The Cod's Tale - by Mark Kurlansky (Paperback)

About the Book

Based on Kurlansky's "New York Times"-bestselling adult book "Cod, " this picture book examines the amazing role this versatile fish has played through more than a thousand years of human civilization. Full color.

Book Synopsis

* "Accessible to middle-grade readers...The Cod's Tale considers how the cod fits into human history. Excellent ink drawings, brightened with colorful washes, illustrate incidents from the text with clarity, a flair for the dramatic, and a sense of humor."
--Booklist, starred review

What was it that enabled the Vikings, Christopher Columbus, and the Pilgrims to cross the cold Atlantic Ocean to America? What became a staple of the medieval diet in Europe, helped spur the American Revolution, and allowed the early New Englanders to start making money of their own?

Would you believe that it was a fish?

The cod!

Based on Mark Kurlansky's New York Times bestselling adult book, Cod, this picture book offers a unique look at over a thousand years of world history.

"Breezy, kid-friendly prose...fascinating and informative...bound to hook young readers."
--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

An ALA Notable Book

Includes suggestions for further reading, factual sidebars, and timeline

Review Quotes

Praise for The Cod's Tale
*"Contributing enormously to the book's visual appeal, Schindler's excellent ink drawings, brightened with colorful washes, illustrate incidents from the text with clarity, a flair for the dramatic, and a sense of humor."
--Booklist, starred review
"A welcome and intriguing addition to library shelves."
--School Library Journal
"Kurlansky is a masterful storyteller. . . . Schindler's pictures, from serious to silly, add to the pleasure . . . . Readers of this title will never again look at fish and chips in quite the same way."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Breezy, kid-friendly prose. . . . Fascinating and informative . . . bound to hook young readers."
--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

About the Author

Mark Kurlansky is the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of twenty-four books, including Cod, Salt, 1968: The Year That Rocked the World, The Big Oyster, The Last Fish Tale, The Food of a Younger Land, The Eastern Stars, and Edible Stories. He lives in New York City.

S. D. Schindler has illustrated a wide range of picture books, including Hornbooks and Inkwells and Gold Fever (both by Verla Kay), The Unforgettable Season (by Phil Bildner), The Snow Globe Family (by Jane O'Connor), Louder, Lili (by Gennifer Choldenko), and The Story of Salt (by Mark Kurlansky). He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.