The Last River: John Wesley Powell and the Colorado River Exploring Expedition Contributor(s): Waldman, Stuart (Author), Manchess, Gregory (Illustrator) |
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ISBN: 1931414580 ISBN-13: 9781931414586 Publisher: Mikaya Press OUR PRICE: $11.66 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 2015 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography - General - Juvenile Nonfiction | History - Exploration & Discovery - Juvenile Nonfiction | History - United States - 19th Century |
Dewey: B |
Physical Information: 0.2" H x 9.8" W x 9.8" (0.60 lbs) 48 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Cultural Region - Western U.S. - Geographic Orientation - Colorado |
Accelerated Reader Info |
Quiz #: 101764 Reading Level: 6.4 Interest Level: Middle Grades Point Value: 1.0 |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: "It was a wild ride... and this book does it justice. Well-chosen thrills, spills, and conflicts are spliced into a narrative that highlights the danger underlying this scientific mission... Handsomely designed text... large, full-color impressionistic paintings convey the action." No European had ever taken boats down the Colorado river and come out alive. In May 1869, ten men boarded four rowboats in Green River City, Wyoming. Three months and 1,000 miles later, two battered boats carrying six exhausted and starving men emerged from the depths of the Grand Canyon. The Last River tells their remarkable story. The man who challenged the Colorado, Major John Wesley Powell, was a small, bookish geology professor from a Midwestern farm. Despite his size and the constant pain from the Civil War wound that had cost him his arm, Powell's twin passions--adventure and scientific exploration--drew him to the Colorado River. For three months, he and nine crewmembers thrilled to riding the rapids and endured the backbreaking labor of transporting boats and cargo past rapids too dangerous to run. They discovered canyons of unsurpassed beauty and gave them names like Music Temple and Canyon of Lodore. They saved each other from drowning, and suffered together as their food supply dwindled to nearly nothing. Excerpts from journals of crewmembers personalize the gripping text. Original paintings and a foldout map allow the reader to follow the expedition's route and its adventures. The Last River is an inspiring and riveting true adventure written with drama and compassion that brings history to life. |
Contributor Bio(s): Waldman, Stuart: - Stuart Waldman; Illustrated by Gregory Manchess |