Series: See Inside Series.
Subject Areas: History.
Ages: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12.
Type: Flap Books

This series in the Usborne line reminds me of Time Traveler in style and content, minus the characters. These books are meant to be enjoyed over and over again, and kids who love to "do things" will certainly like the flaps to open and discover new facts. The drawings are really lovely. These books are incredibly sturdy, from board-like pages to heavy flaps, and a thick, slightly slippery cover.

How did the Romans really live? See Inside Ancient Rome provides overviews of life in the city of Rome -- on the streets, at the port, at the Roman baths (be forewarned that these tiny figures are nude but discreetly posed!), sections on how the rich citizens live, what it was like in the army, the gruesome games at the Colosseum, and a final section about Rome as it appears today. The inside back page explains the various classes of Roman culture. The book was written with the help of history expert Dr. Anne Millard. (Dr Millard wrote a nonUsborne book called A Street Through Time that looks great for 9-14 year olds, which takes kids through fourteen key periods in history.)

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Another in this series, See Inside Castles is equally gorgeous. Kids learn all the parts of the castle and the vocabulary -- baileys, moats, keeps, etc. as well as info about jousts, banquets and castles today. Abigail Wheatley, Ph.D, a castle expert, assisted with the writing of this book.

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Of Interest To: Librarians and Media Specialists, Parents, Teachers