Product Description

Describes the events of the 1914 Shackleton Antarctic expedition when, after being trapped in a frozen sea for nine months, the expedition ship, the Endurance, was finally crushed and Shackleton and his men made the very long and perilous journey across ice and stormy seas to reach inhabited land.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1806496 in Books
• Published on: 1997-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7. A dramatic introduction to Robert Shackleton and his ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, brought to a chilling halt when their ship, Endurance, was irrevocably gripped by the Weddell ice pack. In the days before easy radio contact and rescue planes, the explorer and his small crew were as remote as modern-day astronauts in a malfunctioning space station?and in an environment almost as hostile. Using journals kept by expedition members and Shackleton's own account, McCurdy presents a chronology of events in the two-year saga of survival as the men coped with bitter cold, fierce storms, semi-starvation, and the certain knowledge that rescue depended solely on their own efforts and the determination of their leader. The low-keyed narration is accompanied by commanding, glacial-toned illustrations, many based on stills taken by Shackleton's photographer. Maps and an informative afterword complete the attractive package. While some readers may be deterred by the large picture-book format, most will find the account gripping and will want to know more about this awesome journey under appalling conditions.?Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
McCurdy (The Old Man and the Fiddle, 1992, etc.) switches from his familiar woodcut style to realistic paintings of landscapes, ice, and ocean in a retelling of Sir Ernest Shackleton's famous expedition. It was 1915 when, during Shackleton's attempt to cross the polar ice cap, the Endurance became trapped in ice, soon to be crushed and sunk. McCurdy covers the desperate problems faced by the crew: how to survive without the ship; how to find food while they waited for open water; how they saved a sleeping crewman when their solid perch cracked in two during the night. Frightening voyages in lifeboats and a near-impossible climb on a snow-covered mountain are part of the story; a party of three makes it to a whaling station on South Georgia Island, and no men are lost. The telling is clear and laced with excellent detail, but the picture-book format is less than ideal, requiring an author's note, foreword, and afterword for many of the details; further, the older audience for which the material has the most appeal may be uncomfortable with the format. Although McCurdy's galvanizing enthusiasm comes across on every page, the pictures- -and the bleak, unchanging landscape--don't communicate the cold nor the toll that time and the elements took on the men's clothing and faces. Still, aspects of this are riveting, and it will certainly lead readers into longer, more detailed accounts of this two-year expedition. (map, bibliography, index) (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-10) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review
Michael McCurdy's plain-spoken text and understated pale palette of blues, lavenders and greens suit his story.... McCurdy captures not only the elemental fears but the daily grubbiness of the adventure. -- The New York Times Book Review, Rebecca Pepper Sinkler

Customer Reviews

it was the best
Congratulations to shackleton. And the pictures were great!! My favorit part was where they slid down the maountain.

Nice Artwork!
This book is good for the kids, it skips some of the material covered in the movie to keep it short. The movie is great too.

Perfect
My 8-year old avid reader was thrilled to receive this gift and read it almost immediately.