cover image Survivors: Extraordinary Tales from the Wild and Beyond

Survivors: Extraordinary Tales from the Wild and Beyond

David Long, illus. by Kerry Hyndman. Faber & Faber (PGW, dist.), $19.95 (192p) ISBN 978-0-571-31601-4

Throughout history, men, women, and children have battled the elements and lived to share their stories. Among the nearly two dozen subjects Long includes in this collection are 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke, who survived a plane crash in the Peruvian rainforest; Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton; and Aron Ralston, a hiker forced to amputate his own arm, an incident that inspired the 2010 film 127 Hours. Hyndman’s grainy artwork depicts the survivors at the peak moments of danger—19th-century trapper Hugh Glass lunges at an attacking grizzly bear with his knife, surgeon Leonid Rogozov peers down at his abdomen, giving himself a necessary appendectomy at a polar research station. While offering excitement and peril, Long’s riveting narratives also provide insight into how these individuals used their skills, knowledge, and fortitude to survive. Ages 9–11. (Sept.)