The Great Northern Expedition

In the 1700s, Russia's rulers funded an expedition to Siberia and beyond--to the mysterious North American coastline of what would later become Alaska. Ambitious in scope and incredibly lengthy in time commitment, the Great Northern Expedition was ultimately doomed and largely lost to history. Italian artist Maria Cristina Pritelli here reimagines it through the eyes of the young son of Sven Waxell, second-in-command to the famous Danish captain Vitus Bering. Pritelli's cinematic landscapes and attention to both historical and natural detail imbue the fateful voyage with a subtle beauty that makes it easy to consider the appeal such a mission of discovery would have had centuries ago.

Author: Maria Cristina Pritelli
Publisher: Creative Editions
Published: 03/10/2026
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.94lbs
Size: 12.25h x 8.18w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781568464015
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.4
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 557717 / Great Northern Expedition


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2026
Foreword 02/06/2026

About the Author
Maria Cristina Pritelli is an internationally recognized children's book illustrator whose recent works for Creative Editions include A Wish Is a Seed, Seaside Lullaby, The Million Stories of Marco Polo, and Sashiko. She lives with her family in Italy.