Despite All Obstacles: La Salle and the Conquest of the Mississippi

The latest installment in the Great Explorers series, Despite All Obstacles: La Salle and the Conquest of the Mississippi, by Joan Elizabeth Goodman and illus. by Tom McNeely, traces the life and journeys of the intrepid French explorer Ren-Robert Cavelier, better known as La Salle. McNeely's watercolors effectively evoke the frontier landscape, and a cleverly designed fold-out map allows readers to follow expedition routes alongside each page of text. ( Dec.)