Published by Barefoot Books

Summary:  “This is the story of my grandfather: how he got stranded on a volcanic island, was almost turned into barbecue and found the most important moment in the world.”  The island is Surtsey, formed in the 1960’s by underwater volcanic explosions off the coast of Iceland, where Ævar’s grandfather (also named Ævar) was from.  Ævar Senior was an explorer, a scientist, and a photographer, so when he heard about Surtsey, he wanted to go check it out.  A fisherman dropped him and a friend off, and the two scientists enjoyed a day of exploring.  Unfortunately, the fisherman never returned, and they spent two days trying to keep warm (the molten lava helped) and surviving on the small amount of food and drink they had with them.  On the third day, an American man, part of a U.S. scientific expedition, found them (at the most important moment in the world).  They made it back to Iceland and lived happily ever after, although they never found out why the fisherman didn’t pick them up.  Includes additional information about Iceland, Surtsey, volcanoes, a few Norse gods, and the legend of Surtsey’s tomatoes, which involves poop.  32 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  This quirky book is a total delight, both the folksy story and the illustrations that perfectly capture the magic and colors of Iceland.  The author states on the title page that everything in the story is true, except for one little thing, and invites readers to see if they can spot it.  That made me want to read carefully, which we can hope will be the result for kids as well.  

Cons:  The detail that is not true turns out to be quite the anticlimax, although Benediktsson has fun pointing out the outlandish parts that are true throughout the story.