Rats, Bulls & Flying Machines: A History of the Renaissance & Reformation (Core Chronicles Ser. 1)

A History of the Renaissance and Reformation History for Young Readers Written in a lively style for young readers, and aligned with the Core Knowledge Sequence curriculum for Grade 5, Rats, Bulls, and Flying Machines makes history more than "just a bunch of names and dates." It emphasizes the story in history, brings interesting characters to life, and provides plenty of engaging anecdotes - even an occasional cartoon! Rats, Bulls, and Flying Machines is generously illustrated in color.

Grade 5-10-Beginning with Petrarch's rediscovering the classical age and ending with Galileo's trial, this easy-to-read volume covers a little more than 300 years of history. And though it rushes headlong through these exciting years, it does it in an informative and often entertaining manner. The book is divided into three major sections: "The Renaissance in Italy," "The Renaissance Beyond Italy," and "The Reformation." Each of the 16 brief chapters focuses on a particular figure or aspect of the given period such as "The Medici of Florence," "What about Those Renaissance Women?," and "Galileo: Rebel with a Cause." Packed with illustrations, maps, and reproductions (many in color, all with captions), often three or more to a page, the volume also includes occasional cartoons and helpful blurbs or balloons that pull out important concepts or basic ideas for special attention, e.g., the three giants of Renaissance art-Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael-were not friends but rivals and competitors. The two-page chronology covers the years 1304 to 1642, though, as with the rest of the book, what it misses is sometimes more interesting than what it includes. The most glaring and obvious absences are Bosch and Dante, two of the seminal figures from the time. Nevertheless, this is a lively, accessible volume.
Herman Sutter, Saint Agnes Academy, Houston, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.