Protagonists: Historical figures, primarily white/western
Reading level: 800s
Series: 14 separate titles
Originally reviewed in 2016
Review: After a brief introduction, the book walks readers through the basic geography, religion, culture, and history of Ancient Egypt. It packs a lot of information into a little over 100 pages, including daily life, famous rulers, important events, and some natural history. The last few chapters talk about the end of the Ancient Egyptian civilization as it was conquered by the Romans and how archaeologists learn about the past, including the Rosetta Stone. It finishes with some of the legacy of Ancient Egypt.
The book includes a list of future topics for the series, a simple bibliography and biographies of the creators.
Larkum's line drawings add the perfect note of humor, while not caricaturing the customs or people. They have a classic cartoon feel and break the text up just enough.
I was rather disappointed with Little Bee's Hideous History series, but this is just right. It's the perfect length and interest level for beginning readers, includes a reasonable amount of information without being too graphic or one-sided, includes sources, and is both fun and informative. It's also available in both hardcover and paperback.
Verdict: I will buy them all! You should buy them all too! I can't wait to use them in book club. The only question in my mind now is where to put them - with our paperback beginning chapter series or in the juvenile nonfiction?
Revisited: Several of the titles are now out of print, but the bulk of them are still available. Their popularity has been very variable, depending on the subject. Many of them haven't checked out in several years and I don't think I could justify purchasing them now, since they're a bit older. I might consider moving them to the juvenile nonfiction and seeing if they circulate more there, with kids looking for easier/shorter books on popular topics.
ISBN: 9781499801163; Published April 2016 by Little Bee; Review copy provided by the publisher at BEA; Purchased for the library
ISBN: 9781499801163; Published April 2016 by Little Bee; Review copy provided by the publisher at BEA; Purchased for the library
2 comments:
I think moving them to nonfiction is a good idea. That's where we keep ours, and though they're not the most popular, they do get checked out every once in a while.
Yeah, and I've got more and more kids needing shorter/easier nonfiction, so that might help too. I've only got a couple nonfiction items in my beginning chapter series and I've been thinking about maybe putting them in their own section.
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