Read Series Made Simple, School Library Journal's guide to new series nonfiction

From warriors and tales of combat to great inventions and protected heritage sites, these series present different ways of bringing the past into perspective. The most successful of them find a niche through which to explore cultures both ancient and modern, whether through the use of a single theme, such as technology; by relating a daring event; or by discussing the history of a region. Some of these series cover territory that is too often skipped over in classrooms, while others offer opportunities for cross-curriculum teaching.

Preschool—Grade 4

BEDFORD, Kate Jackson. Egyptians. ISBN 978-1-59771-269-9. LC 2009044873. ————. Greeks. diags. map. ISBN 978-1-59771-270-5. LC 2009044872. ————. Romans. ISBN 978-1-59771-271-2. LC 2009044874. ————. Vikings. map. ISBN 978-1-59771-272-9. LC 2009044875. ea vol: 32p. (Children in History Series). photos. reprods. chron. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Sea-to-Sea. 2011. PLB $28.50. Gr 3-5—Ancient cultures are always more approachable for young readers when viewed from the eyes of children. This series describes life for rich and poor children from each of these societies, offering basic political and historical information about the civilization before plunging into details about toys and games, clothing and hairstyles, pets, chores, home life, and school. The books boast attractive images of historical artwork and archaeological finds. Vikings also includes images from reenactments, showing families during daily life in accurate costuming (with the exception of one photo that includes modern shoes on an actor). A few typos (a missing “not” in Vikings that completely changes a sentence, and two examples, one in Greeks and one in Romans of a painting labeled a mosaic) undermine some of the credibility of the series, but the crafts, games, and recipes offer fun ways to connect to earlier times.

MALAM, John. The Egyptians. ISBN 978-1-4488-3283-5. LC 2010023834. ————. The Greeks. ISBN 978-1-4488-3284-2. LC 2010023833. ————. The Romans. ISBN 978-1-4488-3285-9. LC 2010023832. ————. The Vikings. ISBN 978-1-4488-3286-6. LC 2010023867. ea vol: 30p. (Dig It: History from Objects Series). diags. map. photos. reprods. chron. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Rosen/PowerKids Pr. 2011. PLB $25.25. Gr 3-5—Another series whose concept is better than its execution. The premise, learning about ancient cultures through items, is exciting. The books, however, are divided into generic sections, including “children” and “mythology,” which cannot be considered objects by any stretch of the word. The result is a set that is so broad and so overly simplified that it’s hard to get any solid content or context from the texts. Each volume certainly contains a few neat facts, and the images are excellent, but a few errors (the Norse goddess Hel is referred to as male, the Roman toga is said to have been replaced by the tunic, rather than reserved for formal affairs, etc.) undermine the books’ credibility.

PLATT, Richard. The Egyptians: Solving Technology Problems 4,500 Years Ago. ISBN 978-1-59771-287-3. LC 2009044968. ————. The Greeks: Solving Technology Problems 2,500 Years Ago. ISBN 978-1-59771-288-0. LC 2009044961. ————. The Renaissance: Solving Technology Problems 400 Years Ago. ISBN 978-1-59771-289-7. LC 2009044876. ————. The Romans: Solving Technology Problems 2,000 Years Ago. ISBN 978-1-59771-290-3. LC 2009044877. ea vol: illus. by David Lawrence. 32p. (How They Made Things Work! Series). diags. illus. photos. reprods. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Sea-to-Sea. 2011. PLB $28.50. Gr 4-8—From gross-out goodies—mummification, sewers, early water closets—to everyday, familiar items, such as screws and books, these titles show how ideas and inventions changed the way things were done. The illustrations are both fun and explanatory; in the larger diagrams, the cartoon characters’ quips often provide an explanation of the steps required to make things work. While the page layout sometimes means reading chunks of information out of logical order, this breakdown of the content makes each segment of text approachable. This will be a great series for cross-curriculum teaching as it discusses scientific concepts as well as cultural history.

