Media Reviews
What better way to start a shiny new year with some brand spanking new non-fiction. This most snappy and exhilarating introduction to the Ancient Egyptians by James Davies, provides an engaging and bite-sized view into a rich and varied topic. In 'Meet the Ancient Egyptians' Davies' fresh and innovative illustrative style lends itself well to the infographics and highly visual format of this book. We were also hugely entertained by the humorous and quirky narrative that accompanies the equally captivating spreads. From the intricacies of mummification to the sheer brute force required for the building of the pyramids, the Egyptian reign is covered in a funky and vibrant format which will have readers gripped from the turn of the first page. This enticing and exuberant look at the basics of Ancient Egypt is a must-have for sharing non-fiction with a younger audience. Davies' bold and distinctive illustrative style, coupled with his naturally dry humour is a truly winning formula. Also look out for 'Meet the Ancient Romans' in this series. * Picture Books Blogger *
Meet the... Ancient Romans and Meet the... Ancient Egyptians are sturdy, non fiction picture books that introduce children (and adults!) to life in ancient times. Each book opens with an introduction to the era, includes a wealth of fascinating historical facts and ends with a timeline. The Meet the... books are full of fascinating, often humorous facts which are also compared to children's experiences today. We're impressed by how much research has gone into these books. We love the simplicity of the texts, particularly the speech bubbles and the cartoons, and the way that information is given in bite sized chunks. All aspects of the peoples' lives are covered, including lots of gruesome facts which appeal to young readers, and the way that connections are made to modern life are brilliant, there are references to the fact that in ancient times there were no supermarkets, Internet or jeans! Meet the Ancient Romans: A map of Italy shows us exactly where Rome is situated then the story of the birth of Rome is told in a cartoon. Prominent Roman Emperors are introduced and we are also given insights into life in the Roman Army as well as life for Roman families, rich and poor. Other topics covered include food and farming, clothes, housing, entertainment, how the empire ended and Rome as it is today. Particular highlights in Meet the... Ancient Romans are the use of curse tablets, what rich Romans used instead of toilet paper and the way that the Romans lay on their beds to eat. We learnt about mosaics, how doctors treated illness, what women used as make up and even what kind of material their underpants were made of! The illustrations are predominantly black, white and grey on a red background. We love the way that Emperor Constantine sleeps with his teddy and our favourite illustration shows the horse who can't 'giddy up' at the chariot races! Meet the Ancient Egyptians: A map of Ancient Egypt shows us where it is located in the world and we are given a brief history of how the civilisation started. Fabulous Pharaohs and Great Royal Wives are introduced and there are lots of fascinating facts about mummies, pyramids, The Great Sphinx, The Fall of the Roman Empire and modern day Egypt. Particular highlights in Meet the... Ancient Egyptians are how food was stored in a hole in the ground (not to be confused with the toilet!), their favourite drink (which surprised us!) and fake beards! We learnt about mummifying a body, the journey to the afterlife, clothes, hair and make up and the names of the most famous Pharaohs, Gods and Goddesses. We love the predominantly black, brown and white illustrations on a yellow background. My daughter loves the illustrations showing how to mummify a body (including a warning to not try this at home - especially step two which relates to removing all the organs!) and I love the headlines on the newspapers about Tutankhamun's mummy. These gorgeous little picture books would make a fantastic addition to a school library or home bookshelf, they're perfect for even the most reluctant readers. With their bitesize chunks of information and humorous illustrations they include so much learning and can stimulate interesting discussions. They're the perfect introduction to historical periods for readers both young and old, we all learnt new facts in our house Age Range: 6 + -- Catherine Friess * Story Snug *
Ever in the pursuit of great non fiction titles that I know children will enjoy reading not purely for educational purposes (thought that is of course a bonus) but for fun!! So I was thrilled to receive this duo of amazing books in the post the other week. The Meet the ... series consists of Ancient Egyptians and Ancient Romans. Written and illustrated by James Davies and published by Big Picture Press. These compact little books are perfect for smaller hands to hold. Don't get me wrong, I love a big coffee table non-fiction book, there's something wonderful about these giant reads. But, for young children to read in bed, or snuggled up on the sofa, these books are the perfect size. These bold books have been beautifully written, they flow really nicely providing facts about Ancient Egypt and Rome that children will be fascinated by, alongside the more important aspects they are expected to learn. It's brilliantly balanced, designed to keep children engaged and interested while learning. one of the major selling points of these books are the illustrations. They are bold and bright, with high contrast yet a simple colour palette, very stylised and full of fun, all aiding to catch children's eye and take us away from the stuffy history that many of us remember from school, to a modern and fresh book. There are some hilarious little scenes in here, giving children plenty of fun details to pick out as they read the bite sized bits of text. Each book is only 63 pages long, and heavily illustrated and yet the amount of topics covered within those pages is absolutely epic! Everything is in here from food and drink, homes, clothing, rulers, temples and much much more, 60 topics in each book to be exact. It's perfectly pitched for ages 6 + These non-fiction beauties are perfectly designed, written and illustrated to give maximum impact, maximum fun, and maximum learning. I hope plans are in the pipeline for more of these little non-fiction gems. Meet the... Ancient Egyptians and Meet the... Ancient Romans are both available now from all good book shops and libraries so grab your copies. * Book Monster Ally *
This time, striking yellow and black illustrations make for a book that children will eagerly grab from the shelf. The text is easy to follow and children will enjoy the touches of humour, which do help recall. Small niggle - I do like to see an index in a book. However, aside from that, the book is easy to navigate, with a good contents page and clear sidebars which highlight the order of the book. Children in KS2 will study ancient history and we need to make it interesting - these books with their visual approach achieve that very well, and it's amazing how much information is packed into the pages, all memorably presented. * Parents in Touch *
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