Brave Explorers is an essential addition to every classroom library. It’s so thoughtfully put together that my little ones — and honestly, even I — felt like true adventurers as we traveled through the lives of remarkable explorers from history. Each story is clear, engaging, and perfectly suited for curious readers.We especially loved the bright, detailed illustrations and all the little touches that make the book feel alive. The bonus Explorer’s Passport is such a fun idea, turning reading into hands‑on discovery and giving kids a way to record their own “journeys.”This book doesn’t just teach history — it inspires courage, curiosity, and a love for exploration. A wonderful resource for homeschool families, classrooms, and young readers who are ready to discover the world.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for allowing us to enjoy this outstanding book.


Sky Full Of Stars🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Book Review: A Wonderful Adventure for Young Readers

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Brave Explorers: Real Stories of Bold Journeys and Discoveries by Jacopo Donati, illustrated by Giulia Dragone, is a wonderfully engaging book for curious children who love history, travel, and discovery.

From the moment I saw the bright, inviting cover, I was drawn in. Inside, the colorful illustrations make every explorer’s journey feel vivid and exciting. The book introduces readers to remarkable figures who ventured into the unknown, including well-known names such as Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus, as well as explorers like Freya Stark and Margarita Salas. Their stories span different time periods, cultures, and regions of the world, giving the book a broad and wonderfully inclusive perspective.

One of my favorite aspects was the variety of people featured. I came across several fascinating individuals whose accomplishments were completely new to me, and I appreciated that the book shows exploration in many different forms. It connects history, geography, science, and culture in a way that feels accessible to all ages.

The interactive Explorer’s Passport is an especially fun addition. Children can personalize it, record interesting facts, mark routes, collect stamps, and note their own discoveries. It transforms the reading experience into something hands-on and imaginative, encouraging young readers to see themselves as adventurers too.

This is both educational and entertaining, with lively artwork and inspiring stories on every page. I think it would make an excellent gift for a budding explorer—or any child who enjoys learning about brave people and the world around them.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

This is a very informative, packed with history and beautiful illustrations. It gives records of some of the popular explorers in the world. You've got to read a little background about them and what they are known for. I did not know some of them before I read the book :) It will really make a wonderful addition to your collection and the cover (oh my goodness) is so gorgeous, it would make a great gift for any readers.

Brave Explorers by Jacopo Donati was delightful and so interesting! I love that the author included explorers from a range of cultures and that their exploration covered a lot of different parts of the world (and space!). Including ocean floor mapping was fascinating and it’s a type of exploration I hadn’t expected to read about - pleasant surprise! The text was detailed enough to give children an overview of each explorer and expedition and would serve as a great jumping off point if they were interested in learning more.

The illustrations by Giulia Dragone were wonderful! I really like the style of art and there is so much to look at. Lots of interesting details that really capture the settings. I liked that the author/illustrator included maps for each of the exploration routes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster-White Star for allowing me to read and review this book.

Great book to introduce readers to explorers of all kinds.
Both genders, and people from all over.
Beautiful art too.
A fun section at the back where you can write your own discoveries.

Brave Explorers is an engaging and beautifully illustrated nonfiction book that introduces young readers to inspiring explorers from across history. The interactive Explorer’s Passport adds a fun, hands-on element, making learning feel like an adventure. An educational and enjoyable read for curious kids who love discovering the world.

Brave Explorers is a collection of short stories about certain famous explorers in a condensed manner and appropriate for children interested in this area. It also includes full color pages of illustrations that show the land the explorer is known for. It looks like the explorers are organized by years too, though some apparently have none listed in the description. This book should be a great addition for any library or school.

I received Brave Explorers as an advanced reader copy, and all opinions are my own.

This is a delightfully illustrated book highlighting a variety of explorers from around the world and the roles they played in helping Europeans travel, navigate, and expand their knowledge of the globe.

Each two-page spread focuses on one person, with a short introductory blurb alongside a bit more information about their life and accomplishments. I especially appreciated that there were several people included whom I had never heard of before. If a woman in her 50s can learn something new from this book, then I feel pretty confident that its target audience will have plenty to discover as well!

The illustrations are engaging, the information is presented in an accessible way, and the format makes it easy to read a little at a time or sit down and work through the whole book.

I thought Brave Explorers was perfect for what it was trying to be: an attractive, approachable introduction to a wide range of explorers and their contributions. I would definitely recommend it for curious young readers.

The first thing that caught my attention was the table of contents, which is designed like a map. I loved the zigzag route that leads to each explorer, with page numbers placed inside circles alongside names such as the Viking explorers, Marco Polo, and many others. It immediately made me want to start exploring the book.

The illustrations are beautiful and inviting, encouraging you to stop and read each explorer's story. I especially liked that every section includes a world map showing the route they followed, making it easy to understand exactly where they travelled.

As I reached the middle of the book, I realised just how fascinating it was. It introduces explorers from all over the world and explains the journeys that shaped history. Some names were already familiar to me, while others were completely new. I loved how each explorer has a different background colour, which instantly transports you to a new place and time while helping each story stand out.

I see this as a book for all ages. The information is clear, engaging, and never overwhelming. Each profile is only a small part of their story, making you want to continue learning more about the people who caught your attention. I enjoyed it far more than I expected and honestly wished it had been even longer.

The final pages were a lovely surprise. The explorer passport, the questions for each explorer, and the collectible stamps make the book even more interactive and encourage readers to keep discovering the world.

It left me with one simple thought: the world is an amazing place, and thanks to these explorers, we understand so much more about it today.

Thank you Jacopo Donati and NetGallery for this ARC of Brave Explorers. I am always looking for new non-fiction children's books for my child's collection, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Each page spread is a different explorer and has enough information to tell their background without being "too much" for young readers. The illustrations in this book are also wonderfully done. I liked that a small map was included for each explorer to help young readers get a better sense of where the explorer actually traveled. I would recommend this book to the little explorers out there!