RIGGS, Kate. Gladiators. ISBN 978-1-60818-000-4. LC 2009048804. ————. Knights. ISBN 978-1-60818-001-1. LC 2009048805. ————. Pirates. ISBN 978-1-60818-002-8. LC 2009048807. ————. Samurai. photos. ISBN 978-1-60818-003-5. LC 2009048810. ea vol: 24p. (Great Warriors Series). map. reprods. further reading. glossary. index. CIP. Creative Education. 2011. Tr $16.95. K-Gr 2—Warriors are a source of fascination for children, and these titles make historical fighters accessible to students just beginning to read on their own. The text and design of the books are spare, and vocabulary words are introduced unobtrusively. Pronunciation assistance is included within the texts. The illustrations are reproductions of historical artwork, lending the books a feeling of maturity that independent readers will appreciate. The concepts are simple, but introduced without oversimplification that might lead to misunderstandings. These are excellent introductions—and fun to read aloud.

Grades 5 and Up

ABBOTT, David. Conflict in the Middle East. map. ISBN 978-1-84837-697-7. LC 2010011001. ADAMS, Simon. The Iraq War. map. ISBN 978-1-84837-696-0. LC 2010011765. GRANT, R.G. The Cold War. ISBN 978-1-84837-696-0. LC 2010011765. OXLADE, Chris. World War I. map. ISBN 978-1-84837-700-4. LC 2010011012. TOWNSEND, John. World War II. ISBN 978-1-84837-701-1. LC 2010012017. WILLIAMS, Brian. The War on Terror. ISBN 978-1-84837-699-1. LC 2010011013. ea vol: 48p. (Secret History Series). photos. reprods. chron. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Arcturus. 2011. PLB $32.80. Gr 6-8—This series offers snippets of information on long-running military and political actions. Focusing primarily on spies, coded messages, secret missions, propaganda, and other aspects of wars and conflicts that happened away from the public eye, the books are chock-full of trivia. Iraq War (which shows a slight negative bias about America’s entry into the war) and War on Terror provide more general pictures of events, while the other booksavoid long overviews to focus closely on the intelligence work aspects. The short biographies of spies that appear in several titles will especially pique readers’ interest. Unfortunately, War on Terror already features one outdated caption, referring to Mubarak as Egypt’s president. Still, this series is particularly appropriate for readers looking for a collection of quick facts rather than a narrative retelling of events.

ABBOTT, David. The Twin Towers. ISBN 978-1-84837-677-9. LC 2010014195. ROONEY, Anne. The Berlin Wall. map. ISBN 978-1-84837-673-1. LC 2010014193. ROSS, Stewart. Hiroshima. chart. map. chron. ISBN 978-1-84837-674-8. LC 2010014149. ————. Pearl Harbor. charts. maps. ISBN 978-1-84837-676-2. LC 2010017108. SHEEHAN, Sean. Auschwitz. charts. map. chron. ISBN 978-1-84837-672-4. LC 2010014147. WILLIAMS, Brian. The Normandy Beaches. maps. ISBN 978-1-84837-675-5. LC 2010014194. ea vol: 48p. (A Place in History Series). photos. reprods. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Arcturus. 2011. PLB $34.25. Gr 7 Up—These books each begin with a landmark and broaden outward, describing the political and economic situations that led up to notable events there. The approach works beautifully. Quotes from participants are a highlight of the series, and all the maps and photos are clear and informative. These texts will be useful supplements to history classes, but are accessible enough to appeal as extracurricular material for students already interested in the topics. In addition, the books’ relatively short length, clear vocabulary, and narrative-to-image ratio will make them work with reluctant readers in a way that the books of Rosen’s “The Most Daring Raids in History” series (see below) will not.

