The Aztecs (See Through History)

The palace of Montezuma, the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, a typical Aztec house, and the temple of the Aztec Knights are depicted on acetate that can be peeled back to reveal the activities inside, complemented by an informative textual survey.

Grade 4-7-- These books combine fine illustrations, both photographs and drawings, with a clearly written text to cover basic information about the social life and customs of two ancient civilizations. Maps at the beginning of each book provide students with a frame of reference while a list of important dates offers a context in which to place the culture. Rome describes only a brief moment in the history of the Roman Empire, the Augustan era at the height of the early Empire. Aztecs offers more of an overview of that relatively short-lived empire. Both books, however, provide a good, basic grounding in the cultures they describe. The texts are straightforward and descriptive, and relatively free of any judgmental tone. For example, Roman gladiators and the spectators' enjoyment of the competition is described without editorializing. Similarly, the brutality of the Aztecs' sacrificial practices is noted but not commented upon. A number of books offer a similar format--large, bright, and detailed illustrations combined with brief descriptive text. The gimmick here is the presence of clear acetate pages interspersed throughout each book that may be lifted to reveal the inner workings of the structures depicted. Even more useful is the fact that the captions are fully indexed along with the rest of the text. --Linda Greengrass, Bank Street College Library, NY
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