Henry Hudson: English Explorer of the Northwest Passage

by Josepha Sherman

Overview

This series supports the social studies curriculum for: - European exploration of the Americas- people, places and environment

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781435888951
Publisher:	Rosen Publishing Group, Incorporated, The
Publication date:	04/27/2009
Pages:	116
Product dimensions:	7.01(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

Editorial Reviews

Gr 4–7—Josepha Sherman has done an admirable job piecing together the facts of Henry Hudson's four attempts to find the elusive Northwest Passage in this biography (Rosen, 2002). The early explorers hoped to establish a new trade route. Using the sketchy, primary source documents available, including Hudson's ship logs, the author often must use qualifiers in the text, guessing at the circumstances or motivations. Even the dramatic conclusions of ice and mutiny only speculate about Hudson's fate. Narrator Eileen Stevens maintains a pleasant and even voice throughout, describing how Hudson lost favor with England and was enlisted by the Dutch East India Company to continue his search. The quotes from primary sources are read as "notes" and "end notes" to delineate the difference in the texts. However, the audio version loses too much when the book's maps and illustrations are omitted.—Debbie Whitbeck, West Ottawa Public Schools, Holland, MI

School Library Journal

In bringing to life the little-known explorer Henry Hudson, Josepha Sherman encountered a scarcity of personal information about the explorer. So instead she paints a picture of Hudson's world and explorations through surviving ships' logs. Narrator Eileen Stevens has a style that lends itself well to educational texts. Her delivery is well paced and clearly enunciated. She clearly identifies what is part of the historical record and what is supposition, letting listeners hear the reasoning behind competing conclusions. The use of a tonal sound in the introductions, used in other installments in this series, would have helped the listener distinguish notes from the story itself. The time line provided is helpful in placing Hudson in context with other explorers who expanded and mapped the known world. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2009 - AudioFile