I, Columbus: My Journal, 1492-3

Excerpts from Christopher Columbus's journal relate his discovery of the Caribbean islands, which he believed (then and to his death) to be the Indies. Direct and surprisingly accessible, the entries tell of storms and swells, discontent among the men, and many false and disheartening sightings of land before the ships at last come ashore. The Roops' selections give a sense of the strange fish and fowl, lush vegetation and friendly natives the Spaniards encounter; one has to dip only slightly beneath the surface of the text to perceive the disquieting beginnings of the Europeans' long exploitation of what was regarded as virgin territory, ripe for plunder. Cross-hatched ink drawings, overlaid with watercolor wash, provide a delicate but fresh flavor. This is far from a broad or comprehensive treatment of Columbus's voyages, and readers will need additional sources to put those voyages into context. But as a particularized account from a single but revealing vantage point, these excerpts make for engrossing reading. Ages 9-12. (Nov.)