Explorers of the Deepest Places on Earth

November 1, 2020

Gr 3-5-This series introduces young readers to 25 explorers whose expeditions pushed the limits of technology and human endurance. Dry prose relays the facts and risks of the missions. Explorers of the Deepest Places on Earth and Explorers of the Remotest Places on Earth have many possible curriculum tie-ins, as the deep-sea, volcano, and cave explorers who made scientific discoveries are noted in the text. Mount Everest narratives historically minimized the roles of Sherpas, but Explorers of the Highest Places on Earth highlights Tenzing Norgay and Kami Rita. Some of the environmental impacts of climbing are explained in Junko Tabei's chapter. A glossary, a "Read More" section, websites, and an index are included. VERDICT A supplemental purchase for large collections.

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2020
Grades 3-5 Daredevil explorers do more than travel to difficult-to-reach places, as the Extreme Explorers series (4 titles) reveals. They push themselves to their limits, often endeavoring to be the first human to accomplish a certain feat. Each volume of this series is dedicated to one extreme category--coldest, deepest, highest, and remotest--and highlights individuals who have set records within it. Each person or pair gets their own chapter, airily designed with around four short paragraphs of text, awe-inspiring photos with captions, and fact boxes. Unsurprisingly, Deepest Places visits the Mariana Trench with Sylvia Earle and James Cameron, as well as Krubera Cave with Gennady Viktorovich Samokhin. On the whole, the series features successful explorers, though there are two accounts that end in death. Each book touches on different motivations driving extreme explorers, such as the thrill or scientific research, and notes how people can keep pushing boundaries as gear and technology improve. An engaging entry into geology or geography units.

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