Aztecs: Dress, Eat, Write, and Play Just Like the Aztecs. (Hands-On History). Fiona Macdonald. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2008. 32 pp., pbk., $10.95. ISBN 978-0-7787-4070-4. Subject Heading: Aztecs-History-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Gail Hamilton. ***½ /4
	Vikings: Dress, Eat, Write, and Play Just Like the Vikings. (Hands-On History). Fiona Macdonald. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2008. 32 pp., pbk., $10.95. ISBN 978-0-7787-4072-8. Subject Heading: Vikings-Social life and customs-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Gail Hamilton. ***½ /4
	The Ancient Egyptians: Dress, Eat, Write, and Play Just Like the Egyptians. (Hands-On History). Fiona Macdonald. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2008. 32 pp., pbk., $10.95. ISBN 978-0-7787-4069-8. Subject Heading: Egypt-Civilization-to 332BC-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Gail Hamilton. ***½ /4
	Romans: Dress, Eat, Write, and Play Just Like the Romans. (Hands-On History). Fiona Macdonald. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2008. 32 pp., pbk., $10.95. ISBN 978-0-7787-4071-1. Subject Heading: Rome-Civilization-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Gail Hamilton. ***½ /4

excerpt:

The Romans were great builders, designers, and engineers. They made the first buildings with arches and invented domed ceilings. They experimented with new materials, such as fired bricks and concrete. As well as building roads across the empire, they built stone walls around their cities and set up army forts the size of small towns in newly conquered lands. (From Romans.)

The four titles which comprise the “Hands-On History” series pair mini-history lessons with related art activities. Each book has a table of contents, 13 activities suitable for home or school, a glossary, an index, and notes to parents and teachers regarding web sites for further information. The history covers the lifestyle of the featured cultural group - food, clothing, family life, education, religion, ceremonies and festivals, sports and games, transportation and homes. There are fact boxes providing additional trivia as well as lists of words derived from the culture. Following each topic is a related art activity. A list of supplies and simple step-by-step instructions with accompanying photographs are provided. Most of the projects can be made with fairly common household objects, but some require a trip to a craft or fabric store. There is also a range of age appropriateness (some activities are more juvenile than others) and difficulty, so that some projects might need parental supervision or assistance (for example, using a craft knife or dyeing fabric).

     The text is easy to comprehend, and where there are names or terms that are hard to read, the pronunciation is given. Maps, photographs and drawings enhance the text along with attractive page borders along the right hand side. Activities are varied: each book has a recipe for one food or beverage, and there are instructions for making musical instruments, masks, jewellery, board games, costumes, pottery and head gear, just to name a few. For example, in Aztecs, readers will be able to make a rain god pendant, a codex and an Aztec calendar, while in Vikings they can create a chest, a helmet, a weathervane and merchant’s scales. In the Egyptians title, instructions are provided for a reed boat, papyrus paper, a water clock and a scarab armband. And in the title about the Romans, readers can make replicas of a soldier’s sandals, a gladiator shield and a Roman arch. Teachers who are looking for some great ideas to help a history unit come alive will find plenty of them in this series.

Highly Recommended.

Gail Hamilton is a teacher-librarian in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

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