Lords of the Sea: The Vikings Explore the North Atlantic

Description

Explains the story of the Vikings' exploration of the North Atlantic Ocean and discovery of North America. Written in graphic-novel format.

Allison Lassieur has never had pop-star dreams, but she once sang in a choir that went on a multi-state tour on the way to Walt Disney World. Today she's an award-winning author of more than 150 history and non-fiction books about everything from Ancient Rome to the International Space Station. Her books have received several Kirkus starred reviews and Booklist recommendations, and her historical novel Journey to a Promised Land was awarded the 2020 Kansas Library Association Notable Book Award, and Library of Congress Great Reads Book selection. Allison lives in upstate New York with her husband, daughter, a scruffy, loveable mutt named Jingle Jack, and more books than she can count.

Follow the Scandinavian Vikings as they explore the north Atlantic from AD 700 to 1023. The illustrations practically jump off the pages, and the text is divided between factual ground-laying and conversational discourse. A couple of pages at the back of the book provide more facts: Vikings are frequently pictured with horned helmets but their helmets were, in all actuality, hornless. Another fact is that when they traveled on land, they sometimes ice-skated, wearing skates they fashioned out of animal bones. A glossary, suggested reading and internet list and bibliography are also included at the back of the book. This title would be a welcome addition to a library or a classroom with book phobics as one cannot help but absorb a great deal of history through even a casual perusal. Thi is part of the "Graphic History" series that includes numerous titles, including Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, The Buffalo Soldiers and the American West and John Sutter and the California Gold Rush. Highly recommended.-- "Children's Literature Comprehensive Database" In the late 700s, the people of the Scandinavian countries, the Vikings, were finding it increasingly hard to find enough land to farm. They began to use their famous ships to take long journeys to other nearby countries. Year after year they raided the coasts of England and Ireland, killing, burning, and stealing as they went. There then came a time when they began to settle in England founding communities that still exist today. Other Viking groups were eager to see if there was land out in the ocean beyond the coast of England. They discovered that there was and they named the island that they found Iceland, settling and farming there. One of the settlers on Iceland was a man called Erik the Red. Banished from his home for killing two men, Erik sailed west and found that there was more land there. He called the island that he had found Greenland and it soon became a new Viking colony. There were rumors that there was still more land lying to the west of Greenland and another Viking explorer called Leif Eriksson decided that he would make the journey to find this land. Young readers will be intrigued to see how the Vikings went from island to island, making their way across the North Atlantic until they came to North America - becoming the first Europeans to find the Americas. Full of interesting details of Viking life and richly illustrated in a comic book style, this book will give young explorers plenty of food for thought.-- "Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Review"