The Real Vikings : Craftsmen, Traders, and Fearsome Raiders
Grade 4-6-Chock-full of color maps and photographs of artifacts and historical locales, this book offers a lively, highly readable introduction to the Vikings, beginning with their attack on Lindisfarne in 793 and ending, in 1066, with William the Conqueror. Myths about the ruthlessness of the Norsemen are dispelled without glossing over the violence that did take place. The lasting impact of Viking culture, including the ideals of equality and democracy, may be surprising to some readers. While covering much the same material as Hazel Mary Martell's What Do We Know about the Vikings? (Peter Bedrick, 1992) and Susan M. Margeson's Viking (DK, 2000), this offering is more fluid. It is a solid springboard to further research.Rita Hunt Smith, Hershey Public Library, PACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.