Leif the Lucky Paperback – October 1, 1994

We LOVE this story in my household. My 6 year old boy immensely enjoys reading this as does my 3 year old girl, even with the long form story. The illustrations are very detailed and interesting, and we thoroughly enjoy all the books we own from these authors. They spent a lot of time including interesting story lines and facts about the main character, and this is a great book for learning about early explorers and norse culture.

I have an original copy of this book that has been in my family’s collection for a long time (40+) years. I assumed the book was a rare find. Our original copy is a first edition that was a discard from a local library.This newly printed copy is very, very close to the original. This new copy includes the paper jacket and a vocabulary explanation to help educate readers. I’m glad to have found this book so I may read it to my children without fear of damaging my first edition copy.If I had to complain about something it is some of the pictures are not quite as vibrant as the original. Not a big deal in my opinion. The photo has the first edition on top and the less vibrantly colored new edition on the bottom.

Perfect for my grandson who's 3.

I purchased this book as part of the Beautiful Feet American History curriculum and for the most part I'm very happy with it. The illustrations are charming and most of the content is acceptable by modern standards. Some people may find the depictions of native peoples troubling. They are described as having "dark skin and unkempt hair" which is pretty subjective. The book does have some Christian overtones and speaks of the King of Norway converting to Christianity as well as the pagan gods that were worshiped prior to his conversion.I wouldn't recommend this book for very young children due to a story about a 'fat man' in the king's court who is punished to eat porridge until he bursts. Ultimately the king has mercy on the man but the story is still rather disturbing.Finally, there is repeated mention of 'thralls' which I learned were slaves which many may find troubling.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful and my children are simply captivated by them and the story.

there are wonderful illustrations on every page. This would be good with elementary students, though I'm planning on having my 7th grader read it, and I'm sure he'd enjoy it. The book was quite a bit larger (not thicker) than I had expected (since I hadn't bothered to look at the dimensions), which is fine except it makes it harder to store and a bit more cumbersome to sit and read (so I docked it, but it's really more a 4.5), so just be sure you know you're getting a larger book!

I have used the D'Aulaire's books as supplements to history texts for years. The beautiful pictures and interesting stories are so memorable, I hear the kids referencing them in day to day situations. They definitely make it easier to remember events from history and place characters and events in context, making history into more of a narrative and less of a jumble. Leif the Lucky may have made even more of an impression than usual; the events related are so adventurous and striking that there is the feeling of reading a fictional adventure story. I did explain that the transformation of Vikings into Inuits was entirely fictional; in fact, I have to wonder at its inclusion in the otherwise carefully- researched story. The book is much loved here, and I think anyone who wishes to include enrichment along with their entertainment would enjoy it.

My kids love this book. It ties in very well with our geography lessons. The pictures bring the story to life. We learned a lot from the book. My kids are in 1st and 3rd grade.

A wonderful, wonderful book. The D'Aulaires never disappoint! A beautiful copy - hardback with lovely quality to it. Worth every penny (highly recommend Children of the North Lights too!)

Children love this book.

The story is well written and the art is amazing.

Fun and historical for a 9 year old traveling to Newfoundland.

Rich illustrations, well told story.