Review Detail

Ancient Rome for Kids

Kids Indie 301

Great Overview of the Classical Past

August 08, 2024

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

It is always more fun to fold out pages than just turn them, and this clever arrangement is put to good use in this fact packed overview of Ancient Rome. Starting with a plain map and basic history, we can fold the page up and find out more about food, the names of the Seven Hills, and other facts. Other pages include an exploration of the Roman Republic, with a timeline, sidebars about murex and different kinds of clothing, which folds up to have a nice discussion of architecture. The pages about the Roman Empire have various dignitaries like Caesar, as well as more information about the way society was structured. I really liked the map and the many different architectural innovations for which the Romans were responsible. The Roman military gets a lot of coverage, as do gladiators, which will be a huge selling point for young history geeks.

Good Points

This has lots of information, and it's best to just let it wash over you, rather than looking for a systematic representation of all facets of Roman culture broken down into neat chapters. There are a lot of books like that, but they aren't nearly as interesting.

This nonfiction book is beautifully illustrated and offers a wide array of random facts about Ancient Rome. It would be a good way to get a young reader interested in this topic, and there is also a similar book about Ancient Greece and Egypt. There isn't an index, so it wouldn't be all that useful for research, but it is a fantastic book to introduce fun facts about Ancient Rome to young readers.