The Indestructible Tom Crean - by Jennifer Thermes (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The Indestructible Tom Crean reveals the incredible true stories of Crean's adventures on the Discovery, Terra Nova, and Endurance expeditions. When the Endurance becomes trapped in the frozen sea and sinks, it is up to Crean and several others to go for help"--

Book Synopsis

Heroic Explorer of the Antarctic.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Antarctica is the last unexplored continent. The ice is unforgiving. It can break the human spirit. It takes many men willing to face hardship, danger, and years away from home to journey to this uncharted end of the earth. This is the story of one. His name is Tom Crean.

The Indestructible Tom Crean reveals the incredible true stories of Crean's adventures on the Discovery, Terra Nova, and Endurance expeditions. He hauls eight-hundred-pound sleds full of supplies, escapes from drifting ice floes, and trudges miles alone across a treacherous ice shelf. When the Endurance becomes trapped in the frozen sea and sinks, it is up to Crean and several others to go for help. They sail a tiny lifeboat through the most violent seas in the world and cross a daunting glacial mountain range by foot in order to save their fellow explorers. Tom Crean's heroic acts of courage, perseverance, and teamwork inspire the men to keep going.

Through dazzling mapwork and vivid illustrations, Jennifer Thermes brings a formidable landscape and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration to life.

Review Quotes

★ "A story of bitter cold infused with warmth and with the fighting spirit of its courageous subject." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Thermes' past work as a map illustrator is employed to great effect here . . . Created with watercolor, colored pencil, and salt, the artwork features a soft, sunny palette that keeps the story upbeat, even during blizzards and perilous times. With varied compositions, this is a detail-rich presentation not to be missed." -Booklist, starred review

★ "[E]nthralling . . . Thermes's honed text, in a grabbingly immediate present tense, uses short, high-impact sentences that make the most of the inherent drama. Her illustrations (in watercolor, colored pencil, and salt) are full of detail, action, and atmosphere." -The Horn Book, starred review

"Poetic writing blends with watercolor illustrations that embody the limited palette of the Antarctic landscape to provide readers with a unique presentation of Crean's adventures." -School Library Journal

About the Author

Jennifer Thermes is a map illustrator and the author-illustrator of many books for children, including Manhattan: Mapping the Story of an Island, which was an Orbis Pictus Honor Book and a Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year. She lives in Connecticut. Please visit jenniferthermes.com.