King Arthur
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Editorials
School Library Journal
Gr 6-9- Because of its balanced viewpoints and clear, engaging writing, Stonehenge is the most successful of these titles. Multiple theories about the creation of and uses for the artifact are presented in a way that enables readers to understand a large amount of historical information. Most terms are explained in context. One drawback is that some illustrations are not near the text to which they refer, and a computer-generated image is not labeled as such. Unicorns explores legends and theories about the existence of the single-horned animal, and the writing is direct and absorbing. The choice of illustrative material detracts from this volume, however. Though unicorns in Eastern cultures are discussed, there are no pictures of them. The computer-generated art is purposeless, and in a section about narwhals, it is not clear whether a picture is real or not. King Arthur is the weakest of the three volumes. The theories about the man's existence are repetitive and complicated, making the text difficult for readers without advanced knowledge of Arthurian scholarship. Two criticisms of the structure of all of the books are that the "Did You Know" boxes merely repeat information from the text and that no picture credits are provided.-Cheri Dobbs, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI