Ancient China

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8
These books invite readers to travel back in time and tour ancient civilizations, thus providing an attractive and interesting way to explore these topics. How to travel, places to stay, what to see, and what to eat are all included. Colorful photographs, illustrations, reproductions, and boxed tips for travelers help to sustain the travel-guide style and provide more information. Aztec Empire explains that two calendars are used to keep dates, one by the priests for religious festivals and the other for the ordinary people to calculate important events such as market days. Bingham mentions that all men are required to work for the empire part of the year, and that it provides the basic necessities for those who are too old to work or become ill, or in emergencies. In Ancient China , suggested sights include The Great Wall; the peaceful countryside; or great cities such as Dunhuang, a trading city, and Chang'an, a city of emperors. With their "you-are-there" approach, these books are perfect for browsing.
—Lana MilesCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-In these handsomely designed volumes, color photographs of sites and artifacts are supplemented by detailed drawings of re-created structures and scenes from the past. Numerous sidebars provide additional information. Cartoon archaeologists in ever-changing garb at the bottom of alternate pages highlight "Did You Know?" tidbits. Mesa Verde explains how these ancient people reached North and South America using the land bridge and settled down to farm in the Four Corners area. Quigley uses the term "Ancestral Puebloans" rather than the sometimes derogatory "Anasazi" and explains why. She describes the daily lives of the people and includes current theories about why they may have abandoned this site. Activities and discoveries by the Wetherill brothers and other archaeologists as well as cultural information from modern-day people bring knowledge about the ancients up to date. This excellent title updates Caroline Arnold's The Ancient Cliff Dwellers of Mesa Verde (Clarion, 1992). Ancient China covers the region's history from the first single kingdom dynasty, Xia (2205 B.C.E. to 1700 B.C.E), to the conquering of China by Mongols in C.E.1279. Shuter includes a history of archaeology conducted by Westerners and by the Chinese government. Artifacts and a few well-preserved burial sites reveal lifestyles of the powerful and wealthy. Short chapters describe living conditions of the poor and of skilled workers as well. Others are devoted to the Silk Road trade routes and to the many Chinese inventions. Virginia Schomp's The Ancient Chinese (Watts, 2004) provides biographical information on more prominent ancient Chinese as well as many more bibliographical references.-Ann G. Brouse, Steele Memorial Library, Elmira, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.