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Earth's Incredible Places: Everest

Illustrated by Lisk Feng
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Paperback
$14.99 US
9.13"W x 11.44"H x 0.23"D   | 13 oz | 28 per carton
On sale Feb 07, 2023 | 88 Pages | 9781838748685
Age 7-11 years | Grades 2-6

A Children's Book Council 2019 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12. 

This stunning nonfiction picture book compendium of facts about the world's highest mountain, with illustrations from up-and-comer Lisk Feng, will not disappoint.


Hundreds of people dare to climb Mount Everest every year, following in Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's footsteps, hoping to experience Earth's highest peak. But there is so much more to this mountain than the brave mountaineers who climb it. Travel back to its ancient origins, learn about the flowers and plants that grow upon this great peak, and discover the rich history of religions, myths, and legends that surround this great Sagarmatha, the Goddess of the Sky.
Selected for the CBC's Winter 2022 Showcase: Wild Is the Winter

“This appealing and informative guide to Everest may well have children dreaming of their own expeditions.”
Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

"Filled with both facts and folktales about the tallest mountain in the world."
GeekDad

Sangma Francis is a freelance writer and editor based in Berlin.

Lisk Feng is an award-winning illustrator from China, who now works as a freelance illustrator in New York. She graduated from MFA Illustration Practice from Maryland institute College of Art in 2014, and has received awards from the Society of Illustrators and Communication Arts, among others. This is her first book.
INTRODUCTION

There is a place where a mountain grows. It sits cushioned between its sisters; 10 out of the 14 highest peaks in the world. Together they form a thick wall of stone. The buffeting winds of the oceans rise up against them in the spring and each year the mountains turn them away and transform the wind to rain. It is a place of invention, imagination and discovery.This is the magic of the Himalayan mountain range, and the story of the mountain that is tallest of them all...

LIFE AT THE FOOT OF THE MOUNTAIN

The forests of the Himalayas form the habitat for hundreds of different species of birds, mammals, fish and insects. A habitat is the natural home for a living creature. The mountain helps create an environment that is completely unique. There are many animals and plants that are endemic to the region. This means they are only found in certain areas.

TEMPLES

The village of Tengboche, in the Khumbu valley, is home to the largest Gompa in the region. This is a Buddhist monastery where climbers must pay their respect to the mountain. There are no roads to the monastery, so visitors must trek across the Dudh Kosi river and up the stony ridges to reach its holy steps.

THE SHERPA PEOPLE OF KHUMBU VALLEY

In the mountain passes under the icy watch of Everest, the Sherpa people have lived for years in the Khumbu Valley. The word ‘sherpa’ means ‘easterner’. It refers to the Sherpa migration, moving from Tibet and further east in around the 12th century. They were once nomads travelling across the higher Himalayas.Traditionally, Sherpas farm the meadows, moving their herds of animals up and down as the seasons get colder and warmer. They trade in wool, salt and seeds.

THE LEGEND OF SHAMBHALA

There are many legends surrounding the mountains, but none as mysterious and exciting as the legend of Shambhala... Folded into the unknown corners of the Himalayas, there is rumored to be a kingdom called Shambhala. It lies between eight snow-capped peaks, with the ‘near lake’ to the east and the ‘white lotus lakes’ to the west. Each of the lakes is filled with glimmering jewels that tease travelers that have come to find the city. But greed and fortune have no place in Shambhala. Only the pure of heart can enter, and those looking to steal from the lakes will never be granted entry. Its people are healthy and peaceful under the reign of the Kalki, the kings of Shambhala. For centuries the Kalki rule fairly, each leading for 100 years. But the day will soon come when Shambhala will be disrupted. There will be an age when men and women of the world will be overcome by darkness and greed. They will raise up their flags and march across the lands, spreading the darkness to all they come across. When this happens, when the world is at its feet, the mists around Shambhala will rise. The armies of the Kalki will come forward and fight to restore balance and goodness where once the darkness fell.

About


A Children's Book Council 2019 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12. 

This stunning nonfiction picture book compendium of facts about the world's highest mountain, with illustrations from up-and-comer Lisk Feng, will not disappoint.


Hundreds of people dare to climb Mount Everest every year, following in Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's footsteps, hoping to experience Earth's highest peak. But there is so much more to this mountain than the brave mountaineers who climb it. Travel back to its ancient origins, learn about the flowers and plants that grow upon this great peak, and discover the rich history of religions, myths, and legends that surround this great Sagarmatha, the Goddess of the Sky.

Praise

Selected for the CBC's Winter 2022 Showcase: Wild Is the Winter

“This appealing and informative guide to Everest may well have children dreaming of their own expeditions.”
Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

"Filled with both facts and folktales about the tallest mountain in the world."
GeekDad

Author

Sangma Francis is a freelance writer and editor based in Berlin.

Lisk Feng is an award-winning illustrator from China, who now works as a freelance illustrator in New York. She graduated from MFA Illustration Practice from Maryland institute College of Art in 2014, and has received awards from the Society of Illustrators and Communication Arts, among others. This is her first book.

Excerpt

INTRODUCTION

There is a place where a mountain grows. It sits cushioned between its sisters; 10 out of the 14 highest peaks in the world. Together they form a thick wall of stone. The buffeting winds of the oceans rise up against them in the spring and each year the mountains turn them away and transform the wind to rain. It is a place of invention, imagination and discovery.This is the magic of the Himalayan mountain range, and the story of the mountain that is tallest of them all...

LIFE AT THE FOOT OF THE MOUNTAIN

The forests of the Himalayas form the habitat for hundreds of different species of birds, mammals, fish and insects. A habitat is the natural home for a living creature. The mountain helps create an environment that is completely unique. There are many animals and plants that are endemic to the region. This means they are only found in certain areas.

TEMPLES

The village of Tengboche, in the Khumbu valley, is home to the largest Gompa in the region. This is a Buddhist monastery where climbers must pay their respect to the mountain. There are no roads to the monastery, so visitors must trek across the Dudh Kosi river and up the stony ridges to reach its holy steps.

THE SHERPA PEOPLE OF KHUMBU VALLEY

In the mountain passes under the icy watch of Everest, the Sherpa people have lived for years in the Khumbu Valley. The word ‘sherpa’ means ‘easterner’. It refers to the Sherpa migration, moving from Tibet and further east in around the 12th century. They were once nomads travelling across the higher Himalayas.Traditionally, Sherpas farm the meadows, moving their herds of animals up and down as the seasons get colder and warmer. They trade in wool, salt and seeds.

THE LEGEND OF SHAMBHALA

There are many legends surrounding the mountains, but none as mysterious and exciting as the legend of Shambhala... Folded into the unknown corners of the Himalayas, there is rumored to be a kingdom called Shambhala. It lies between eight snow-capped peaks, with the ‘near lake’ to the east and the ‘white lotus lakes’ to the west. Each of the lakes is filled with glimmering jewels that tease travelers that have come to find the city. But greed and fortune have no place in Shambhala. Only the pure of heart can enter, and those looking to steal from the lakes will never be granted entry. Its people are healthy and peaceful under the reign of the Kalki, the kings of Shambhala. For centuries the Kalki rule fairly, each leading for 100 years. But the day will soon come when Shambhala will be disrupted. There will be an age when men and women of the world will be overcome by darkness and greed. They will raise up their flags and march across the lands, spreading the darkness to all they come across. When this happens, when the world is at its feet, the mists around Shambhala will rise. The armies of the Kalki will come forward and fight to restore balance and goodness where once the darkness fell.