(4) K-3 Illustrated by Olwyn Whelan. These two slim volumes each offer six simplified retellings of well-known stories from Greek myth. Aimed at the early primary grades, the retellings leave out the more gruesome bits but also a lot of the gusto. Inviting illustrations rendered in a soft rainbow palette are an appropriate match for the text. Glos. [Review covers these titles: Fantastic Creatures from Greek Myths and Gods and Goddesses from Greek Myths.]

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Olwyn Whelan. These two slim volumes each offer six simplified retellings of well-known stories from Greek myth. Aimed at the early primary grades, the retellings leave out the more gruesome bits but also a lot of the gusto. Inviting illustrations rendered in a soft rainbow palette are an appropriate match for the text. Glos. [Review covers these titles: Fantastic Creatures from Greek Myths and Gods and Goddesses from Greek Myths.]

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) 4-6 Battle Zones series. Basic facts about how castles were designed, built, and protected are supplemented by additional information about who lived within a castle's walls, how a youth trained for knighthood, and how tournaments were fought. Elements from the busy, cutaway illustrations are enlarged to provide greater detail, but this device adds to the book's cluttered design. Timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Battle Zones series. Illustrated by Mark Bergin. Crowded double-page spreads include paragraphs of information, labeled illustrations, photos, reproductions, and captions. The books give details about how wars were fought and profile major figures, but readers will have a hard time connecting the war tactics with wider ramifications. Timeline. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Battle Zones titles: Warfare in the Ancient World and Warfare in the Middle Ages.]

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Art and Civilization series. Busy pages introduce a variety of topics (war, food, art and architecture, religion, etc.) with an introductory paragraph, a large piece of reproduced art with a keyed caption, smaller drawings and reproductions, and scattered short paragraphs and captions. This potpourri of facts is visually interesting and suitable for browsing, yielding general information but not a cohesive sense of the time period. Ind. [Review covers these Art and Civilization titles: Ancient Rome and Medieval Times.]

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 Art and Civilization series. Busy pages introduce a variety of topics (war, food, art and architecture, religion, etc.) with an introductory paragraph, a large piece of reproduced art with a keyed caption, smaller drawings and reproductions, and scattered short paragraphs and captions. This potpourri of facts is visually interesting and suitable for browsing, yielding general information but not a cohesive sense of the time period. Ind. [Review covers these Art and Civilization titles: Ancient Rome and Medieval Times.]

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Dave Antram & Mark Bergin. These two series books provide introductions to major Egyptian and Greek deities. The pages are crowded with text (some of which is printed in tiny type), text boxes, illustrations, and photographs of artifacts, all of which contribute to information about the particular god or goddess and about life for mere mortals. Report writers who persevere will glean basic facts about the subjects. Glos., ind. [Review covers these titles: Gods and Goddesses: In the Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians and Gods and Goddesses: In the Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks.]

Reviewer: Jaynia B. Fink

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by John James. These two series books provide introductions to major Egyptian and Greek deities. The pages are crowded with text (some of which is printed in tiny type), text boxes, illustrations, and photographs of artifacts, all of which contribute to information about the particular god or goddess and about life for mere mortals. Report writers who persevere will glean basic facts about the subjects. Glos., ind. [Review covers these titles: Gods and Goddesses: In the Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians and Gods and Goddesses: In the Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks.]

Reviewer: Jaynia B. Fink

(4) 4-6 Peter Bedrick Young People's Encyclopedia series. A wide-ranging overview surveys individual components of the universe, including the earth, moon, planets, and stars; explains how scientists and astronomers study the cosmos, and looks at past and future space exploration. Profusely illustrated with color photographs, most pages feature sidebars containing definitions of terms and background information. Though helpful, they also contribute to an overcrowded presentation. Ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 History of the World series. Crowded with visuals and overbroad in scope, the books in this series attempt worldwide coverage of their respective topics. Civilizations follows early humans and their ancestors. Kingdoms focuses on ancient Greece and Rome as well as eastern empires; Middle Ages picks up where Kingdoms leaves off. Illustrated with archival art, maps, and photos, the books include a time line on each page and boxed sidebars. Ind. [Review covers these History of the World titles: The First Civilizations, Kingdoms and Empires, The Middle Ages.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 History of the World series. Congested with visuals and overbroad in scope, the volumes in this series attempt worldwide coverage of their respective topics. Renaissance includes art and scientific discoveries; Revolution runs from the discovery of Australia to the Russian Revolution. Illustrated with plentiful archival art, maps, and photographs, these books also include a time line on each page and boxed sidebars. Ind. [Review covers these History of the World titles: Renaissance and Discovery and Revolution and Conflict.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 History of the World series. Crowded with archival art, maps, photographs, time lines and sidebars, this look at modern history covers topics ranging from the colonization of Australia to the collapse of communism and global warming. This random amalgamation of facts includes an appended list of British kings, Chinese dynasties, famous battles, and the seven wonders of the ancient world. Ind.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 History of the World series. Crowded with visuals and overbroad in scope, the books in this series attempt worldwide coverage of their respective topics. Civilizations follows early humans and their ancestors. Kingdoms focuses on ancient Greece and Rome as well as eastern empires; Middle Ages picks up where Kingdoms leaves off. Illustrated with archival art, maps, and photos, the books include a time line on each page and boxed sidebars. Ind. [Review covers these History of the World titles: The First Civilizations, Kingdoms and Empires, The Middle Ages.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 History of the World series. Crowded with visuals and overbroad in scope, the books in this series attempt worldwide coverage of their respective topics. Civilizations follows early humans and their ancestors. Kingdoms focuses on ancient Greece and Rome as well as eastern empires; Middle Ages picks up where Kingdoms leaves off. Illustrated with archival art, maps, and photos, the books include a time line on each page and boxed sidebars. Ind. [Review covers these History of the World titles: The First Civilizations, Kingdoms and Empires, The Middle Ages.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 History of the World series. Congested with visuals and overbroad in scope, the volumes in this series attempt worldwide coverage of their respective topics. Renaissance includes art and scientific discoveries; Revolution runs from the discovery of Australia to the Russian Revolution. Illustrated with plentiful archival art, maps, and photographs, these books also include a time line on each page and boxed sidebars. Ind. [Review covers these History of the World titles: Renaissance and Discovery and Revolution and Conflict.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(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

(4) 4-6 Big Books series. Focusing on ancient Egyptian burial practices, this British import first discusses other significant mummies (e.g., the Iceman from the Alps), how and why different cultures preserved bodies, and what mummies tell scientists about the past. Lots of captioned color photos add drama to a lackluster text. Of the seven books listed in the bibliography, only one is in print in the United States. An appended quiz recaps facts. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) 4-6 Other Half of History series. From a feminist perspective, these books address conditions for women during the title eras, mostly in Europe and the United States, with a few wider observations. Topics ranging from war and revolution to Our Bodies, Ourselves are presented in double-page spreads that include brief paragraphs, photos, drawings, time lines, and other boxed information--some predictable, some rather random. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Other Half of History series. From a feminist perspective, these books address conditions for women during the title eras, mostly in Europe and the United States, with a few wider observations. Topics ranging from war and revolution to Our Bodies, Ourselves are presented in double-page spreads that include brief paragraphs, photos, drawings, time lines, and other boxed information--some predictable, some rather random. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian