Amie Jane Leavitt - Christopher Columbus

Copyright 2008 by Mitchell Lane Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Printed and bound in the United States of America.

Printing 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

A Robbie Reader/Whats So Great About... ?

Amelia Earhart

Christopher Columbus

Elizabeth Blackwell

Galileo

Helen Keller

Johnny Appleseed

Rosa Parks

Anne Frank

Daniel Boone

Ferdinand Magellan

George Washington Carver

Henry Hudson

Paul Bunyan

Sam Houston

Annie Oakley

Davy Crockett

Francis Scott Key

Harriet Tubman

Jacques Cartier

Robert Fulton

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Leavitt, Amie Jane.

Christopher Columbus / by Amie Jane Leavitt.

p. cm. (A Robbie reader, Whats so great about?)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-58415-578-2 (library bound)

eISBN 978-1-54575-022-3

1. Columbus, ChristopherJuvenile literature. 2. ExplorersAmericaBiographyJuvenile literature. 3. ExplorersSpainBiographyJuvenile literature. 4. AmericaDiscovery and explorationSpanishJuvenile literature. I. Title.

E111.L435 2008

970.015092dc22

[B]

2007000811

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Amie Jane Leavitt is the author of numerous articles, puzzles, workbooks, and tests for kids and teens. She is a former teacher who has taught all subjects and grade levels. Ms. Leavitt loves to travel, play tennis, and learn new things every day. She, too, believes in following your dreams.

PHOTO CREDITS: Cover, pp. 1, 3, 4, 7, 16, 19, 26Library of Congress; p. 6Alejo Fernndez/photo by Manuel Rosa; p. 8Gaetano Guadagnini; p. 12Jonathan Scott; p. 15North Wind Picture Archives; p. 18John Hagan; p. 24Michael Zalewski; p. 27Barbara Marvis.

PUBLISHERS NOTE: The following story has been thoroughly researched and to the best of our knowledge represents a true story. While every possible effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the publisher will not assume liability for damages caused by inaccuracies in the data, and makes no warranty on the accuracy of the information contained herein.

PPC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One
A Hero Returns

Chapter Two
Dreaming of the Sea

Chapter Three
Sailing West to the Indies

Chapter Four
Land, Land!

Chapter Five
A New World

Words in bold type can be found in the glossary.

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain paid for Columbuss voyages. After his first voyage, Columbus returned to Spain. He brought the king and queen gifts of fruits and plants from the islands. He also brought back some of the Taino people.

CHAPTER ONE

A Hero Returns

A grand parade marched through the narrow streets of Barcelona (bar-suh-LOH-nuh). People came out of their houses and cheered. Everyone wanted to see the hero of Spain. His name was Christopher Columbus. He had just found a new way to the Indies, a land rich in spices.

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (is-uh-BEL-uh) thought Columbus was important too. They invited him to their palace. They asked him to eat dinner at their table.

Columbus brought presents for the king and queen. He gave them fruit and flowers. He gave them a type of colorful bird that they had never seen before. He even brought back natives (NAY-tivs) wearing jewelry made of gold.

Christopher Columbus opened the New World for exploration. His voyages had a lasting effect, both positive and negative, on the entire world.

The king and queen were excited. They liked listening to his stories about the beautiful islands. They asked him to go back and set up a colony (KAH-luh-nee) there. They also wanted him to find gold and riches for Spain.

Before Columbus left, the king and queen gave him a new title. From that day on, he would be called Admiral of the Ocean Sea. They thought he was the greatest sea captain alive.

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were so pleased with Columbuss success on his first voyage that they gave him more money and ships to return to the Indies.

Christopher Columbus left home at an early age to become a sailor on a merchant ship. Yet he never forgot his family. He always sent money home to help support his aged father, who had little money to take care of his needs.

CHAPTER TWO

Dreaming of the Sea

Christopher Columbus was born in 1451. He was the first child of Susanna and Domenico (doh-MEN-ih-koh) Colombo. His parents had three more boys and one girl. Christopher had hair as red as fire and eyes as blue as the sea. His family was Catholic. Christopher had a strong faith in God his whole life.

Domenico was a weaver. He made fancy clothing for rich people. As a young boy, Christopher helped his father weave cloth. Yet Christopher didnt want to do this forever. He dreamed of going to sea.

Christopher was lucky to be born in Genoa (JEH-noh-uh), Italy. This town is near the Mediterranean (meh-dih-tur-AY-nee-un) Sea. Many people in Genoa made their living on the sea. They fished or traveled on ships to sell goods to other cities. Christopher wanted to explore the big blue sea, too.

At age fourteen, Christopher did just that. He was hired to help on a merchant ship. He sailed south to Africa and north to Iceland. He loved his job.

At age twenty-five, he was shipwrecked. Christopher floated to shore on a piece of wood. He landed in a country called Portugal (PORT-choo-gul).

Christopher stayed there for many years. One of his brothers, Bartholomew (bar-THAH-lem-yoo), lived there, too. The two brothers sold maps and tools for sailors.

Christopher spent his free time reading books. He wanted to learn more about sailing and geography (jee-AH-gruh-fee). He had gone to school for a few years, but then he taught himself as much as he could from books. Christopher still dreamed of the places he wanted to visit on the blue sea.

The town of Genoa, Italy, built this monument for Christopher Columbus. (In Italian, his name is spelled Cristoforo Colombo.) He was born in Genoa in 1451.