The Time Trekkers Visit the Romans

Children's Literature - Wendy Ricci

This picture book, written so that it might appeal to younger children, contains a variety of interesting facts about the time period of the Romans, starting in 753 B.C. Using a time machine invented by an eccentric grandfather, four children (the Time Trekkers) travel through time and space to experience life as a Roman. From the deafening roar of a crowd at Circus Maximus during a chariot race, to sharing in a traditional Roman feast, to a visit to the public baths, the four children learn a great deal about the Romans, the most advanced civilization in Europe in their time. They learn about the great cities that existed, the paved streets, and the complex drainage systems that were built. They also see the magnificent temples and palaces decorated with beautiful stone carvings and sculptures. Children will enjoy traveling with the Time Trekkers and while on the trip they will learn a great deal about a fascinating part of world history. A timeline and index is included at the end.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Four children use a time machine to travel back to the Roman Empire and to the age of the dinosaurs. The information in Romans is too trivialized to use for homework assignments, and the presentation is not visually pleasing. In Dinosaurs, brief facts about different species and their habitats are provided. While careful paleontologists stress the difficulty of coming to definite conclusions, Needham does not hesitate to do so. Fossil evidence raises the possibility that Maiasaura cared for its young, but this cannot be proven beyond a doubt, as stated in the book. In addition, the reasons given for dinosaurs' extinction do not cover all current theories. In both titles, sidebars take the form of illustrations of a hand-held computer-"the gizmo"-and answer questions about science, places, people, history, and art. Both books have confusing layouts with too many "gizmos" per page and too many speech balloons for the time travelers' comments. The full-color, cartoonstyle art is flat and unlifelike. Unnecessary purchases.Susan Pine, New York Public Library