Grade 5-7-- A commendable introductory analysis of the development of the culture, life, and customs of ancient Greece. Considerable attention is given to military practices and strategy of the various Greek and Persian armies and navies, and especially to those employed by Alexander the Great. Page layout is attractive with double columns of text and generous use of full-color photographs, illustrations, and maps. The text is clearly written and readable. Some sections are presented in the form of questions and answers between the author and a ficticious individual from that period who explains his way of life on a more personal level. This technique is informative and adds a humanized dimension to the text. There is no index, but the table of contents is adequate and the information is well organized. More emphasis is given on the early beginnings of Greek culture than is found in Life in Ancient Greece (Silver Burdett, 1986) by Pierre Miquel, and it has a more attractive format than Ancient Greece by Charles A. Robinson (Watts, 1984; o.p.). A good introduction for neophytes.
- Cynthia M. Sturgis, Ledding Library, Milwaukie,
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"A commendable introductory analysis of the development of the culture, life, and customs of ancient Greece.... The text is clearly written and readable."--
School Library Journal"Will reach a broad age range, from advanced elementary grades through middle school. Children's illustrator Peter Connolly provides the colorful, authentic-looking recreations of historical fact that will lend to the easy appeal of these fact-filled guides... Provide[s] reviews of everyday life of the times, blending essays based on a range of historical sources with vivid descriptions of early monarchs and Greek... culture."--
Children's Bookwatch"Above all what emerges from the text and the superb illustrations is a sense of vitality of a real world inhabited by real people who are absorbed, as we all are, by the daily round of the business of living, and affected, as we all are, by the march of events over which we have little or no control. The...(ancient) world is brought close to our own."--
Literary Times Supplement (London)