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I know I've posted about this awesome series before (though I can't, for the life of me, find the actual post), but I've recently looked through the newest books in the series, out next month, and had to post about them again. They are THAT good!

The "Unearthing Ancient Worlds" series, published by Lerner, are some of the most interesting non-fiction books I've looked at in a very long time. The four I've reviewed for this post, Easter Island, Maccu Picchu, Angkor Wat, and Troy are all excellent for middle and high school aged students doing reports or just as browsing material on ancient cities and cultures. Seriously, I've read these for pleasure! The material is upbeat, not dry or boring, and the photographs... goodness, the photographs are just amazing. The actual text is only around 70 pages long, give or take, and there are lots of photos and small text boxes included, making for appropriate reading length, not overly long. There are also bibliographies, indexes, maps, and timelines in each book, making them perfect for a research project.

I recommend that all libraries have these on-hand and if you are a homeschooling parent of a middle or high school student, these are essential books. There is an entire series, as I've mentioned before and you can head to Amazon to purchase any of the ones I've mentioned here by clicking on the book titles. These really are amazing books!

Pompeii: Unearthing Ancient Worlds by Liz Sonneborn

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Library Binding: 80 pages
Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books (CT) (December 15, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0822575051
ISBN-13: 978-0822575054
Source: Review copy from publisher


This week's nonfiction selection is part of the new "Unearthing Ancient Worlds" series.

In 79 A.D. Mt. Vesuvius erupted destroying three cities in the Ancient Roman Empire: Naples, Herculaneum, and the most famous of the three, Pompeii.

In 1738, a farmer was digging a well near the town of Resina and dug up marble objects from the ground. Charles of Bourbon, the son of the king of Spain, heard of these finds and sent a member of his army, Joachin de Alcubierre to Resina to find out more about these objects. Pompeii: Unearthing Ancient Worlds details Alcubierre's discovery and excavation of Herculaneum and later of Pompeii.

Through full-color photographs and a detailed and engaging narrative, the book describes many of the treasures that were found as well as the things that went wrong with the excavation under Alcubierre's command. His lack of knowledge of proper excavation techniques, unfamiliarity with art, and desire to win favor with the king resulted in a rushed job, hazardous working conditions, and overlooked artifacts. After decades of backbreaking work and various setbacks, Alcubierre and his crew managed to unearth an abundance of priceless artifacts.

Readers can see many of the treasures that were unearthed, including beautiful frescoes, marble statues, mosaic floors, paved streets, and public fountains. Maps, a time line, a pronunciation guide, a glossary, and a "Who's Who" section in the back of the book add to the richness of the narrative and give readers a wealth of information about these ancient cities buried under the ash. There's even a list of books and online resources where readers can go to find more information.

This would make an excellent resource for lessons about Ancient Rome, archeology, Pompeii, art, volcanic eruptions, and more. Kids who are interested in any of these subjects will find the content easily digestible and the photos and illustrations interesting.

I'm eager to read the other books in the series:




Emperor Qin's Terra Cotta Army by Michael Capek

From the publisher: "A dead emperor guarded by his army for 2,000 years… One day in 1974, a group of farmers in rural China found a life-size clay statue of a man’s head buried deep in a field. When government archaeologists inspected the area, they discovered that beneath the ground were more than eight thousand life-size clay soldiers, each one with a unique face. In nearby chambers, they unearthed clay horses, carefully preserved swords, bronze statues, and other astonishing things." (Read more...)


Palenque by Deborah Kops

From the publisher: "Mysterious ancient ruins, hidden deep in the jungle of southern Mexico… In May 1840, explorers John Stephens and Frederick Catherwood road their mules along a steep, muddy jungle path. They were hoping to find the ruins of an ancient, deserted site in Mexico they knew only from visitors’ accounts. Through the trees, they spied the remains of a crumbling stone palace. Palenque!" (read more...)



The Tomb of King Tutankhamen by Michael Woods and Mary B. Woods

From the publisher: "A royal treasure buried for 3,000 years … On November 4, 1922, a British archaeologist named Howard Carter unearthed a buried staircase in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. At the bottom of the staircase was a door bearing the name Tutankhamen..." (read more...)






What Other Bloggers are Saying:

A Patchwork of Books: (on the series) "These are great books for visual learning, as well as text reading. They are written in a very flowing manner, rather than dry like a lot of non-fiction books, and read almost like a story. The photographs and paintings depicted in the books are amazing and the huge amount of facts offered is astounding." (read more...)


If you've reviewed any books in the Unearthing Ancient Worlds Series, leave a comment with the link, and I'll post it here.

Knight (Rider) - damsel - & boob mistaken as a sloppy cheeseburger.

This probably makes more sense (for all you young 'uns) if you know of "Knight Rider" and have seen that video of David Hasselhoff in a drunken stupor.

a little bit of role reversal ;P

will somebody give ROM the SpaceKnight some work already!

not my best work but i did this all in one night from start to finish. once i came up with the idea i had to do it!

jasonsartblog.blogspot.com

I know its supposed to be a Knight but I couldn't resist this one I did for a development thing I was working on...His name is Lance Knight. space sheriff...next time it'll be better.

Here's my take on this weeks topic. I chose to illustrate an alien elfish knight with a laser sword along with his damsel in distress. The bulky red fellow is a Space Ogre.

60 minute stress reducer, I know it's terribly flawed, but it's fun.