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THE PALACE OF MINOS AT KNOSSOS

Name: THE PALACE OF MINOS AT KNOSSOS
Author: Chris Scarre
ISBN: 0-19-514272-1

DIGGING FOR THE PAST

by Chris Scarre & Rebecca Stefoff ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2003

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Chronicling the excavations of Arthur Evans at what he dubbed (sans evidence) the royal palace of King Minos, Scarre and Stefoff attribute the site’s enduring fascination for archaeologists and tourists both as much to his marketing abilities as to the dazzling finds made there. While detailing his sometimes questionable techniques—which included imaginative reconstructions of structures and artifacts—the authors also clearly explain the importance of his achievements, and what the site has taught us about Minoan civilization. The background history of that civilization here is so skimpy that the devastating volcanic explosion of Thera isn’t even mentioned, but Stefoff interviews a modern archaeologist to bring readers up to date, and the survey closes with brief descriptions of other Minoan sites. Illustrated with scenes of Evans at work, detailed diagrams, views of ancient artifacts and more, this helps to put a human face on our study of the past, while highlighting one of the past century’s most important, and tantalizing, archaeological finds. (index, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-13)

Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2003

ISBN: 0-19-514272-1

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Oxford Univ.

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2003

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL SCIENCES

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CITY OF ANGELS

by Julie Jaskol & Brian Lewis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1999

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Whirls of tiny, brightly dressed people’some with wings—fill Kleven’s kaleidoscopic portraits of sun-drenched Los Angeles neighborhoods and landmarks; the Los Angeles—based authors supply equally colorful accounts of the city’s growth, festivals, and citizens, using an appended chronology to squeeze in a few more anecdotes. As does Kathy Jakobsen’s My New York (1998), Jaskol and Lewis’s book captures a vivid sense of a major urban area’s bustle, diversity, and distinctive character; young Angelenos will get a hearty dose of civic pride, and children everywhere will find new details in the vibrant illustrations at every pass. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-10)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-525-46214-7

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL SCIENCES

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NICKOMMOH!

A THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION

by Jackie French Koller ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1999

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Koller (Bouncing on the Bed, p. 143, etc.) portrays a Narragansett nickommoh, or celebratory gathering, from which it is very likely the tradition of Thanksgiving was drawn. As explained in an exemplary note—brief, clear, interesting—at the end of the book, these gatherings occurred 13 times a year, once each lunar month. The harvest gathering is one of the larger gatherings: a great lodge was built, copious food was prepared, and music and dance extended deep into the night. Koller laces the text with a good selection of Narragansett words, found in the glossary (although there is no key to pronunciation, even for words such as Taqountikeeswush and Puttuckquapuonck). The text is written as a chanted prose poem, with much repetition, which can be both incantatory and hackneyed, as when “frost lies thick on the fields at dawn, and the winged ones pass overhead in great numbers.” Mostly the phrases are stirring—as are Sewall’s scratchboard evocations—and often inspirational—for this nickommoh puts to shame what has become known as the day before the launch of the holiday shopping season. (Picture book. 6-9)