The Song Dynasty

Children's Literature

This book is part of the "Life During the Great Civilizations" series devoted to describing the people and experiences of various empires. The book is full of intricate illustrations that depict all aspects of life in the Song Dynasty from the government to daily transactions. The text is extremely thorough and informative. Not only does the author provide facts about the communal organization and social structure that one would expect to find in such a book, but he also includes interesting trivia as well such as the process of foot binding. The text is straightforward and accompanied by colorful images and photographs on almost every page. There is a basic map and a glossary at the end and the new vocabulary is all italicized. This book is both visually stimulating and educational; a good choice for a child seeking an introduction to the Song Dynasty. 2003, Blackbirch Press/The Gale Group, Ages 8 to 10.
—Rihoko Ueno

School Library Journal

Gr 5-7-Brief overviews of the history, society, religion, and achievements of these empires. The books contain a fair amount of information, but it is hard to extract it from the rather dry, bland texts in which topics run together or overlap. Part of the problem is the design, with subheads starting anywhere on a page (even three lines from the bottom as in Aztec) and a full-page sidebar in each chapter. The reason for its placement is not always clear; for instance, "Foot Binding" is opposite text on Confucian philosophy and government (Song). None of the books has a time line. Maps are all extremely small and lack detail; none places the area in relation to a continent or the world. Numerous black-and-white and color graphics will help youngsters visualize the civilizations. Captions, though, tend to repeat, not extend, the texts. The print and electronic sources for more information tend to be challenging. There are some noticeable omissions, such as not mentioning Persian satrapies or provinces, or that the Song Dynasty is also referred to as the Sung Dynasty. Ancient Civilizations (Grolier, 2000), "The Ancient World" series (Silver Burdett), Elizabeth Baquedano's Aztec, Inca and Maya (DK, 2000), and even World Book and The New Book of Knowledge (Grolier) are better choices.-Peg Glisson, Mendon Center Elementary School, Pittsford, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.