29th May Mt Everest Day

Mount Everest Day is observed on May 29th each year to commemorate the first successful ascent of the mountain. On this day in 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary (1919 - 2008), a New Zealand mountaineer, and Tenzing Norgay (1914 - 1986), a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer, became the first individuals to reach the summit of Mount Everest. It was quite a feat! The mountain continues to entice climbers today and many of them are not successful at reaching the summit.

It is easy to celebrate this day with books as both men and the mountain feature in so many books.

Start with Everest  by Sangma Francis and Lisa Feng

Hundreds of people dare to climb Mount Everest every year, following in Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s footsteps, hoping to experience Earth’s highest peak. But there is so much more to this mountain than the brave mountaineers who climb it. Travel back to its ancient origins, learn about the flowers and plants that grow upon this great peak, and discover the rich history of religions, myths, and legends that surround this great Sagarmatha, the Goddess of the Sky.

Everest by Alexandra Stewart and Joe Todd-Stanton

This is the breathtaking story of how two very different yet equally determined men battled frost-biting temperatures, tumbling ice rocks, powerful winds and death-defying ridges to climb the world’s highest mountain. Join these two unlikely heroes on the most amazing of adventures and discover the impact of hundreds of men and women that helped Hillary and Tenzing achieve their goal.

The Top of the World  by Steve Jenkins

Describes the conditions and terrain of Mount Everest, attempts that have been made to scale this peak, and general information about the equipment and techniques of mountain climbing.

First to the Top  by David Hill and Phoebe Morris

How did Ed, a small, shy boy from New Zealand, grow up to become the world's most famous mountaineer and adventurer? How did he climb Everest and do so many other astonishing things? This book tells the story of Sir Edmund Hillary and his climb to the top of Mt Everest.

Tiger of the Snows  by Robert Burleigh and Ed Young

Growing up at the foot of Mount Everest, a Sherpa boy named Tenzing Norgay dreamed about one day being the first to climb the giant in his backyard. For years he practised, carrying loads of rocks in his backpack to grow stronger, prowling the mountain's lower levels; later, carrying loads of equipment for other adventurers, but always, always, wanting to climb himself. 

Two at the Top by  Uma Krishnaswami and Christopher Corr 

Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary each tell their story, culminating in their thrilling ascent of Mount Everest.

Tenzing Norgay by  Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Bandana Tulachan 

When Tenzing was young, he spent much of his childhood tending to the family’s yaks and gazing up at the Himalaya mountains, dreaming of the day he would reach the top. Once he grew up, he joined many other Sherpas who were offering to take Europeans up the highest mountain of all—Mount Everest.

Your library might even have a copy of this book I Wish I'd Stood on Everest with Hillary and Norgay by Leonie Young and Wendy DePaaw

Presents the lives of mountaineers Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay and describes their successful climb to the top of Mount Everest.