Read-Aloud Thursday... Richard Halliburton...

From Wikipedia, "Richard Halliburton (January 9, 1900 – presumed dead after March 24, 1939) was an American traveler, adventurer, and author. Best known today for having swum the length of the Panama Canal and paying the lowest toll in its history—thirty-six cents—Halliburton was headline news for most of his brief career. His final and fatal adventure, an attempt to sail a Chinese junk, the Sea Dragon, across the Pacific Ocean from Hong Kong to the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco, made him legendary."

I just started reading the above book aloud, a little at a time. It is a marvelous book so far, kind of like having a fantastic uncle telling you about his adventures. He explains in the opening pages how he developed a fascination for geography, and decided as a child to see as much of the world as he could. He then invites the reader to "travel with him". The book actually starts in the San Francisco Bay area (California), which is close to us, and so the kids are familiar with the first two landmarks traveled through, the Bay Bridge, and the Golden Gate Bridge. While the book is somewhat dated--having first been published in the late 1930's, I think--the descriptions are amazing! As well as being an intrepid traveler, Halliburton was an excellent storyteller - you really do feel as though you're traveling with him!

I am looking forward to enjoying the rest of this book with my children, after which we may read some more of his work, such as Seven League Boots, The Flying Carpet, and The Glorious Adventure.

Check out more Read Aloud Thursday posts over at Hope Is The Word!