Shackleton's Journey

Deftly illustrated with thick, wintery colored pencil, this large-format nonfiction account of Shackleton’s early 20th-century expedition to Antarctica includes detailed diagrams illuminating kid-magnet facts that relay the complex voyage, devoting, for instance, two pages to images and names of the 69 shipboard dogs. We learn that in recruiting the ship’s crew, “Shackleton quizzed candidates on their practical skills, but also about more unusual things, like if they could sing well.” And while the journey was gripping, Grill’s illustrations make it moreso, using double-page spreads to depict the tiny ship’s isolation in pack ice or the roiling sky over the Elephant Island camp. The glossary is useful; it lacks only a show more bibliography. show less

For the 2014 CYBILs, I read two different graphic novel accounts of Shackleton's last expedition to Antarctica. Separately, they both seemed to miss key points. Together, though, the presented a more complete picture. I wish they were actually combined as an anthology, rather than being separate competing points of view.

Shackleton's Journey by William Grill is presented as a folio sized picture book but was still included in the graphic novel section for the CYBILs. It's 80 pages, so roughly twice the length of a normal picture book, but still on the short side for a graphic novel.

Shackleton's expedition included a lot of men and a lot of dogs. Both books include mini caricatures of each man and dog. For an oversized book, I expected show more better, more detailed portraits. Instead, we get thumbnail sketches that are even less detailed than those in Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi.

What the book does better, though, is explaining Shackleton's goals, and his strengths as a leader. While the Bertozzi book goes into loving detail about the ship and what was actually done on the journey and during the time they were stuck on the ice, he doesn't try to get into Shackleton's head. Rather, he ends up painting Shackleton as selfish and incompetent.

Some key points that I only got after reading Grill's account is what the goal of exhibition was (crossing Antarctica) and how many people survived (all of them). But I wish the available space of the pages had been put to better use. The illustrations are sadly sparse. show less

This was an interesting book. I anticipated that it would be more of a biography, but it was not. The book focuses more on the Endurance, her crew, and expedition, with the focus shifting among them inconsistently. The simplicity of the illustrations add the story telling, but don't fully capture the passage of time. They also mute the severity of their situation. Because of this book I want to find other story's about Ernest Shackleton.

Pros: Middle grade readers who love history and extreme adventure will be wrapped up in this picture book about Ernest Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica.

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Deftly illustrated with thick, wintery colored pencil, this large-format nonfiction account of Shackleton’s early 20th-century expedition to Antarctica includes detailed diagrams illuminating kid-magnet facts that relay the complex voyage, devoting, for instance, two pages to images and names of the 69 shipboard dogs. We learn that in recruiting the ship’s crew, “Shackleton quizzed candidates on their practical skills, but also about more unusual things, like if they could sing well.” And while the journey was gripping, Grill’s illustrations make it moreso, using double-page spreads to depict the tiny ship’s isolation in pack ice or the roiling sky over the Elephant Island camp. The glossary is useful; it lacks only a show more bibliography. show less

William Grill has created a fitting memorial to Sir Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica in 1914-1916. His colored pencil drawings are a bold visual narrative of the preparation and challenges faced by the crew of the Endurance, who persevered despite the harsh climate and their well-designed Norwegian ship being crushed by the polar ice in which it got trapped. Miraculously, nobody perished on this bold adventure.

A large, beautifully designed, and wonderfully illustrated chronicle of Sir Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated expedition to Antarctica. Grill's colored pencil illustrations are vibrant and finely detailed. There is a glossary but other back matter is unfortunately lacking. A great introduction to this remarkable true story especially for primary school-age readers.

My 12 year old read this and rated it 3/5 because he wanted more information. I like this one a lot, the illustrations are pretty.