Students craving an alternative to traditional biographies will find the Travel with Great Explorers series good for sparking a curiosity for history. Arranged more like a guidebook with small packets of information, plenty of visuals, and maps, each title begins with a brief look at the "boss'" background and motivation for exploring. Subsequent double-page spreads cover the explorer's travel route, method of travel, relationships (or in some cases, disputes) with native peoples, and fortunes and mishaps encountered. Explore with Jacques Cartier relates how his three voyages to North America opened up Canada to French settlement. Additional spreads incorporate science through the flora and fauna the explorers met for the first time and the instruments they consulted for navigation. Humorous headlines make the series more engaging, while practical back matter makes it useful to beginning researchers.