Weapons of Ancient Times

Children's Literature - Kip Wilson

One in the "Weapons of War" series produced by Capstone Press, this book engages struggling readers with layouts that jump off the page. Each spread comes to life with low-level text, "Weapon Facts," and colorful images. Images in this book include both artwork depicting ancient people and photographs of artifacts described in the text. Glossary terms are highlighted and defined both on the specific page and in the back of the book for reference. Weapons depicted range from sticks and stones to boomerangs and chariots. More massive weapons such as defensive castles and the Great Wall of China are also described. Two-page spreads titled "Handheld Weapons" and "Defenses" contain individual images of items such as armor and helmets, breaking up the pages of text. Although the book is an overall gem, one small detail near the beginning of the book refers to "years in ancient times" as "BC," while most curriculum guidelines today refer to this time as "BCE." In any case, this book is thoroughly enjoyable and should be of great interest to those wanting to read about ancient weapons. Reviewer: Kip Wilson