April 1, 2024
Grades 2-4 While no shipwreck can rival the Titanic for longevity of public fascination, kids intrigued by disasters at sea might also enjoy reading about ships that sank in the Great Lakes. Parkin devotes a chapter to each of the five lakes and features the story of a shipwreck that took place in its waters, such as the Lady Elgin, which sank while carrying passengers on Lake Michigan in 1860, and the Edmund Fitzgerald, which went down during a storm on Lake Superior in 1975. Information is presented in a straightforward manner. While older readers may find the short sentences a bit choppy, their brevity makes the text accessible to children who are learning to read. Colorful photos and design elements appear throughout this book from the Famous Shipwrecks series (6 titles).
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July 12, 2024
Gr 3-5-After an opening spread that includes a simple map and information about the ocean, each book briefly describes four or five historical shipwrecks in chronological order. Readers learn why each ship was traveling, why it sunk, and in most cases, the number of survivors and fatalities. Survivor/fatality data is not included for the Maldive Victory in Indian Ocean Shipwrecks, the USS Monitor in Atlantic Ocean Shipwrecks, and the Ironton in Great Lakes Shipwrecks. Information about how and when the wrecks were discovered is also featured. A map in the back matter identifies shipwreck locations within the larger region. Most ship histories are described in a couple paragraphs on a single spread, but two spreads are used for more compelling examples, such as Ernest Shackleton's Endurance in Southern Ocean Shipwrecks and the Titanic in Atlantic Ocean Shipwrecks. Closing chapters look at current conditions for ships, often mentioning technological tools like GPS and Remotely Operated Vehicles. Historical and modern photographs, along with occasional diagrams provide useful visual support. VERDICT Well-rounded and appealing shipwreck profiles presented at an introductory level.-Steven Engelfried
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