You Wouldn't Want to Be a Slave in Ancient Greece!: A Life You'd Rather Not Have (You Wouldn't Want To)
Grade 4-6-At first glance, these profusely illustrated books appear  to be a lighthearted approach to some grim chapters in the  history of the world. Chapter titles are often blithe and the  cartoon art depicts the gory and abominable treatment of one  group of people by another. But closer examination of the texts  and pictures reveals informative books, packed full of the facts  students often seek. The first title describes the life of a  woman from the Black Sea area who is kidnapped and taken to  serve as a slave in ancient Greece. The treatment of the slaves  by the aristocracy is depicted along with descriptions of  everyday life. Gladiator highlights the superiority of the Roman  army, which returned its prisoners to Rome where they were  trained to be arena fighters. Rules of battle and types of  gladiators are described. Mention is also made of the simulated  sea battles that took place in the flooded arenas and of staged  wild-animal hunts. Mummy covers the process of embalming and  mummification along with the symbolic features of an Egyptian  burial. Discoveries of tombs and modern beliefs about mummies  are also included. While these books cover material included in  other titles, their approach to history will be extremely  popular with students who relish a bit of blood and guts along  with their historical facts.Elizabeth Stumpf, Clearfield Middle  School, PACopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.