Matthew Flinders was born in 1774 in a quiet village in Lincolnshire, England, called Donington.
He was expected to stay at home and become a doctor, but he had other ideas, like sailing the world and the high seas!
This an intriguing book providing all the information in chunk size pieces, carefully researched, beautifully written and crafted by Carole Wilkinson.
Matthew Flinders was determined to map the entire coast of the continent we now call Australia. His story is packed to the gunwales with adventure – storms and shipwrecks, death and danger, a race to beat the French – but more than this, it is a story of loyalty to his crew, love for his wife, and affection for the brave little cat who sailed with him.
Did you know that Flinders was the first person to circumnavigate Australia and create the map of the whole continent. He was a cartographer and completed the maps of Australia, mapping 35,000 kilometres of coast in leaky ships, a magnificent achievement.
The book is an excellent resource with a package of resources including route maps, a time line of Flinders’ life and a glossary. It has everything you would need in gaining an insight into the Flinders’ as a navigator and a cartographer. There is also a great set of teacher's notes on Wild Dog Books.
Carole Wilkinson is an award-winning author from Melbourne, Australia. She has recently written a wealth of fact-finding books including Putting Australia on the Map, Ten Pound Pom and Atmospheric. Her adventure series of Dragonkeeper is now being made into an animated video and is a unique series on life in the Han Dynasty through the eyes of a slave girl.
Prue Pittock, the illustrator, also from Melbourne is passionate about illustration and has a unique style, displayed beautifully in Matthew Flinders.
Wild Dog Books is an award winning Australian independent publishers, inspirational in their catalogue of books on environment, history and the future, they just know the excitement in great stories told well.
I love this book and wonder and dream if one day, and maybe one day soon, I too may be heading across continents, although best in a jet plane not a leaky ship . It has inspired me and I am sure it will inspire you too.
Sue Martin
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