Alexander the Great: The Greatest Ruler of the Ancient World (What's Their Story?)

[series copy]
A wonderful new series of beautifully illustrated picture-book biographies, featuring great leaders, heroes, pioneers, inventors, and scientists from the past. Each fully illustrated book tells the story of a remarkable person from the past whose life has had an impact far beyond his or her own time. Young children love great stories, and What's Their Story? is the perfect way to introduce them to the giants of our past.

The story of Alexander the Great is one of ambition, conquest, and glory. By the time he died at age 32, in 323 B.C., he was leader of an enormous empire that stretched from Greece in the west to India in the east. His remarkable personality shines through this heroic story of battles, sieges, and victories.

Grade 3-4-Considering their subject matter, these are two surprisingly boring books. Alexander is portrayed as an intelligent, often kind man whose only fault was that he murdered people who resisted his efforts to take their land and money. Cleopatra is depicted as a beautiful dreamer who only wanted an empire to call her own. These titles are superficial to the point of being confusing. Most of the pages are taken up by lifeless, full-color illustrations, and what little text there is paints history with a very broad brush. The subject matter (bloody battles, adultery, treachery) is actually quite mature for easy readers. Children interested in these historical figures should be steered toward Frederic Theule's Alexander and His Times (Holt, 1996) and Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema's Cleopatra (Morrow, 1994).
Christine A. Moesch, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.