Ancient Greece

Children's Literature - Children's Literature

Children will be captivated by the first page, there the author presents a photograph of the ruins of Apollo's temple at Corinth. A map is inset to help the reader locate the ruins. Information presented is brief, with only one or two pages given to each location. The writing is excellent and the coverage is thorough. Books on this subject are often too wordy, or too simple with too many pictures and not enough text. This title seems to have the correct balance. Projects are included throughout the text, and they will be useful within a classroom setting. An index, glossary, time line, and recommended reading list are included. This is a recommended title for social studies classrooms and media centers. The "History Beneath Your Feet," series includes other titles, about ancient lands. 2000, Raintree Steck-Vaughn, Ages 8 to 12, $25.89. Reviewer: Joyce Rice—Children's Literature

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-Both entertaining and useful, these titles discuss different aspects of ancient Egyptian and Greek cultures and history, explaining how knowledge of these societies was pieced together by archaeological discoveries. Topics are presented on double-page spreads with generous use of color and black-and-white photographs and color illustrations of artifacts, buildings, monuments, and archaeologists at work. Hicks covers early civilizations, Classical Greece, Athens, warfare, science, transportation, and pottery. Shuter includes sections on early burials, pyramids, hieroglyphs, mummies, Tutankhamun's tomb, temples, and towns. Each book takes a fascinating look at the techniques used to study these civilizations, including an explanation of how facial reconstruction is accomplished using skulls found in tombs. Both titles offer project ideas and short biographies of archaeologists. Information is not in-depth but is adequate for reports and sure to whet appetites for further reading. Louise James's How We Know about the Egyptians and How We Know about the Greeks (both Peter Bedrick, 1997) also combine archaeological contributions with cultural background, but they concentrate more on daily life.-Cynthia M. Sturgis, Ledding Library, Milwaukee, OR Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|