Ancient Greece

Children's Literature

This title provides a brief but adequate summary of life and thought in ancient Greece. All topics are presented in a uniform, two-page format; bold print, short paragraphs and color illustrations provide easy access. Each topic contains an introduction, two subtopics, and a "case study" of a famous person or item that relates to the subject. For example, "Important Places" includes subtopics about sanctuaries (large areas for worshipping the gods) and the agora, with a case study of the Acropolis. Each subtopic is accompanied by a quote—not always enlightening—and an illustration. There is also a glossary and a "word discovery" sidebar defining words that relate to the topic. All this makes for a lively visual presentation. An index and timeline are on the back page. The book is part of the "Historic Civilizations" series. 2005, Gareth Stevens Publishing, Ages 8 to 12.
—Ellen R. Butts

Children's Literature - Susie Wilde

New additions to the photographic "Living History" series never disappoint. Ancient Greece contains breathtaking photographs and a fact filled text that brings history to life. Costumed actors reenact scenes from the past. There is a timeline, maps and index to increase the utility for educational settings, but the books are also ideal just for browsing.

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Large and glossy, Ancient Greece begins with a solid overview that places the era in context, but the following chapters, while entertaining, sometimes fail to relay the whole story in enough depth for the intended age group. A prime example is found in the section on Alexander the Great. Readers are first told that ``no matter where they were from, the soldiers admired him and willingly called him Alexander the Great,'' Three paragraphs later ``the troops refuse to go any farther, and the army turned back.'' The intervening years-thousands of miles of marching and hardship-are neither mentioned nor shown on a map. Clare also alludes to the fact that slaves could save and buy their freedom, but never explains how they were able to get the money to accomplish this. While the information is attractively laid out, with many striking full-color illustrations, some photographs of costumed actors are so artificially posed that they resemble a low-budget mail-order catalog. This book falls short when compared to existing material, especially Don Nardo's Ancient Greece (Lucent, 1994) which never skimps on details. Olivia Coolidge's Golden Days of Greece (HarperCollins, 1968) and Christopher Fagg's Ancient Greece (Watts, 1979; o.p.) need not be replaced by this entry.-Anita Palladino, Finkelstein Memorial Library, Spring Valley, NY