Before Columbus:
The Lief Eriksson Expedition
Ages 9-12; Random House Books for Young Readers; Available July 2004

The Story: Five hundred years before Columbus, a young Viking named Leif Eriksson crossed the Atlantic and became the first known European to set foot in North America. The tale of the crossing and the brief Viking settlement in North America has been passed down for a thousand years. Now, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel retells it to a new audience, painting a vivid picture of what Eriksson might have experienced on his great Viking expedition.

Inspiration: Ms. Kimmel became interested in Leif Eriksson while researching the subject of exploration for ICE STORY. She began her research by reading the Vinland Sagas and found that while the sagas provide a framework for Leif's story, they also leave a lot of blanks. The blanks are what intrigued her.

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