SERIES MADE SIMPLE

At Home with the Ancient Egyptians

by Tim COOKE
9781781210833. ea vol: 32p. (At Home With…). diags. further reading. glossary. index. photos. websites. Black Rabbit/Brown Bear. 2015. lib. ed. $28.50.
COPY ISBN
Gr 4–6—Using a glossy magazine format, this set covers standard history topics such as housing, clothing, food, class structure, rulers, religion, and famous places in facing page spreads with catchy titles ("Makeover," "Trip Advisor," "Master Chef"). Background and coverage are superficial, with several paragraph-length "features" on each spread. Contemporary slang such as bling and wonky will date quickly, and children are unlikely to recognize or understand popular culture phrases such as sisters are doing it for themselves about female pharaohs. Important terms are not always defined in the texts or glossaries, and maps are poor or missing. The many color illustrations, which include photos, diagrams, and illustrations, are generally good, but some, such as Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra in Egyptians, are historically questionable.
VERDICT Students might flip through these magazine-type books, but they are unlikely to linger for deep reading or reports.
Each volume takes readers "behind the scenes" of the civilization to cover a wide variety of topics but none of them in any great detail. The presentation is lively and colorful, with generally accurate information broken down into small chunks in overabundant sidebars and text boxes; photographs and illustrations contribute to the visual busyness. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following At Home with... titles: The Ancient Egyptians, The Ancient Greeks, The Ancient Romans, The Aztecs, and The Vikings.
Reviewed by Mary Mueller , Apr 01, 2015

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