Roger Smalley (1)

The tales of Marco Polo's travels to Asia are told by an older Marco Polo as his sits in prison, with a writer nearby recording the oral tale in this non-fiction graphic novel. Marco's travels begin when his father and uncle return from a previous trip to Asia. After several months, they set out again, this time bringing Marco Polo along. Once they arrive in China, after many harrowing adventures, Kublai Khan sets Marco up as an important dignitary in his court, teaching him all about China and its language. The classic American comic illustrations depict the story with bold images and thick black lines, with the text providing all of the necessary information to keep the story moving. An afterword with many important facts about Marco Polo follows the graphic novel, as does a bibliography and listing of additional resources, both via the web and in print. Recommended. Ages 10-14.… (más)

The Aztecs by Smalley is an easy and informative read that captures the readers mind with it's easy to use format and use of many photographs of ancient artwork to help bring the information to life. This volume, from High Five publishing has five chapters (covering the Aztecs search for an new home, the birth of a great city, a slice of life look at Tenochititlan, the arrival of the Spaniards, and the end of the empire) in 48 pages, the information is useful, informative and condensed, which is great for younger readers with shorter attention spans. The Aztecs also includes an epilogue, glossary (though words are defined on each page, at the bottom, making it doubly easy for young readers to learn new words or check the meaning on the bolded words without breaking away from the reading...a BIG plus in my book), bibliography, useful websites and addresses, and even an index!

We found The Aztecs by Roger Smalley to be a great introduction for young readers, bonuses for this text include pronunciation guide (when the word appears, so no flipping back and forth which can be frustrating for young readers), glossary (but also definitions ON page, near the bottom for quick reference, but not intrusive), descriptions on all the artwork photographed (excellent for young readers), and a bibliography and internet information for further reading/learning.

Overall I give The Aztecs: Rise and Fall of a Great Empire five stars, it's an excellent beginner resource that pulls no punches with regards to the more brutal aspects of Aztec life (human sacrifice), but presents it in a way that is minimally frightening (presented as a fact of their life and how they worshipped their gods at the time) yet is highly informative. I think this book is an excellent start to a lesson set on Central/South America or for young readers curious about the Aztec civilization! The recommended age range on this book is 4-8, but I don't know that ages 4-5 would really find this book interesting or that the material on blood sacrifice is appropriate (though parents are really the best judge of what their children are ready to learn about). My recommendation is for ages 6-10.… (más)