Library Media Connection - Ann M.G. Gray
These books all begin with a brief section that introduces the featured civilization and includes a map outlining the area it inhabited. The remainder of each book discusses the lifestyle of the ancient people and includes "Then" and "Now" text boxes showing the reader how certain things discovered or used by the ancients are still used today. For example, the idea of a jury was first used by the Vikings to determine a person’s guilt or innocence when being accused of a crime. The books are filled with fascinating tidbits that will whet the reader’s appetite to learn more, as well as with colorful illustrations and photographs. Though none of the books give enough information to write a report, they do provide an exciting introduction to life in ancient times and the important contributions each civilization made to contemporary life. Bibliography. Glossary. Timeline. Websites. – Ann M.G. Gray, Library Media Specialist, Pittsburg (New Hampshire) School <i> Library Media Connection</i> January/February 2011
June 22, 2012School Library Journal - John Peters
Egotistic titles aside, these cultural studies are worth considering for the often-illuminating connections they make between ancient and modern science, technology, ideas, and even social practices. Though simplistic ("Chinese men usually wore hats. These hats were often made of fine silk"), the narratives supply overviews of each culture’s history, geography, and general character with special reference to major inventions. Each spread also features sidebars that include a pair of "Then" and "Now" boxes in which comparisons are made–between ancient and modern cat ownership in Egyptians, for instance, or between the Parthenon and the Lincoln Memorial in Greeks. Furthermore, some of the inventions are not the usual suspects–Egyptians, for example, mentions that that civilization saw the first historical use of huge groups of workers for specific public projects, and Romans details that people’s invention of milestones. Illustrations are mostly color photos, period images, and maps. –John Peters, formerly at New York Public Library <i>School Library Journal</i> November 2010
June 22, 2012