Tag Archives: Ancient Rome

Ancient history

Famous Figures of Ancient Times and Ancient Rome

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Greetings!

A few more new books worth adding to your library. Figures in Motion is a neat concept to add to your study of the ancient world. DK continues to add well-designed titles to their Eyewitness series. And we continue to find some often over-looked treasures in the new books being published

Without further ado, here are two new titles worth reading:

Famous Figures of Ancient Times

Famous Figures of Ancient Times
by Cathy Diez-Luckie

Yes, these action figures really move! All you need is this book, a hole punch, and easy-to-use fasteners for assembly. Move their arms and legs, use their swords and shields and act out the real stories of history or make up your own and travel through time with moving figures!Famous Figures of Ancient Times includes a short biography of each historic figure, from Narmer, who united Upper and Lower Egypt, to Augustine, a leader of the Church at the fall of the Ancient Roman Empire.

This book makes a great activity book to use with your Greenleaf Study Package on Old Testament History, Egypt, Greece, or Rome. The set includes 20 figures in all:
  • Narmer
  • Khufu
  • Sargon
  • Hammurabi
  • Moses
  • King David
  • Ashurbanipal
  • Nebuchadnezzar II
  • Cyrus the Great
  • A Greek Hoplite
  • Qin Shi Huangdi
  • Aristotle
  • Alexander the Great
  • Hannibal
  • Hannibal’s Elephant
  • Julius Caesar
  • Caesar Augustus
  • Jesus
  • Constantine
  • Augustine
Each of these figures comes to life as children create their moving figures. Printed on heavy cardstock, 20 figures, 96 pages, $19.95. You can order by clicking on the image above or on this link.

Eyewitness Expert Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome
Eyewitness Expert

The DK Eyewitness series have set new standards for reference books for children & young adults. Each is conceived and laid out as if it were a museum exhibition. The most significant and most well known artifacts in each category are beautifully photographed and displayed with lengthy explanatory captions. The format of all 136 books is identical: hardback, 64 pages, glossy paperstock, four color photography on each of the 25+ two-page spreads.

The Eyewitness Expert series takes this concept several steps further. Along with the Eyewitness reference book (in paperback), the large slipcase includes:

  • a wall chart / poster
  • profile flashcards
  • a clip-art CD to use in computer illustration programs
  • a separate “Expert Files” paperback (64 pages) which is a hands-on guide to Ancient Rome, as explained by professional archeologists in the field
  • a large folded map of the Roman World
  • a paper model of the Colosseum printed in color on card stock to be punched out and assembled.
The publisher describes the book as targeted for ages 8-13. Younger children will certainly be fascinated by the pictures. Older students will find the text intriguing and informative.

Eyewitness Expert Ancient Rome

The total package is neatly packed in a fold-up portfolio which slides into the heavy-duty slipcase. Can be ordered direct from Greenleaf for $29.99 by clicking on either of the images or on this link.
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Watch this space for more book reviews! We have three new titles close to release that we are very excited about, and a small stack of worthy books from other publishers to recommend.
Ancient history, book reviews

The Egyptian News, The Greek News, The Roman News

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Just published this week – three new reference works for children on Egypt, Greece, & Rome.

Each is built around a clever premise, very well executed. These three full-color glossy paperbacks are great introductions for kids in elementary and middle school to three of great ancient civilizations. The stories are factual (they’re not imitating the grocery store tabloids), but they are spiced up with punchy headlines. This is not just a gimmick. It helps communicate to students that the history book facts were news when they happened – and often unexpected or surprising or sometimes downright shocking!

The Egyptian News
by Scott Steedman

Sample headlines:

Exclusive: Boy King Murdered?
Sudden Death of Tutankhamen Stuns Nation

Crazy King Causes Chaos
Egypt’s priests rejoiced at the death of Amenhotep IV in 1336 B.C. During his 16 years as pharaoh, he had made their lives miserable – and had turned our religion upside down!

There are also feature stories on such topics as “The Longest Boat in Our Country,” an exclusive interview with the royal mummy maker and (Egyptian) advice on marriage, pets, and house-hunting.

32 pages, paperback, $7.99 from Greenleaf Press

The Greek News
by Anton Powell & Philip Steele

Sample headlines:

Greece in Peril!
Xerxes leads Persian Invasion

Sparta Attacks!
Civil War Rages On. . .

Alexander Wins!

The news stories are following by feature pages on trade, sports, theater, housing, health, food, fashion, etc.

32 pages, paperback, $7.99 from Greenleaf Press

The Roman News
by Andrew Langley & Philip De Souza

Sample headlines:

Hannibal Invades!

Caesar Stabbed!
Rome in Turmoil after Brutal Murder!

City Destroyed! (on the destruction on Pompeii)

Colosseum Opens

There’s a very interesting 2-page spread exploring the topic of “Empire or Republic?” The Advertisements, fashion pages, food pages, and women’s pages give a wealth of interesting details.

32 pages, paperback, $7.99 from Greenleaf Press

In addition to being light-hearted and entertaining, there are refreshing details common to all three books. They all use BC/AD dating and explain that BC = before the birth of Christ and AD is after the birth of Christ. They’re also modest about the Egyptian dates with a note that states “As the events in this book took place so long ago, historians cannot be sure of the exact dates. You may find that the dates we have given vary a little from those found in other sources.”

Each of these can be ordered directly from Greenleaf Press by clicking on the book cover or on the underlined links.

– Rob Shearer, Publisher

Ancient history, book reviews

British Museum Ancient Egypt Pop-up Book

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I am a sucker for pop-up books. I confess. My wife, children, and everyone who’s worked for Greenleaf Press over the years can confirm this.

I find them fascinating. They are intricate solutions to design challenges – little machines made out of paper that magically transform from 2-dimensional to 3-dimensional as you turn the pages.

I have finally found what I think is the ultimate high-brow pop-up book. After all, it invokes The British Museum on the cover! The Ancient Egypt Pop-Up Book in association with The British Museum.

And it really is wonderful.

There is a marvelous pop-up Egyptian boat.

Complete with a shaduff on-shore, showing how the Egyptians raised water from the Nile for irrigation.

There is the warrior-Pharaoh Rameses II in his fighting chariot at the battle of Kadesh.

There is a wonderful 3-D depiction of Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahri

Also included is a 3-D representation of Tut’s gold death-mask, and underneath, cleverly folded, is his mummified head.

The Ancient Egypt pop-up book is $29.95, available directly from Greenleaf Press.

Incidentally, in the background is a wonderful fold-out depiction of life in Ancient Rome, including views of the Senate, the colosseum, and daily life in a Roman villa.


The entire connected scene folds out to four feet long.

Rome: A Fold-Out History of the Ancient Civilization is $17.95, directly from Greenleaf Press.

– Rob Shearer, Publisher
Greenleaf Press