DUNSTAN, Simon. Entebbe: The Most Daring Raid of Israel’s Special Forces. maps. ISBN 978-1-4488-1868-6. LC 2010029622. FOWLER, Will. Counterterrorism in West Africa: The Most Dangerous SAS Assault. maps. ISBN 978-1-4488-1871-6. LC 2010029621. FREMONT-BARNES, Gregory. Rescue at the Iranian Embassy: The Most Daring SAS Raid. map. ISBN 978-1-4488-1869-3. LC 2010029625. ROTTMAN, Gordon L. The Most Daring Raid of the Civil War: The Great Locomotive Chase. map. ISBN 978-1-4488-1870-9. LC 2010030195. TURNBULL, Stephen. The Most Daring Raid of the Samurai. map. ISBN 978-1-4488-1872-3. LC 2010030843. ZALOGA, Steven J. The Most Daring Raid of World War II: D-Day–Pointe-du-Hoc. charts. map. ISBN 978-1-4488-1867-9. LC 2010030631. ea vol: 64p. (The Most Daring Raids in History Series). diags. photos. reprods. bibliog. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Rosen Young Adult. 2011. PLB $29.25. Gr 7 Up—Bridging ancient and modern history, this British import offers examples of exciting assaults and conquests from as early as the days of the samurai to as recently as 2000. Except for Iranian Embassy, which features text that is repetitive to the point of redundancy, the books are packed with facts, covering the details of the action, the people involved, and the tools used, in engaging prose. The authors cite their sources thoroughly; in Samurai and Civil War, they extrapolate details based on what documentation is available and state these suppositions clearly and without fictionalizing. Diagrams, photos (where available), and maps make the action easy to follow and provide visual context for the raids. Some of the images have a blurred quality, some maps lose details in the gutters, and readability is hampered by a small font. Despite the formatting flaws, however, this series is sure to find a large readership due to its wide historical range and descriptions of action-packed exploits.

FISHKIN, Rebecca Love. Heroes of the Holocaust. ISBN 978-0-7565-4391-4;. ISBN 978-0-7565-4443-0. LC 2010026492. FITZGERALD, Stephanie. Children of the Holocaust. ISBN 978-0-7565-4390-7; ISBN 978-0-7565-4442-3. LC 2010019975. SKOG, Jason. The Legacy of the Holocaust. ISBN 978-0-7565-4393-8; ISBN 978-0-7565-4444-7. LC 2010026494. STILLE, Darlene R. Architects of the Holocaust. ISBN 978-0-7565-4392-1; ISBN 978-0-7565-4441-6. LC 2010026493. ea vol: 64p. (The Holocaust Series). map. reprods. chron. glossary. Web sites.photos. bibliog. further reading. index. notes. CIP. Compass Point. 2011. PLB $33.32; pap. $8.95. Gr 6-8—These valuable titles cover the intended genocide from its political roots to the actions of those who survived to tell their stories. While Architects covers the rise of Hitler and spends some time discussing others who organized the atrocities, its latter half discusses concentration and extermination camps and the Nuremberg trials, making the book’s title questionable. However, each of these volumes succeeds in outlining a horrific chapter in history without oversimplifying. The scale of the deaths perpetrated against the Jewish people is never minimized, but the content is handled in such a way that the audience can grasp the events. Each book features multiple quotes from survivors about their wartime experiences, providing voices with which young people can identify. There are many books available about the Holocaust; with their narrow focus, these four explore different terrain than is often covered, and do it with sensitivity.

