Reviews (1)

A Great Introduction to Roman Culture!
I would especially recommend this book for homeschooling parents who want a lively and interesting introduction to Roman culture for their children. Written in question and answer format, children will learn how modern culture compares and contrasts with the ancient world.

How do you put on a toga? Did Roman women wear makeup? How were mosaics made? What was it like inside a roman house? Did they have toilets? Who and what were gladiators? Did the Romans have zoos?

The color illustrations are terrific! A great book for older elementary and middle school students! ... Read more

Book Description

Huge, noisy, quaint yet cosmopolitan, and altogether striking in its contrasts, the city of London is examined in all its complexity in this dynamic book. Learn how this city on the Thames, dating back over 2,000 years, developed from a small settlement consisting of only a river crossing and a garrison to the city it is today, famous for London Bridge, Westminster Abbey and so much more. Learn about its most famous inhabitants--from Queen Elizabeth I and Shakespeare to the Beatles and Margaret Thatcher--to understand how they all contributed to make London the city it is today.

Starting with the city’s Roman roots, continuing through the Saxon, Medieval and Tudor periods and into its growth in the Georgian and Victorian ages, we see London come alive as a vibrant, modern city. Through original artwork, photographs, maps, and time lines, we learn about its increasing relevance on the world stage as the British Empire touches every corner of the globe.The devastation of the two World Wars, the rebuilding of the city, the increase in immigration and London’s continued role as a "capital city" complete the story told in this engaging and lively book.
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Book Description

Take a chariot ride through Ancient Rome, circa A.D. 128, and see all this city has to offer.The travel tips in this handy guide tell kids everything they need to know to make the most of their visit to the eternal city. Look under headings such as "Shopping," "Accommodation," and "Top Attractions" to find out where the action is. Watch a gladiator fight at the coliseum, a race at the Circus Maximus, or may be go shopping for chinese silks at the markets in the forum. Packed with fascinating facts and travel tips, this book offers kids a unique look atAncient Rome, it's people, places, and customs.Along with a guided tour, readers also receive a handy fold-out map of the city and a historical souvenir quiz to remind them of what they've seen. ... Read more

Book Description

You will need a reliable travel guide if you are to visit Paris in 1789.It's an exciting and dangerous time. Since the storming of the Bastille in July, control over Paris has slipped from King Louis XVI's grasp, and a full-fledged revolution is just around the corner.Checking under the heading "Accommodation," you'll find that while there are many rooms available for rent, it would be preferable to stay with someone wealthy enough to afford to pay the carriers who deliver the daily pail of water. "Getting around" Paris might present a challenge if you like to keep your clothes clean - the guide suggests hiring one of the many gutter-leapers to carry you on his back across the open sewers in the crowded, narrow, noisy streets. In the back of the book, intrepid young time travelers will find a fold-out map that provides a geographical setting for all the points of interest, and a special "tourist quiz" that makes learning history as much fun as taking a vacation. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Even Marie Antoinette Could Have Learned A Thing Or Two...
...from this charming and educational book. I purchased Paris 1789 from the Louvre Museum Shop during my visit to Paris. Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution have long been my passion. I thought this book may explain my passion to my children. I determined to read the book to them as soon as I came home but...I was sitting on the Metro when I decided to flip through the book. I read the entire book from cover to cover (and missed my stop). Although this book is designed and written for children, its engaging layout and fascinating tidbits make it enjoyable and educational for adults. I love that it is presented as a real travel guide. The travel tips, at the top of the pages, are hilarious! "Look for plays by Moliere - one of France's best comic playwrights" and "Hold on to your purse. Pickpockets often work in the crowded streets." Some things never change! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Ancient Greece for Young and Old
The cover of this book has a dynamic picture of the famous ancient Greek temple, the Parthenon, in Athens. The contents of this book are divided into two parts. Part one of the book focuses mostly on the history of ancient Greece from around 1600 B.C. in the late Bronze Age to about 100 B.C. when the Romans conquered the Greek civilization. Part two concentrates on Greek culture and society. Some of ancient Greece's most famous sites are reviewed as well as other aspects of Greek culture such as art, architecture, myths, everyday life, entertainment, and housing. A nice aspect of the book is the inclusion of two pages solely devoted to the world of Greek women, discussing their daily life, their roles in society, and influential Greek women. There are many beautiful photographs and illustrations (all with informative captions), a few diagrams, a table of dates, and numerous maps. And because Greece was divided into many small, independently ruled communities or city-states, the abundant use of maps is very important and helpful to readers. The atlas contains a lot of excellent information, but as a whole, the information did not flow from one topic to the next. It is best suited as a resource for studying special topics of interest rather than a book to read from cover to cover. It is also more appropriate for more advanced readers. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

