the Ancient World
Curlee, Lynn. 2002. Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. New York: Atheneum Books for
Young Readers. ISBN: 0-689-83182-X.
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| Seven Wonders of the Ancient World |
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| As the title states it, this book is about the seven wonders from the ancient world which have made history. Curlee, an art historian, describes in detail the awe and glory of each creation and informs us what ever became of each of them. The way the information is provided makes us feel nostalgic about the fact that most of them have never been seen by our generations. It is a real shame that they have not been able to withstand the passing of time and that we must only read about them in books and see drawings of them. The only one still standing to this day is the Great Pyramid at | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Giza, which according to the book, �Until the late nineteenth century it was the tallest structure ever built.� It is said that it took approximately thirty years to plan and create and �it took one hundred thousand men thirty years to build [it].� It is indeed �one of the most breathtaking wonders of mankind� and not just the ancient world. Each of the creations, from the Colossus of Rhodes to the Temple of Artemis, Curlee does a terrific job of making audiences wish they could witness such wonders. Each of them is described in detail and with great respect, that readers will wonder whether the author himself feels the same way. The information is accurate and often mentions when the remains were discovered and exactly what all the studies show about them. It is unbelievable to learn that some remains have been found thousands of years later! The vocabulary presented is somewhat advanced for younger students, but students as early as fourth grade will really enjoy and comprehend it. The illustrations, made with acrylic on canvas, were created by the author and photographed by Ed Peterson. They show the magnificence of these man-made monuments and are often shown next to persons, to show us just how enormous most of these creations were. The author continues to keep the accuracy of the information by presenting us with different versions of some of these creations. For example, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus continues to be a mystery and archaeologists are not entirely sure what it may have looked like. Therefore, the author presents us with drawings of the different versions of it. In this way, he continues to emphasize the fact that the information he provides is based on nothing more than what studies have shown. About the Hanging Gardens at Babylon, he mentions that it is a mystery whether they even existed. A pronunciation guide of each wonder would have been helpful, but this book is nevertheless quite a joy to read and view. Publishers Weekly says that, �he certainly whets readers� appetites with this well-researched introduction.� Curlee, Lynn. 2002. Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-689-83182-X. |
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