(3) YA Shakespeare Alive series. This well-researched and -organized volume blends text, photos, and diagrams to demonstrate the impact Shakespeare has on modern culture in English-speaking countries and across the globe. Shuter explains the difference between productions that use original practices and those that experiment with modern techniques. The influence of Shakespeare in film, art, music, and politics is also included. Reading list, website. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) K-3 History Opens Windows series. Focusing on the details of everyday life (food, family, buildings, children), this updated series serves as an adequate introduction to past cultures for younger readers. The bright design and engaging illustrations, which include artifacts, period artwork, and photographs, may be enough to hold readers' attention despite the rather sterile texts. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these History Opens Windows titles: Ancient West African Kingdoms, The Aztecs, The Incas, The Indus Valley, The Maya, The Sumerians, and The Vikings.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 History Opens Windows series. Focusing on the details of everyday life (food, family, buildings, children), this updated series serves as an adequate introduction to past cultures for younger readers. The bright design and engaging illustrations, which include artifacts, period artwork, and photographs, may be enough to hold readers' attention despite the rather sterile texts. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these History Opens Windows titles: Ancient West African Kingdoms, The Aztecs, The Incas, The Indus Valley, The Maya, The Sumerians, and The Vikings.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 History Opens Windows series. Focusing on the details of everyday life (food, family, buildings, children), this updated series serves as an adequate introduction to past cultures for younger readers. The bright design and engaging illustrations, which include artifacts, period artwork, and photographs, may be enough to hold readers' attention despite the rather sterile texts. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these History Opens Windows titles: Ancient West African Kingdoms, The Aztecs, The Incas, The Indus Valley, The Maya, The Sumerians, and The Vikings.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 History Opens Windows series. Focusing on the details of everyday life (food, family, buildings, children), this updated series serves as an adequate introduction to past cultures for younger readers. The bright design and engaging illustrations, which include artifacts, period artwork, and photographs, may be enough to hold readers' attention despite the rather sterile texts. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these History Opens Windows titles: Ancient West African Kingdoms, The Aztecs, The Incas, The Indus Valley, The Maya, The Sumerians, and The Vikings.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 History Opens Windows series. Focusing on the details of everyday life (food, family, buildings, children), this updated series serves as an adequate introduction to past cultures for younger readers. The bright design and engaging illustrations, which include artifacts, period artwork, and photographs, may be enough to hold readers' attention despite the rather sterile texts. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these History Opens Windows titles: Ancient West African Kingdoms, The Aztecs, The Incas, The Indus Valley, The Maya, The Sumerians, and The Vikings.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 History Opens Windows series. Focusing on the details of everyday life (food, family, buildings, children), this updated series serves as an adequate introduction to past cultures for younger readers. The bright design and engaging illustrations, which include artifacts, period artwork, and photographs, may be enough to hold readers' attention despite the rather sterile texts. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these History Opens Windows titles: Ancient West African Kingdoms, The Aztecs, The Incas, The Indus Valley, The Maya, The Sumerians, and The Vikings.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 History Opens Windows series. Focusing on the details of everyday life (food, family, buildings, children), this updated series serves as an adequate introduction to past cultures for younger readers. The bright design and engaging illustrations, which include artifacts, period artwork, and photographs, may be enough to hold readers' attention despite the rather sterile texts. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these History Opens Windows titles: Ancient West African Kingdoms, The Aztecs, The Incas, The Indus Valley, The Maya, The Sumerians, and The Vikings.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) 4-6 Time Travel Guides series. These leveled-text editions are written as travel guides to ancient civilizations. This approach makes accessible the cultural and historical details. Occasional inaccuracies are the result of long spans of history condensed for the target audience. While the books do tend to oversimplify, they're a good way to encourage interest. There are four other new books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Time Travel Guides titles: The Aztec Empire, The Inca Empire, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, and Ancient China.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(4) 4-6 Time Travel Guides series. These books are written as travel guides to ancient civilizations ("...a trip to the Inca Empire is the vacation for you"). This approach makes accessible the cultural and historical details. Occasional inaccuracies are the result of long spans of history condensed for the target audience. While the books do tend to oversimplify information, they're a good way to encourage interest. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Time Travel Guides titles: The Aztec Empire, The Inca Empire, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, and Ancient China.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(4) K-3 History Opens Windows series. Focusing on the details of everyday life (food, family life, buildings, children), this updated series serves as an adequate introduction to past cultures for younger readers. The bright design and engaging illustrations, which include artifacts, period artwork, photographs, and illustrations of daily life, may be enough to hold readers' attention despite the rather sterile text. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review includes these History Opens Windows titles: The Ancient Chinese, The Ancient Egyptians, The Ancient Romans, The Middle Ages, The Renaissance, and The Ancient Greeks.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 History Opens Windows series. Focusing on the details of everyday life (food, family life, buildings, children), this updated series serves as an adequate introduction to past cultures for younger readers. The bright design and engaging illustrations, which include artifacts, period artwork, photographs, and illustrations of daily life, may be enough to hold readers' attention despite the rather sterile text. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review includes these History Opens Windows titles: The Ancient Chinese, The Ancient Egyptians, The Ancient Romans, The Middle Ages, The Renaissance, and The Ancient Greeks.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 History Opens Windows series. Focusing on the details of everyday life (food, family life, buildings, children), this updated series serves as an adequate introduction to past cultures for younger readers. The bright design and engaging illustrations, which include artifacts, period artwork, photographs, and illustrations of daily life, may be enough to hold readers' attention despite the rather sterile text. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review includes these History Opens Windows titles: The Ancient Chinese, The Ancient Egyptians, The Ancient Romans, The Middle Ages, The Renaissance, and The Ancient Greeks.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 History Opens Windows series. Focusing on the details of everyday life (food, family life, buildings, children), this updated series serves as an adequate introduction to past cultures for younger readers. The bright design and engaging illustrations, which include artifacts, period artwork, photographs, and illustrations of daily life, may be enough to hold readers' attention despite the rather sterile text. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review includes these History Opens Windows titles: The Ancient Chinese, The Ancient Egyptians, The Ancient Romans, The Middle Ages, The Renaissance, and The Ancient Greeks.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 History Opens Windows series. Focusing on the details of everyday life (food, family life, buildings, children), this updated series serves as an adequate introduction to past cultures for younger readers. The bright design and engaging illustrations, which include artifacts, period artwork, photographs, and illustrations of daily life, may be enough to hold readers' attention despite the rather sterile text. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review includes these History Opens Windows titles: The Ancient Chinese, The Ancient Egyptians, The Ancient Romans, The Middle Ages, The Renaissance, and The Ancient Greeks.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) 4-6 Art in History series. These revised books describe traditional art forms of the time period or location (e.g., pyramids and relief art for ancient Egypt, bookmaking and frescoes for the Middle Ages) while also providing cultural context. The artifacts, sculptures, paintings, buildings, and other art pictured, with brief but complete captions, are more engaging than the text. Related activities are included. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Art in History titles: Ancient Egyptian Art, Ancient Greek Art, Ancient Roman Art, Prehistoric Art, Art of the Middle Ages, Native American Art, and Ancient Chinese Art.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) YA Holocaust series. These books offer informative accounts of the Holocaust, from its roots through contemporary views of the mass murder. Quotes from survivors, former Nazis, journals of death camp victims, and historians are effectively integrated into the clearly written narrative, which is complemented by clear black-and-white and color photos and sidebars. There are five other spring 2003 books in this series. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Holocaust titles: Viewing the Holocaust Today, Life and Death in the Camps, Prelude to the Holocaust, and Art, Music, and Writings from the Holocaust.]

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) YA Holocaust series. These books offer informative accounts of the Holocaust, from its roots through contemporary views of the mass murder. Quotes from survivors, former Nazis, journals of death camp victims, and historians are effectively integrated into the clearly written narrative, which is complemented by clear black-and-white and color photos and sidebars. There are five other spring 2003 books in this series. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Holocaust titles: Viewing the Holocaust Today, Life and Death in the Camps, Prelude to the Holocaust, and Art, Music, and Writings from the Holocaust.]

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Visiting the Past series. This volume uses Shakespeare's childhood home, preserved by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, as the focal point in a discussion about daily life in Elizabethan England. Construction, interior decoration, food, and the roles of men, women, and children are covered in the dry but accessible text, which is accompanied by color photographs. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) 4-6 Art in History series. The well-designed double-page spreads in these series books give scattershot, superficial introductions, covering such topics as media (bronze, terra cotta), subject (people, animals), and audience ("Art for Kings"). The many full-color photos are enticing and well captioned. Each of the volumes include directions for an art project. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges