Straightforward, fascinating, broad-ranging, and timely; this effort will fully engage budding archaeologists.
Exploring six different archaeological explorations, Scandiffio sheds new light on intriguing puzzles from the past.
A variety of explorations is used to highlight the use of remarkable new techniques for revealing the secrets of the past: Ötzi the Iceman; the use of poison in hunting by African hunters and gatherers; the lost city of Angkor in Cambodia; the search for Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin’s lost ships, HMS Erebus and Terror; the unearthing of the grave of Richard III; and the discovery of Stone Age paintings in the French cave of Chauvet. Each new technique is carefully explained, from lidar (light detection and ranging), which reveals in remarkable detail the vast city of Angkor even though little remains of its mostly wooden construction, to the combined use of mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography to detect traces of plant-based poisons on Egyptian arrowheads. Each chapter begins with a brief, fictional narrative that describes the origin of the object of archaeological interest. Annoyingly, these tales are generally undated, although a few pages later, each chapter includes a timeline that does offer a date for the original event. Helpful text boxes, numerous illustrations, and maps for each chapter extend the narrative, and very good backmatter contributes to the all-around solid presentation.
Straightforward, fascinating, broad-ranging, and timely; this effort will fully engage budding archaeologists. (maps, bibliography, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 10-16)Pub Date: April 9, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77321-239-5
Page Count: 116
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
This glossy, colorful title in the “I Want To Be” series has visual appeal but poor organization and a fuzzy focus, which limits its usefulness. Each double-paged layout introduces a new topic with six to eight full-color photographs and a single column of text. Topics include types of environmentalists, eco-issues, waste renewal, education, High School of Environmental Studies, environmental vocabulary, history of environmentalism, famous environmentalists, and the return of the eagle. Often the photographs have little to do with the text or are marginal to the topic. For example, a typical layout called “Some Alternative Solutions” has five snapshots superimposed on a double-page photograph of a California wind farm. The text discusses ways to develop alternative forms of energy and “encourage environmentally friendly lifestyles.” Photos include “a healer who treats a patient with alternative therapy using sound and massage,” and “the Castle,” a house built of “used tires and aluminum cans.” Elsewhere, “Did You Know . . . ” shows a dramatic photo of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, but the text provides odd facts such as “ . . . that in Saudi Arabia there are solar-powered pay phones in the desert?” Some sections seem stuck in, a two-page piece on the effects of “El Niño” or 50 postage-stamp–sized photos of endangered species. The author concludes with places to write for more information and a list of photo credits. Pretty, but little here to warrant purchase. (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-15-201862-X
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Essential reading about Anne and her times.
With Holocaust denial spreading via the internet, it remains important for young people to learn about this period in a very concrete way.
This fact-filled biography, created by the Anne Frank House, tells the story of the girl who filled her diary with stories of the day-to-day lives of the eight Jews hiding for over two years within the “Secret Annex” and her own aspirations as a writer and as a person. The book alternates information about the Secret Annex inhabitants and Otto Frank’s loyal Dutch colleagues and employees with double-page spreads that highlight questions that young visitors ask at the Anne Frank House, from big topics like “Why did Hitler hate the Jews?” to practical concerns: “Did the people in hiding get bored?” and “How did the people in hiding get new clothes and other things?” There is contextual information about the Holocaust as well as quotes from some of Anne’s friends who survived the war. Due to the busy scrapbook layout of the book, Scarry’s color illustrations and diagrams do not always show to advantage. Moreover, perhaps because the book was produced in several languages, there are occasional awkward sentences. Despite these flaws, this book will reward its readers with an in-depth picture of the girl who became known the world over for her optimism despite her dire circumstances.
Essential reading about Anne and her times. (maps, sources) (Biography. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77260-060-5
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Second Story Press
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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