The year is 1585. Four children are about to embark on the historic first mission to colonise the new world of America. They and their parents have been sent by Queen Elizabeth herself to claim the land for the English crown. But after navigating a dangerous and difficult crossing over the Atlantic there is something of a surprise awaiting them...

America already has its own inhabitants, native people whose peaceful lives soon run into conflict with the new arrivals.

Children of the Wild is a new book by best-selling author Giles Milton. It tells the tale of an epic adventure into the unknown by four resourceful children, left to fend for themselves after their parents mysteriously vanish from their new home on the island of Roanoke.

Based on a true story, this amazing book gives a child's eye view of the wonders and horrors that confront a pioneering band of hardy adventurers.

Click on the links in the map above to find out more about the extraordinary ambitions and clash of cultures that marked the start of an age of exploration and settlement into the New World. And read the full story in Children of the Wild, out now in paperback.