The history of Greece is taught chronologically as students read short biographical sketches outlining the lives of important figures. Your fourth or fifth graders should be able to enjoy it independently, older students can read it as well and not feel like they have been given something that is "babyish." ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Famous Men of Greece
This work is part of the "Famous Men" series brilliantly done by Greenleaf Press. Each book has a focus of a particular time period with short biographies, and stories of those times. Some are legendary, but many of the legends do have basis in fact. We are not full-fledged historians, either by academic training or career pursuit, but have found these books to be a thrill to define the culture and thought of the time period. The primary challenge has been to keep the books in hand, as the kids love them and "borrow" them. It is fun since the stories are short and can be acted out, or built with Legos, or enjoyed in any learning style. They are also easy to use, with questions for each lesson which you can discuss. For younger children(3rd-6th grades)it is a new experince, older children(7th-12th grades) like the adult style of learning via discussion. In our experience, it can be helpful to get the small group of books that comes each "Famous Men" book, which will give you more information (and neat things to do)in that time period.Each book is a treat both visually and in the text.

Whet their appetite for history!!
We used _Famous Men of Greece_ and the accompanying _Greenleaf Guide to Famous Men of Greece_ to teach ancient Greek history to our elementary age children. They loved it! The style is very story-like and makes a great read-aloud. It cover Greek mythology, legendary historical characters, and all of the traditional famous men I wanted our children to know about. Although we are extremely conservative Christians, I found nothing objectionable in the book. I think one of the other reviewers must be talking about another book!

This title gave our children a real love for history. They begged for another lesson! One day my husband came home to find them playing the Battle of Thermopylae with their Lego men :-) I can not recommend the Greenleaf series highly enough for "real history" and memorable studies.

Great series for history studies!!!
We are a homeschooling family and we have thoroughly enjoyed the "Famous Men" series for our world history studies. I highly recommend it! The "Famous Men" books are core texts and the study guides have helpful questions, vocabulary words, project ideas and recommendations of other great books to expand the study. The "Famous Men" books were written in 1904. Greenleaf Press has republished them and written study guides to go with them. Contrary to the insinuation in a previous review, the "Famous Men" books are not in use in the New York public school system unless an individual teacher chooses to provide her students with a classical education. Frankly, we chuckled at the pornography charge of the previous review. It is a bit of a stretch.

Very interesting for young minds
My 5th grader can't seem to put it down. It is filled with classical paintings (though in black and white) and on one there is some nudity, as there ususally was in the paintings of history. We covered that up with a black marker, but on the whole it is very tastefully done. For learning the history of Greece it makes a great supplement.

A Reader from Florida
I've read all the "Famous Men" books to my nine year old and we've enjoyed them all. The Famous Men books are written in narrative form with a brief overview of different time periods in history. Our favorite was Famous Men of the Renaissance and Reformation. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"How many ages hence/ Shall this our lofty scene be actedover/ In states unborn and accents yet unknown!" In Shakespeare'sJulius Caesar, he prophesies his own future more accuratelythan he may ever have dreamed. Although Shakespeare's works havetouched people everywhere, very little is known of his life.Well-loved author and illustrator Aliki pulls together clues fromwritings, drawings, history, birth, marriage, and death records,and from Shakespeare's own plays, in this vibrant introduction toone of the greatest writers of all time.

