Alastair Humphreys' Great Adventurers

Alastair Humphreys and I both made just one mistake with his book. He gave it a somewhat simple title, and I initially failed to read beyond the title, missing out on giving my elementary-school-age kids a great book.But what else to title this positive, outstanding book? It’s full of short, fun, focused stories about men and women adventurers both known and unknown, great graphics, and interesting facts for kids (e.g., the number of gloves a para-adventurer wore down wheeling around the world; the layers of clothing worn in the Antarctic). “Famous and not famous adventurers, who inspired me and why, and their gear” might be more accurate but is certainly awkward. “How to become an adventurer” is also a true title but also falls short.So, it’s hard to title a book like this one, with something for everyone. For your kids, just ignore the title. If you are the kind of parent who tells your children to become artists and marathoners instead of the lawyers and doctors, then giving this book to your children is an absolute requirement. It will fire their imaginations and you will end up like me, happily sleeping on the porch with them on -5 degree celsius nights in simulated Antarctic adventures.If you are the kind of parent who tells your children to become lawyers and doctors, then maybe this book will inspire your children to become adventurous lawyers and doctors that risk their careers and reputations upholding the law and curing cancer. There is more than one category of adventure in life, that’s for sure. “Great Adventurers” sticks with outdoor adventures but the core inspirations learned from the adventurers are really life inspirations masked as great fun.

I bought this book for my niece and nephew. It was drop shipped to my sister so I haven not physically seen it or read it but here are my sister's words: "This one is really a keepsake :-)"Alastair's books about his bike trip around the world and his walk across India are some of the most inspiring and enjoyable books I have read. Adventure and exploration are a big part of my life so I wanted to share that with my family. It seems like this book is going to help serve that purpose.

This book is just plain fun to read!! It takes your mind to the places you always dream of going, even if it's just for a moment or two. It reminds us there is some adventure in all of us!! I'll be holding on to this to read to my grand kids (someday, just not yet)!

My 8yo daughter loves this book. She's read it cover to cover and goes back to it again and again. A fun and interesting way for her to learn unique biographies.

Wonderful book filled with stories of real life adventurers as told through beautiful illustrations. Perfect gift for both youngsters and the young at heart!

There's a lot to love about this book. Inspirational stories told in a fun and accessible way. Great pictures and a lot of wanderlust in its pages!There are so many quotes you could use for your own inspiration, but this one rang particularly loudly for me:“When I was young, I used to wish that I could head off like my heroes in search of new experiences and a life packed with excitement.”That's exactly what the author then did as he spent four years cycling around the world and that journey changed his life. Since then the author has been on many more trails and treks around the world in the footsteps of his favourite explorers.Imagine someone reading this could be the next intrepid explorer!?

Having gifted them this book, our twin boys (5yrs old) demanded this book be read to them every night for the next month.I thought that they would have been a bit young to appreciate the detail included, but the fun graphics kept them entranced, and then a plethora of questions ensued. Thanks for the homework, Alistair!It's beautifully crafted and in anticipation of this, we purchased an extra copy in order to share the joy.

I’m a huge fan of Alistairs book Microadventures and my kids (girl 6 and boy 5) love doing stuff outdoors as a family which are inspired by that book. So it was a no brainer that I would buy this book. I was not disappointed. It’s great! They were very excited at bed time tonight when we read the first two chapters. They absolutely loved it and they had SO many questions. I also learned a lot myself which was a bonus. They loved the bite-size stories, the fantastic artwork and we finished with them wanting more and looking forward to tomorrow evening. Well done Alistair!! Top job!!

I have to admit that Alastair is one of the most inspiring individuals to follow on Twitter – His philosophy on life , and his practical tips on how to weave adventure into our everyday lives is second to none .This book just continues this approach, by detailing 20 explores that have inspired Alastair over the years , the reasons why , and practical tips on how we could emulate them . Already I have sat down with my 4 year old son and shared a number of the stories, prompted by the beautiful illustrations – although I have to admit he is more interested in the kit list of each adventurer (currently putting the different cutting implements used for survival on his Christmas list ) that the details of each adventure.A truly exceptional and inspiring book for adults and kids alike .

I guess I must be 10 not 50 if this is a childs book then i dont want to grow up ! I bought this book as i have a lot of nieces and nephews 18 to be exact , i like alastairs other books and his short films I dont believe i am being biased because i love adventure books when i was a child i would have loved this book as much as i love it now , the only complaint i would make is that it would cost me too much to send a copy to all 18 nieces and nephews its a brilliant adventure book for kids of all ages even 50 year old kids

Fantastic book for both children and adults. A great mix of interesting, often gripping real-life adventure tales, including both famous and less well-known individuals. Beautifully illustrated, meaning it's accessible to younger children too - my 6 year old loves exploring the stories through words and pictures, and the 2 year old also enjoys looking at the pictures! Inspires a spirit of adventure, curiosity about the world and a sense that anybody can get out there and have adventures. Would make a great gift.

Big, beautiful book, first and foremost this is a lovely product. Wonderful illustrations and bold prose taking you straight into the heart of each adventurer. There are twenty in all, each with four pages giving a broad outline of their adventures, and focusing on some details, their kit, and a lovely short personal "Why I love … " box from the author on each oneI asked my 9 and 10 year girls why they loved this book (We took it on a mini-adventure we had, despite it's size!) and they said they loved that the author himself is an adventurer (I love his other books too), they loved that it gave an inspiration to kids AND adults to adventure and also, of course, they loved the fabulous pictures.All in all I highly recommend this book for sharing with your kids; it opens the world to them beautifully, by making it clear that people did it - marvel at them but also is clear that YOU COULD TOO! (9 of the 20 adventurers featured are female, which is refreshing in the field; all there purely on merit too, clearly)Plus it's got Dervla Murphy in it and therefore is great already ….