CurriConnects Book List - Explorers

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Explorers
Enjoy historical fiction and non-fiction about European and other explorers. This list fits well during the study of world wide exploration or at the beginning of an American History course.

Preschool and Picture Books

Livingstone Mouse - Pamela Duncan Edwards, (978-0060258696), Fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: 510
An adventurous mouse tries to adapt to strange sounds and smells in China.

Walking through the Jungle - Debbie Harter, (978-0531300350), Fiction
Interest level: K-1
Follow a young girl as she walks through different world terrains and sees a variety of animals and plants, all told in rhyme.

Tiptoe into Kindergarten - Jacqueline Rogers, (978-590466530), Fiction
Interest level: K-1
A preschooler learns about school by accompanying her brother to his kindergarten class.

Polar Bear Night - Lauren Thompson, (978-0439495240), Fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: 470
A young polar bear tentatively explores on his own and sees Arctic animal babies and wonderful shooting stars.

The Miami Giant - Arthur Yorinks, (978-0062050694), Fiction
Interest level: K-1, Lexile: 270
In a humorous exploration, Giuseppe Giaweeni finds an unknown tribe from Miami while attempting to find China.

Early Elementary Books

The Mystery of the Monkey's Maze - Doug Cushman, (978-0060277208), Fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: 330
A famous explorer travels to Borneo with his photographer to find a cure for hiccups.

Terror on the Amazon: the Quest for El Dorado - Phil Gates, (978-0789466396), Non-fiction
Interest level: 1-4, Lexile: 810
South American explorers, conquistadors, search for valuable minerals and spices amid dangerous conditions.

Franklin's Canoe Trip - Sharon Jennings, (978-0439338776), Fiction
Interest level: 1-3, Lexile: 320
Franklin and his father, along with a friend, find their canoe exploration a bit crowded until they find a new spot.

Lionel in the Winter - Steven Krensky, (978-0803713338), Fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: 330
Lionel imagines himself an explorer, a snowman builder, and a resolution maker.

North Pole, South Pole - Nancy Smiler Levinson, (978-0823417377), Non-fiction
Interest level: 1-3, Lexile: 530
This book explains differences in land forms, weather, climate, and animals at the two poles.

Space Explorers - Eva Moore, (978-0439114936), Non-fiction
Interest level: 1-3, Lexile: 560
A class of eager students travels into space to learn about the solar system

Lewis and Clark: a Prairie Dog for the President - Shirley Raye Redmond, (978-0375811203), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: 320
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark capture a prairie dog while doing their famous Western exploration; they send it to President Jefferson as a memento.

Cycle of Rice, Cycle of Life - Jan Reynolds, (978-1600602542), Non-fiction
Interest level: 3-6
This book provides a picture of the contrast between the traditional way Balinese farmers grew rice using an elaborate "water system"" related to the location of temples

The Island Below the Star - James Rumford, (978-0395851593), Fiction
Interest level: 1-4, Lexile: 680
A family of brothers sets out in their boats and reaches Hawaii, each brother exhibiting one special talent.

Encounter - Jane Yolen, (978-0152259624), Fiction
Interest level: 1-4, Lexile: 760

Upper Elementary to Middle School Books

Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa - Don Brown, (978-0618002733), Non-fiction
Interest level: 4-8, Lexile: 550
Learn about an unusual 18th-century woman who traveled alone throughout West Africa.

Meet My Grandmother: She's a Deep Sea Explorer - Lisa Tucker McElroy, (978-0761317203), Non-fiction
Interest level: 4-6, Lexile: 940
A grandson describes the life of his famous and accomplished grandmother, a deep-sea scientist.

Journey to the Bottomless Pit: The Story of Stephen Bishop and Mammoth Cave - Betsy Mitchell, (978-0670059089), Fiction
Interest level: 4-8, Lexile: 760
A young slave assists his master as they explore caves in Kentucky; he finds unknown parts and hidden passageways.

North - Donna Jo Napoli, (978-0060579876), Fiction
Interest level: 4-7, Lexile: 600
Inspired by hearing about African American explorer Matthew Henson, a young boy runs away to the Arctic.

A Small, Tall Tale from the Far, Far North - Peter Sis, (978-0679843450), Fiction
Interest level: 3-7, Lexile: 480
A Czech explorer depends on the native Inuit for survival assistance when he explores the Arctic in the 19th century.

To the Edge of the World - Michele Torrey, (978-0375823381), Fiction
Interest level: 4-8, Lexile: 730
An orphan sees the world as he serves as cabin boy to Ferdinand Magellan on his sails to the Spice Islands.

New Found Land: Lewis and Clark's Voyage of Discovery - Allan Wolf, (978-0763621131), Fiction
Interest level: 4-8, Lexile: 850
Original sources and their facsimiles including the letters of Thomas Jefferson and other explorers describe seeking a water trail through the United States to the West Coast.

Middle School to Young Adult Books

The Little Prince - Antoine de St. Exupery, (156012197), Fiction
Interest level: 4-8, Lexile: 710
A young prince ventures to a strange planet in search of friends and meaning.

Christopher Columbus, Explorer of the New World - Robin Doak, (978-0756508111), Non-fiction
Interest level: 5-9, Lexile: 1090
This biography tells the story of the life of Christopher Columbus as he makes his discovery of the new world and returns home again.

Bartlett and the Forest of Plenty - Odo Hirsch, (978-1582348315), Fiction
Interest level: 4-8, Lexile: 750
Two boys try to determine if they have the stuff to become real explorers when they go beyond the Gircassian Rift into unknown woods.

The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela: Through Three Continents in the Twelfth Century - Uri Shulevitz, (978-0374377540), Fiction
Interest level: 4-8, Lexile: 920
A Jewish explorer leaves Spain to see the world in this fictionalized version of the life of a real man.

Bad River Boys: A Meeting of the Lakota Sioux with Lewis and Clark - Virginia Sneve, (978-0823418565), Fiction
Interest level: 4-8, Lexile: 790
The Sioux come into contact with the famous Western explorers, Lewis and Clark.