GALLAGHER, Brendan & Debbie Gallagher. Protecting Ancient Heritage. ISBN 978-1-59920-577-9. LC 2009053003. ————. Protecting Earth’s History. ISBN 978-1-59920-578-6. LC 2009053008. ————. Protecting Ecosystems. ISBN 978-1-59920-579-3. LC 2009053134. ————. Protecting Human Masterpieces. ISBN 978-1-59920-580-9. LC 2009053011. ————. Protecting the Human Story. ISBN 978-1-59920-581-6. LC 2009053018. ————. Protecting Threatened Animals. ISBN 978-1-59920-582-3. LC 2009053020. ea vol: 32p. (World Heritage Series). illus. maps. photos. chron. glossary. index. CIP. Smart Apple Media. 2011. PLB $28.50. Gr 5-7—Offering a wide range of important historical sites, the Gallaghers draw on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) list of World Heritage sites. Each book presents a variety of locations, some included because they protect endangered species, others because of their unique ecosystems or landforms, and still others because of the human history represented at the site. Ancient Heritage and Human Masterpieces have many overlapping themes; though each one features unique sites, it's difficult to tell why, in many cases, a location was chosen for one book rather than the other. But this is a small flaw. Overall, the series offers simple descriptions of World Heritage sites, accompanied by vibrant photos and helpful glossary boxes on each page. Issues that impact the places, from poaching to global warming, are presented in such a way that, where a threat is present, it’s made clear that a quick fix is not as simple as it might seem. While there is not enough information here for reports, readers will likely catch a travel bug from looking at all the marvelous locations.

MATTERN, Joanne. Mystics and Psychics. ISBN 978-1-59935-148-3. LC 2010008690. NARDO, Don. The Birth of Christianity. ISBN 978-1-59935-145-2. LC 2010038443. ————. The Birth of Islam. ISBN 978-1-59935-146-9. LC 2010038442. PRICE, Joan A. Founders of Faith. ISBN 978-159935147-6. LC 2010038441. ea vol: 160p. (World Religions and Beliefs Series). diags. photos. glossary. index. Web sites. Morgan Reynolds. 2011. PLB $28.95. Gr 7 Up—This quartet of books varies in quality and usefulness. Founders is a simplified account of the lives (or stories) of several figures, from Krishna, who has no historical counterpart, to Zoroaster. The text wavers somewhere between recounting religious stories and providing historical information; unfortunately, it succeeds at neither. After an abysmal introduction in which the author refers to a Roman tradition in 1200 BCE (well before Rome was founded) and discusses Native American cultures in the past tense, Mystics delves into the lives of several ancient and modern supernaturally gifted teachers, including Hildegarde von Bingen, Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and Jeane Dixon. Christianity and Islam are by far the strongest of these titles, covering the beginnings of these religions in an impartial way. The contexts in which the religions developed are explained, offering insight into how the two faiths came to be and introducing major concepts from the religions.

MCKENNA, Amy. The History of Central and Eastern Africa. ISBN 978-1-61530-322-9; ISBN 978-1-61530-396-0. LC 2010024034. ————. The History of Northern Africa. ISBN 978-1-61530-318-2; ISBN 978-1-61530-397-7. LC 2010021702. ————. The History of Southern Africa. ISBN 978-1-61530-312-0; ISBN 978-1-61530-398-4. LC 2010019433. ————. The History of Western Africa. ISBN 978-1-61530-316-8; ISBN 978-1-61530-399-1. LC 2010021500. ea vol: 205p. (The Britannica Guide to Africa). maps. photos. reprods. bibliog. glossary. index. CIP. Britannica Educational. 2011. PLB $53; ebook $53. Gr 9 Up—The history of Africa is, in many ways, the history of humans, and it’s a topic that is often sadly neglected in curriculums. Each of these engaging titles (which gather material available in Britannica Online Encyclopedia) covers a geographical region that is tied together by some common history. The opening overviews are as concise as possible, given the vast diversity of culture and history present in each area, and are followed by sections on the modern nations, which provide a more detailed history. Western Africa has a long general overview with short specific sections; Central and Eastern Africa and Northern Africa are more evenly broken down, each featuring a shorter general overview and then a detailed country breakdown; and Southern Africa is an in-depth history. The modern view presented is one of hope, despite the struggles that colonialism and its end have presented to the continent. Overall, the vocabulary used are the preferred terms in the regions covered, rather than the colonial names (with the exception of Northern Africa, which persists in using “Berber” rather than “Imazighen,” despite acknowledging that the latter is preferred). Though the texts include too few maps, overall they are excellent additions where access to the online versions is unavailable.

WOODS, Michael & Mary B. Woods. Ancient Agricultural Technology: From Sickles to Plows. ISBN 978-0-7613-6526-6; ISBN 978-0-7613-7269-1. LC 2010031146. ––––. Ancient Communication Technology: From Hieroglyphics to Scrolls. ISBN 978-0-7613-6529-7; ISBN 978-0-7613-7272-1. LC 2010025487. ––––. Ancient Computing Technology: From Abacuses to Water Clocks. ISBN 978-0-7613-6528-0; ISBN 978-0-7613-7271-4. LC 2010027927. ––––. Ancient Construction Technology: From Pyramids to Fortresses. ISBN 978-0-7613-6527-3; ISBN 978-0-7613-7270-7. LC 2010025582. ––––. Ancient Machine Technology: From Wheels to Forges. ISBN 978-0-7613-6523-5; ISBN 978-0-7613-7266-0. LC 2010025583. ––––. Ancient Medical Technology: From Herbs to Scalpels. ISBN 978-0-7613-6522-8; ISBN 978-0-7613-7265-3. LC 2010028445. ––––. Ancient Transportation Technology: From Oars to Elephants. ISBN 978-0-7613-6524-2; ISBN 978-0-7613-7267-7. LC 2010025522. ––––. Ancient Warfare Technology: From Javelins to Chariots. ISBN 978-0-7613-6525-9; ISBN 978-0-7613-7268-4. LC 2010031147. ea vol: 96p. (Technology in Ancient Cultures). map. photos. reprods. bibliog. chron. further reading. glossary. index. notes. Web sites. CIP. Twenty-First Century Books. 2011. PLB $31.93; ebook $23.95. Gr 6-8—Like the “How They Made Things Work!” series above, this one tackles innovations from ancient cultures, but here they are grouped together by type rather than by area or period. At first, this approach seems clever and useful, and it works well in Medical Technology. But in other cases, the inventions overlap to the degree that the books either refer to one another—and depend on the information in other titles—or they repeat themselves. This is particularly true in the introductions to each book, which are almost identical, and in the beginning of each final chapter, which contains an almost identical lead-in paragraph. Many of the photos are also reused across titles. Each book is divided into regions, and these sections often refer to one another where inventions are shared or borrowed as well. The lack of diagrams showing how the science of particular inventions works makes it hard to apply the information in a science classroom. The titles miss out on showing the impact of the innovations on the cultures in which they were developed. In addition, the treatment of American cultures is inconsistent; these sections often try to cover too much and sometimes venture into a time period that, according to the final section of each book, is “after the ancients.” The historical documentation and photographs of archaeological finds are excellent highlights, and the short (frequently repetitive) sentences make the titles approachable for reluctant readers, but the series fails to live up to its potential.

These series are geared toward different audiences, and should be considered accordingly. While the history of Africa is not always a priority in curriculums, Britannica Educational’s excellent series is a worthy addition in libraries that lack access to the electronic version. Sea-to-Sea’s “How They Made Things Work!” has value for both browsers and as a potential addition to classrooms. Rosen’s “The Most Daring Raids in History” is overall well-written and has high-interest content. Creative Education’s “Great Warriors” may not grab browsers immediately with its minimalist style, but it is a great start on history for independent readers. As we get further away from recent events such as 9/11 and the beginning of the Iraq War, there is a need to add books on those topics; Arcturus’s “A Place in History” will be a useful start to such collections, with its “Secret History” as a good secondary choice. The other series fall short of their stated goals, as mentioned in their individual reviews.

Read Series Made Simple, School Library Journal's guide to the latest series nonfiction