Eye Wonder: Ancient Rome
Grade 3-7–This volume in the hybrid series focuses on life in ancient Rome as seen through the eyes of a family of Africans brought to the city as slaves. Most of the book is made up of DK's usual highly informative, well-illustrated factual descriptions. The edges of each spread tell the fictional story of the family in graphic-novel style. The nonfiction is engrossing, pulling readers into aspects of everyday life, with great cutaways of a variety of buildings and events. The story of a family torn apart, brought back together, and saved at the last moment is fairly unrealistic and unsatisfying compared to the great facts in the book. Readers seeking a graphic novel will be disappointed by the small part this format plays in the book. While overall it is an interesting combination that should appeal to reluctant readers, this title lacks the depth that most students will need for research purposes.–Dawn Rutherford, Kings County Library System, Bellevue, WACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.