Book Description

Step inside a medieval castle and discover for yourself what it was like to live and work inside its massive walls. Superb illustrations and thoroughly researched information provide a vivid and intimate look at every aspect of castle life. You will see the craftsmen and builders at work, witness a great dinner in the main hall, learn about the life of the lord and lady, learn how a page became a knight, and more. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Basic information on the life and times in a medieval castle
I finished reading Michael Crichton's "Timeline" recently, a novel which involves not only archeologists and historians trying to reconstruct a medieval castle but going back in time to engage in high adventure. Consequently I have been checking out several books like "A Medieval Castle" from the Inside Story series. Written by Fiona MacDonald and illustrated by Mark Bergin, this book shows how these castles were built and how they functioned. Young readers will learn some of the fundamentals of castle design as well as the sorts of people who lived within its walls.

Actually, this book looks at more than just castles in presenting details about medieval life. We learn about the community surrounding the castle, village fairs, and the function of religion. Of course lots of emphasis is place on the reasons castles were needed, such as how you became a knight and how fighting men laid siege to castles. "A Medieval Castle" provides lot of basic information, which should prove useful to young students researching the Medieval period. MacDonald often refers to specific events and people from history while Bergin fills his drawings with interesting details, if you take the time to look for them. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Really cool book
Although you messed up on the timelines, ancient Egypt is a relatively good book.it engrossed me in bed time reading and has accurate and interesting data,information, and facts.

for children, this book might have been better presented
Divided in two parts, this book chronicles the civilization of Ancient Egypt. The first part focuses on the history of Egypt from the earliest times to the Roman period. The second part takes the reader along the country and provides a detailed map of each region. The book fails as an atlas : the author provides too much information about the various aspects of the Egyptian daily life and society, and the maps have no stability. Offering a helpful glossary, this book, for children ages 9 to 12, has many illustrations regarding the Egyptian civilization. ... Read more

Book Description

e.guides Dinosaur presents the landmark discoveries of the last 200 years, goes on location with today's great fossil hunters, investigating and analyzing their finds, and follows the reconstruction processes behind the creation of life-size museum models. Dramatic illustrations bring to life the best-known finds by combining the latest scholarship and the latest, dazzling Photoshop and CGI techniques.

This brand new reference series reflects and enhances how today's young researchers gather, assess, and present information. Part of DK and Google's exciting family reference partnership, e.guides look at core topics from many angles, including facts, 3-D models, data boxes, charts, and more. ... Read more

Book Description

What was the Black Death?Who fought in the Hundred Years' War? Based on the award-winning Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, this portable reference puts the whole of history and the legacy of human civilization at the fingertips of today's children.Special Features:Easy-to-use chronological and thematic arrangement.Illustrated biographies and key date boxes.Timeline throughout puts history and world events in context. ... Read more

Book Description

A pocket sized but complete history of world events. ... Read more

Book Description

The American colonies have had enough of British governance, British taxes, even British tea. They've decided it's time to form a United States of America.Sounds like war . . . Revolutionary War! From battlefield to Congress, the fight is on to win independence for the 13 colonies. And movers and shakers like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, andthe Adams family are leading the charge! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

History with some humor
I am a fifth grade teacher and thought this was a well written non-fiction book. It gave great details about the beginnings of this country and the key players. The author includes contributions made by women in history. I thought the novel was respectful with a dap of humor. The reading level would suit my class and I order each student a copy to read. I feel it is important for our young citizens to take an interest in the formation of this great nation. We need to find books that keep them interested. Elizabeth Levy's style is just right. Thank you.

A refreshing and fun history suppliment!
The person who wrote the review before mine is obviously so "Daughters of the American Revolution" conservative that (s)he's completley lost his/her sense of humor. (S)he's also completely forgotten that MOST kids are smart enough to realize when something's obviously altered for humorous purposes.

