by Peter Crisp
Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., $17.99, 32 pages
Explore the Titanic comes at a wonderful time to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the maiden voyage of the doomed Titanic. This beautifully illustrated and informative book with accompanying CD walks young readers through the entire voyage in such a way that parents can relax knowing that reading and viewing the content won’t cause nightmares but will educate and fascinate their young ones. It shares the minute details of the ship, artifacts, some passengers and crew with fold-outs and maps, authentic pictures and recreations. The attention to detail in both the book and CD is fascinating to see. It takes readers through the ship’s vast public rooms showing recreations of the ornate beauty in each. It truly was a luxury liner for the times and viewing the ship in its magnificent, restored condition adds to the tragedy.
The CD that’s included in the inside cover of the book is cool to load and to see the main foyer of the Titanic, but the CD itself is awkward to use at first. Players can view the main hall and look up and down and move side to side utilizing the arrow keys but it is cumbersome to maneuver around the ship having to click on a flag to move forward. However, once navigation is mastered, it is awe-inspiring for any age to view the “unsinkable” ship.
M. Chris Johnson