Viking Adventure

I read this to my six year old daughter while we were studying Leif Erickson. It was a perfect combination of excellent story line and historical background. My daughter loved it and wanted to keep reading every time it was time to stop. I enjoyed it as much as she did. I think Bulla is one of the best children's writers out there and we seek his books out at every opportunity. Since the main character in this book is a young boy, I assume boys will love it even more than we did.

I did not read this book, which was originally published the year that I was born, until I read it to my own children in the last few years. The copy that I have now was one that my mother ordered and read herself back in 1968 and which somehow ended up on my childrens' bookshelf. I originally read it to my 8 year old daughter (who is now 10), who loved it so much, that we read it again and again as bedtime reading (reading one chapter per night). It seems that in our day, the books that are heavily marketed to our children, and which they are enticed to buy, are those that have flashy covers and are populated by cartoon characters. "Viking Adventure" is a wonderful story populated by realistic people in a portrayal of realistic Viking life. It is the story of a young boy named Sigurd, who is the son of a one-time Viking adventurer. Reading it puts one in a completely believable, recognizable, yet historical world in which the tale of Sigurd being raised by his father so that he will be prepared for manhood, is recounted. It tells of Sigurd's own adventures sailing to a legendary place called Wineland, which we know as North America. Sigurd's adventure is full of danger, treachery, friendship and survival. Viking Adventure is well-written children's literature, that my 8 year old son and I now read repeatedly at bedtime. Unlike much of current children's fiction, Viking Adventure is one of those books that was a good read in 1965, still is a good read in 2005, and will still be a good read when I read it, someday, to my grandchildren