This is a great series! (Some of the books are labeled "America's Horrible Histories", an offshoot of the popular "Horrible Histories" series.) Levy definitely edits the facts, but the point of this series is to take the most interesting and engaging people and events in history and reveal them for all their foibles, so that kids can develop critical thinking skills while having fun. These books work with that purpose in mind, although I wouldn't recommend teaching anything with them as the sole source of information. They pique kids' interest in history, and let them laugh.

The only criticism I have is that the level of the humor (about 7th grade) is, in some cases, above the reding level (about 5th).

Revolting Author
I saw this book at my son's book fair and the title caught my interest. All I needed to do was scan through it for about 5 minutes to become thoroughly disgusted with this woman's one-sided view of revisionist history. The book calls the early founders and fighters of our country a group of drunken, fighting gamblers, all of whom had whordes of slaves. She even takes pleasure in ridiculing and demeaning George Washington's mother (which is so historically relevant). The really sad part is that this book was labeled with a "scholastic" tag, which I assume makes it "good" for children of this age to read. They should be ashamed also, but I don't think so. Looking at their website there were more books in the history category of African Princesses and French Queens than of those who have built this country into what it is today. I strongly urge anyone considering any books sold under the "scholastic" label or this author to go elswhere. P.S. I would have given this book "zero" stars but the software on Amazon didn't allow it. ... Read more

Book Description

History buffs, budding anthropologists, and anyone who loves a good story will enjoy the fourth installment of Peter Ackroyd¹s award-winning Voyages Through Time series. Kingdom of the Dead takes readers on a 3,000-year journey to trace the epic story of Egypt.
Peter Ackroyd's Voyages Through Time is a series of highly illustrated nonfiction books that illuminate the world's defining eras of history‹from our humble beginnings to the exploration of space. Written in a fresh, bold narrative, this series is sure to become a publishing classic. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The best historical series for kids
Illustrations are done by the illustrator and are meant to be fun not stereotypical. This is the best series there is for children and kids know better than to think everyone in the book (illustrations) are real reflections of the actual events and characters.

you wouldn't want to buy this book!
This historical fiction picture book is meant to be humorous but fails miserably. Instead, it offers tired and racist stereotypes of native americans, complete with insulting illustrations of native americans with enormous noses, pot bellies and war paint. Buy this book only if you need a good example of stereotyping in children's books. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Abe Lincoln, reading books moved him to excel
The first thing I noticed when looking for a children's biography book on Abraham Lincoln was Kay Winter's Abe Lincoln, The Boy who loved books. This book has wonderful pictures with vivid colors and kid-friendly portraits of Abe Lincoln as a boy. The illustrator, Nancy Carpenter, does a magnificent job bringing the book to life. Children of all ages will enjoy reading this book and realizing that a love of books, as Abraham Lincoln did, can change a persons life and move him or her to become a great person...maybe even the President of the United States.

Abe Lincoln
This is a wonderful biography written by Kay Winters about the United States 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. The vocabulary is kid-friendly, especially for children in grades kindergarten through second. In addition, the oil paintings on pastel can really enhance the reader's interest. Most importantly, the emphasis of how Abe Lincoln enjoyed reading, and used it to his advantage is a great encouragement for young readers!

A Fresh Perspective on Abe Lincoln
ABE LINCOLN: THE BOY WHO LOVED BOOKS is a delightful biography and a welcome addition to the body of children's books about our 16th President! With colorful, lyrical language, author Kay Winters tells the story of young Abe's boyhood from an important perspective, emphasizing at every turn his love of books, his passion for reading, and his eagerness to learn. Winters' narrative, beautifully supported by Nancy Carpenter's appealing illustrations, describes Abe as a "bookish boy" who practiced writing his letters in the dust, who loved spelling bees and spinning yarns, who carried a book in his back pocket even as he plowed, stopping at the end of each row to read a page. And at the end of the story, we find President Abraham Lincoln sitting by the fire in the White House...reading a book. As the book jacket says:
He loved books.
They changed his life.
He changed the world.
What I value most about this biography is that it gives young readers the opportunity to identify with a hero who is "bookish" and makes the connection between a love of reading and the empowerment of one person to change the world. ... Read more