Ancient China (See Through History)
Grade 6-9.  The finely detailed, full-color illustrations are the most outstanding feature of both of these titles. The clear plastic overlays that allow readers to see inside a typical Chinese house or an Inca temple are an unnecessary gimmick. Each book begins with an introductory double-page chapter and a map. A chronology helps orient readers to the vast sweep of Chinese history. Subsequent chapters cover such topics as farming, religion, clothing, architecture, and many aspects of daily life. The overly ambitious spread devoted to "The World Outside" traces the end of the Manchu Dynasty (1912), the Cultural Revolution, and the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in a couple of sentences. This last event is mentioned without any explanation. The Incas devotes the final two chapters to the Spanish conquest, certainly a tale told elsewhere, but rarely with such fine illustrations. Appendixes contain a list of key dates and a brief glossary. These books will be useful for reports or as introductions to the subjects.?David N. Pauli, Missoula Public Library, MTCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.