In Captain Cook: Sailing off the Map Craig Scutt follows the ascent of Cook from a boy born to farmhands to a man whose death elicits tears from King George III. Cook’s life is presented in a marriage of history and adventure that will awaken primary school students’ minds to the possibilities that reading history can offer. The explorer is depicted as a man whose considerable physical and intellectual gifts were vastly outweighed by his capacity for hard work and ferocious desire for knowledge. Of great interest to all students will be Cook’s foremost achievement, being the first European to land on and map the east coast of Australia. They will also revel in the tale of 12-year-old Nicholas Young who; despite being at sea with so many esteemed sailors; was the first member of the crew to sight New Zealand. Teachers, on the other hand, will appreciate Scutt’s skilled handling of the crew’s interactions with native peoples and the themes of perseverance and respect for those around you. This is an ideal introduction to reading history for all primary school students.

Marc Temminghoff is a postgraduate student and bookseller with The Little Bookroom

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