  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 04/01/2013 Gr 4–6—Attractive presentations can't overcome the weaknesses of the texts' superficial summaries. Loosely organized by sections that focus on expeditions, explorers, or specific regions, the journeys covered mostly follow the exploits of famous European or American men, but a few Asian, female, and indigenous people are featured. The books focus more on exploration routes than on analysis of the reasons for the expeditions or their historical effects. The design combines limited text, sidebars and text boxes, reproductions, and stunning location photos. However, there are no contemporary maps, which will leave some readers feeling confused since the texts discuss so many specific routes. Poles erroneously claims that the South Pole receives less sunlight than the North Pole. The combination of all these flaws and the lack of analysis limits the effectiveness of this set-especially since exploration is a topic with wide coverage in extant titles. - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 08/01/2013 Each volume from the Explorers Discovering the World series looks at the exploration of a large region through two- or four-page chapters focused on individual men or areas explored. A spread typically features a few clearly written paragraphs of text, a sidebar, a factoid box, and two or three colorful, captioned pictures, such as portrait paintings, clearly reproduced photos, and illustrations from different periods. Since the only maps are decorative rather than useful, readers attempting to trace the routes of the explorers or to find places mentioned in the text will have to look elsewhere. Most of the books focus on European men, though their actions are not always shown in a positive light. While women travelers are occasionally mentioned, the contributions of nonwhite explorers and inhabitants are seldom acknowledged. More inclusive than most books in the series, Arabia and Asia introduces explorers from China, Arabia, and Tunisia as well as many from Europe. Larger libraries may want to consider individual series volumes, as needed. - Copyright 2013 Booklist. Loading...
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