragedies that marked this epic endeavour for a truly unforgettable read.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780711297234
Publisher:	Wide Eyed Editions
Publication date:	10/07/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	80
File size:	325 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 11 Years

About the Author

Thekla Priebst, born in Weimar in 1990, studied visual communication at Bauhaus University Weimar and Berlin Weissensee School of Art. Since 2017, she has been living with her small family on the west coast of Portugal, where she works as a freelance art director and illustrator. With her flair for composition and color, as well as a typographic sensibility, Thekla designs books from the first to the last page. The glorious The Voyage That Changed the World is her debut as author-illustrator. She has the ability to hold her breath for a long time because she likes to surf big waves.

Editorial Reviews

★ "With vibrant visuals and an incisive narrative, this compelling new look at the Age of Exploration is a first purchase for children’s nonfiction collections."

—School Library Journal, Starred Review

"All the harrowing hardship, and a good dose of historical perspective to boot."

—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2025-07-19
A blow-by-blow account of Ferdinand Magellan’s three-year, globe-spanning journey.

In a vivid infographic, Priebst first fills two pages with 240 tiny, individually drawn figures representing the crews of the five ships that set out for the far-away “Spice Islands” (known today as Indonesia’s Maluku Islands) in 1519 under Ferdinand Magellan—and then later erases all but the 18 ragged survivors who returned aboard the one battered vessel that completed the voyage. But in ready acknowledgment that only hints at the expedition’s full human cost, the author systematically identifies and profiles the Indigenous peoples whom the sailors encountered as they made their way down the coast of South America and across the Pacific—many of whom were soon to be enslaved, displaced, or devastated by European diseases. While retracing in exact detail the long course of that unusually well-documented journey, she introduces readers to Magellan, “the man with the plan,” and also several of the sailors who went with him, particularly the enslaved translator “Enrique” (not his original name) of Malacca, who became the first known person to travel completely around the world. A broad sketch of the spice trade’s long history adds further helpful context.

All the harrowing hardship, and a good dose of historical perspective to boot. (glossary)(Nonfiction. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews