Learning about the past is vital, but there's no reason why it can't be fun, too, as the most appealing of this year's selective crop of introductions to ancient and early modern cultures amply demonstrates. But several of these series prove that intriguing facts; carefully selected primary-source excerpts; insights presented in organized, easily digestible ways; and illustrations that further enable understanding can bring the past to life just as well.

Preschool - Grade 4

GUILLAIN, Charlotte. Aztec Warriors. map. ISBN 978-1-4109-3767-4; ISBN 978-1-4109-3775-9. LC 2009030863. ————. Gladiators and Roman Soldiers. map. ISBN 978-1-4109-3762-9; ISBN 978-1-4109-3770-4. LC 2009030851. ————. Greek Warriors. map. ISBN 978-1-4109-3766-7; ISBN 978-1-4109-3774-2. LC 2009030861. ————. Medieval Knights. map. ISBN 978-1-4109-3763-6; ISBN 978-1-4109-3771-4. LC 2009030853. ————. Ninja. map. ISBN 978-1-4109-3764-3; ISBN 978-1-4109-3772-8. LC 2009030855. ————. Samurai. map. ISBN 978-1-4109-3765-0; ISBN 978-1-4109-3773-5. LC 2009030858. ————. Vikings. maps. ISBN 978-1-4109-3761-2; ISBN 978-1-4109-3769-8. LC 2009030847. ea vol: 32p. (Fierce Fighters Series). illus. photos. reprods. chron. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Raintree. 2010. PLB $29; pap. $7.99. Gr 1-3—Setting the bar at an uncommonly low level, this series offers information that ranges from simplistic or totally irrelevant (the time line in Aztec includes"1600s: People from Europe start to settle in North America") to ludicrous (Medieval Knights states that "Fighting on piggyback was good training for fighting on horseback"). This is supplemented by a motley and often randomly placed assortment of photographs showing relevant locations and costumed reconstructions, and charging warriors rendered in an amateurish comic-book style. Each volume ends with a crude nonweapon craft.

Grades 5 and Up

CATEL, Patrick. What Did the Ancient Chinese Do for Me? map. reprods. ISBN 978-1-4329-3747-8; ISBN 978-1-4329-3754-6. LC 2009040022. ————. What Did the Ancient Egyptians Do for Me? map. reprods. ISBN 978-1-4329-3742-3; ISBN 978-1-4329-3749-2. LC 2009039658. ————. What Did the Ancient Greeks Do for Me? map. reprods. ISBN 978-1-4329-3746-1; ISBN 978-1-4329-3753-9. LC 2009039670. ————. What Did the Ancient Romans Do for Me? illus. map. ISBN 978-1-4329-3743-0; ISBN 978-1-4329-3750-8. LC 2009039660. RAUM, Elizabeth. What Did the Aztecs Do for Me? map. reprods. ISBN 978-1-4329-3744-7; ISBN 978-1-4329-3751-5. LC 2009039661. ————. What Did the Vikings Do for Me? maps. reprods. ISBN 978-1-4329-3745-4; ISBN 978-1-4329-3752-2. LC 2009039662. ea vol: 32p. (Linking the Past and Present Series). illus. photos. chron. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Heinemann Library. 2010. PLB $29; pap. $7.99. Gr 4-6—Egotistic titles aside, these cultural studies are worth considering for the often-illuminating connections they make between ancient and modern science, technology, ideas, and even social practices. Though simplistic ("Chinese men usually wore hats. These hats were often made of fine silk"), the narratives supply overviews of each culture's history, geography, and general character with special reference to major inventions. Each spread also features sidebars that include a pair of "Then" and "Now" boxes in which comparisons are made—between ancient and modern cat ownership in Egyptians, for instance, or between the Parthenon and the Lincoln Memorial in Greeks. Furthermore, some of the inventions are not the usual suspects—Egyptians, for example, mentions that that civilization saw the first historical use of huge groups of workers for specific public projects, and Romans details that people's invention of milestones. Illustrations are mostly color photos, period images, and maps. CHALLEN, Paul. Hail! Ancient Chinese. ISBN 978-0-7787-6621-6; ISBN 978-0-7787-6628-5. LC 2010006655. GREEN, Jen. Hail! Ancient Aztecs. map. ISBN 978-0-7787-6625-4; ISBN 978-0-7787-6632-2. LC 2010009547. ————. Hail! Ancient Egyptians. map. ISBN 978-0-7787-6622-3; ISBN 978-0-7787-6629-2. LC 2010006656. ————. Hail! Ancient Greeks. map. ISBN 978-0-7787-6623-0; ISBN 978-0-7787-6630-8. LC 2010003031. STEELE, Philip. Hail! Ancient Romans. map. ISBN 978-0-7787-6624-7; ISBN 978-0-7787-6631-5. LC 2010006657. ————. Hail! Tudors. ISBN 978-0-7787-6626-1; ISBN 978-0-7787-6633-9. LC 2010006630. ea vol: 32p. (Hail! History Series). illus. photos. reprods. chron. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Crabtree. 2010. PLB $26.60; pap. $8.95. Gr 4-6—Earning top marks for entertainment value, these quick, tabloid-style visitor guides present familiar material in a flurry of dishy revelations, mini-interviews ("HAIL! sat down with Qin Shi Huangdi for an up-close and personal conversation…"), advice columns, and supposed advertisements replete with exclamation points and punning headlines. Each book opens with a thematic overview disguised as a multiple-choice pop quiz ("Why is Egypt Famous?"), then proceeds to touch on historical highlights and major figures, deities, food, fashion, careers, and other topics, before closing with a generous handful of print and web resources. For all its breezy superficiality, the information is accurate and the colorful illustrations are mostly reproductions or photos of artifacts. CALLERY, Sean. The Dark History of America's Old West. map. ISBN 978-1-60870-086-8. LC 2009041115. ————. The Dark History of Ancient Greece. map. ISBN 978-1-60870-083-7. LC 2009048379. ————. The Dark History of Ancient Rome. chart. ISBN 978-1-60870-084-4. LC 2009033477. ————. The Dark History of the Aztec Empire. chart. map. ISBN 978-1-60870-085-1. LC 2009034700. ea vol: 64p. (Dark Histories Series). photos. reprods. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark. 2010. PLB $22.95. Gr 5-7—In these pale imitations of the books in Scholastic's "Horrible Histories" series, Callery mixes quick, unsourced anecdotes into generalized overviews of unpleasant conditions or events. Old West, for example, caps its summary of the Indian Wars and introductions to a few notorious outlaws with an uninformative reference to the gunfights at Hot Springs and the OK Corral. Similarly, Ancient Rome opens with Romulus's murder of his twin Remus, closes with the simplistic statement that the "exhausted Roman Empire finally collapsed in 476," and in between devotes chapters to the Caesars, Commodus, other dissolute emperors, and the Christian martyrs. The illustrations are largely later or modern reconstructions, and the maps in each volume (except, oddly, for Ancient Rome, which includes none) are nearly empty of detail. KERRIGAN, Michael. Egyptians. ISBN 978-1-60870-064-6. LC 2009033475. ————. Greeks. ISBN 978-1-60870-065-3. LC 20090334429. ————. Mesopotamians. ISBN 978-1-60870-066-0. LC 2009033476. ————. Romans. ISBN 978-1-60870-067-7. LC 20090334428. ea vol: 64p. (Ancients in Their Own Words Series). photos. reprods. chron. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark. 2010. PLB $22.95. Gr 5-7—These volumes each depict 13 chronologically arranged inscriptions, documents, or other written artifacts. Partial translations are then enhanced by a brief analysis of the items' historical significance and background information about their rediscoveries, their authors, and the civilizations they have survived. Selections include excerpts from the Code of Hammurabi, the Rosetta Stone, memorial inscriptions, a cuneiform medical manual, and an engraved menu from Pompeii. Kerrigan doesn't specify the sources of his free, sometimes even lively translations ("I smashed your ships to smithereens," boasts Pharaoh Kamose in a catalog of his supposed military achievements), but he does point out exaggerated or unlikely claims in official texts and supplies illuminating contextual commentary. Photos of artifacts and archeological sites and audience-appropriate further resources strengthen these useful supports for studies of ancient civilizations. The Bottom Line

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Crabtree's "Hail! History" is the clear winner among the series examined, followed closely by Heinemann Library's "Linking the Past and Present" and Marshall Cavendish's "The Ancients in Their Own Words." Superficial or unsystematic coverage and unexceptional illustrations and supporting matter relegate the remaining series to "supplementary" status.