(4) 4-6 Excavating the Past series. This welcome new series highlights the work of archaeologists in deciphering the lives of people through the artifacts they left behind. Religion, the arts, daily life, and history are covered in most volumes. The formats tend to be cluttered, and each spread's "Did you know?" tag line is superfluous, but the numerous photos of artifacts are often fascinating. Reading list, timelines. Glos., ind. Review covers these Excavating the Past titles: The Indus Valley, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, The Viking World, Ancient Rome, and The Aztec Empire.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Excavating the Past series. This welcome new series highlights the work of archaeologists in deciphering the lives of people through the artifacts they left behind. Religion, the arts, daily life, and history are covered in most volumes. The formats tend to be cluttered, and each spread's "Did you know?" tag line is superfluous, but the numerous photos of artifacts are often fascinating. Reading list, timelines. Glos., ind. Review covers these Excavating the Past titles: The Indus Valley, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, The Viking World, Ancient Rome, and The Aztec Empire.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Dress Sense series. Illustrated by Danuta Mayer. Looking at fashion trends chronologically, Early Modern covers the sixteenth through eighteen centuries; Modern, early nineteenth to the late twentieth. The emphasis is on western Europe, but both books in this series include some information on other cultures. Short tidbits of text touch on a variety of topics, and overall the information is scattershot. A map and a chart on accessories are included. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Dress Sense titles: Clothes of the Early Modern World and Clothes of the Modern World.]

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Dress Sense series. Illustrated by Jane Tattersfield. Looking at fashion trends chronologically, Early Modern covers the sixteenth through eighteen centuries; Modern, early nineteenth to the late twentieth. The emphasis is on western Europe, but both books in this series include some information on other cultures. Short tidbits of text touch on a variety of topics, and overall the information is scattershot. A map and a chart on accessories are included. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Dress Sense titles: Clothes of the Early Modern World and Clothes of the Modern World.]

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) YA Looking Back series. Focusing on particular periods in four areas of the world, these titles provide broad introductions to each region. Clear expository text briefly addresses many aspects of the lives of each region's diverse inhabitants, including government, laws, food, science and technology, arts and crafts, religion, and the impact of war on everyday life. Maps and attractive color photos appear in each volume. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 History Sourcebook series. This brief historical survey also serves as a fine example of how to use primary documentation. The excerpts from primary sources provide a wide range of viewpoints--though their placement in the text is somewhat distracting and busy. The acknowledgments provide titles of the excerpted works, but a bibliography would have been more useful. Historical photos and illustrations accompany the text. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.