Cleverly arranged as a play, with an aside and acts one throughfive, the book features a quotation from one of Shakespeare'splays on every spread. Bite-sized chunks of text are interspersedwith the lovely detailed illustrations Aliki is famous for, makingwhat might be a difficult subject very accessible. In addition,there are charts listing Shakespeare's plays, a chronology of hislife, sidebars with mini-biographies of significant people in hislife, and a partial list of words and expressions he invented(gloomy, moonbeam, mountaineer, zany, and bated breath, among2,000 others!). Aliki also devotes a special section to SamWanamaker, a 20th-century man with a dream to reopen Shakespeare'sGlobe playhouse in London. (Ages 7 and older) --EmilieCoulter ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An incredible book!
Book Review: William Shakespeare & the Globe By: Aliki

This book has been honored with many awards for good reason. With pictures, a sprinkle of quotes from several of Shakespeare's own plays, and many historical references make this book is a very interesting layout of William Shakespeare's life and times. The book chronicles the theatre world in Shakespeare's time and his involvement in it all,and the building and rebuilding of the famous Globe theatre (even up to its rebirth in 1987!). The book shows the various phases of William's life in "Acts" just like his famous plays. The book even discusses the many words and phrases that he invented that we still use today. It ends with a look at Sam Wanamaker and Theo Crosby's vision of recreating The Globe and how they went about creating this wonderful restoration.

A book that captures the reader's attention visually and with its easily read text. I am, as a teacher of 7th grade English, very impressed by this book, and can't wait to share it with my classes.

The Best Shakespeare Book Around
This book was the best Shakespeare book i've read. It had great facts and pictures for my Shakespeare roport. Now i read it for great enjoyment. It not only tells the story of Shakespeare but the story of Sam Wanamaker who had a dream to rebuild Shakespeare's Globe Theather. This was the best shakespeare book around, i bet you will enjoy it

Another winner by Aliki!
Aliki's gift for clarity, humor and cleverness shine through this wonderful book. It is, like all Aliki's books, loaded with information, but manages not to overwhelm. You will find yourself coming back to this book again and again, examining the pictures and finding details you hadn't noticed before. A marvelous introduction to Shakespeare for mid- to older elementary children (and a visual delight for even younger readers!). ... Read more

Book Description

Any list of the world’s most beautiful and unusual cities must include Venice. Built on a patchwork of more than 100 low-lying islands in the middle of a swampy lagoon, it is a modern city of waterways, bus boats and a complete absence of cars. Everyone, from children, students and professionals to workers and delivery men, travels on its canals. Indeed, Venice is a city that in many ways seems frozen in time. By 1500, the city had taken on much of its present shape and only in the 20th century did further development begin to change its elegant outline. Virtually unscarred by the aerial bombings of WWII and the demands of post-war development, Venice has changed little over the past 200 years.

In this oversized, highly illustrated volume, discover the history and culture of this amazing water-bound city. Starting with its origins in the 6th century, the reader follows its evolution through the Middle Ages, the "Golden Age" of the Renaissance, right up to the present and the catastrophic problems of sinking that it faces today. Venice also invites the reader to explore the city’s canals teaming with gondolas and water taxis; its magnificent architecture and decaying facades; along with life in the Jewish Ghetto, the splendor of the annual Venice Carnival, and the diversity of the islands in the Venetian lagoon. Photographs and original illustrations capture the daily rhythms of this unforgettable city.
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Book Description

Book Description

Peter the Great, crowned tsar of Russia at the age of ten, believed that whatever he wanted he should have -- and the sooner the better. What he wanted most was to bring his beloved country into the modem world. He traveled to the West to learn European ways -- the first tsar ever to leave Russia -- disguised as a common soldier.

He explored the West with excitement and curiosity and returned home ready to undertake a series of momentous social reforms. And to satisfy his boyhood dream of a Russian naval port, he began to build, on a freezing swamp, a glittering new capital to be named St. Petersburg.

In this welcome reissue of Diane Stanley's acclaimed picturebook biography, her meticulously researched text and sumptuous illustrations capture the fabulous world of seventeenth -- and eighteenth-century tsarist Russia and the greatness of its larger-than-life leader -- a man of huge stature and tremendous spirit whose impatience and vision, insatiable curiosity and boundless energy transformed half a continent.

Reviews (1)

Just a great book!
I learned so much from this book. It is absorbing and I would love to share it with my students. Peter the Great is a very interesting figure and I wish I had been introduced to him earlier in my life. ... Read more

Book Description

Step inside the Parthenon and discover for yourself what it was like to worship there.Superb cutaway illustrations provide a vivid and dramatic insight into everyday life in ancient Greece.

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