THE GOLDEN CITY

A sentimental account of Jewish history, seen through the lens of Jerusalem. This is an interesting perspective in itself, but Waldman (Nancy Luenn's Mother Earth, 1992, etc.) often overly romanticizes and is entirely subjective about a topic that few people can approach objectively. For instance, in describing the events that led up to the destruction of the Second Temple, he writes ``Roman oppression increased, and the Jews revolted,'' which some may see as a tendentious reversal of causes and effects. The Jewish defense of the city is invariably heroic, and, despite sensitivity toward others' religious beliefs elsewhere, Waldman makes a cloaked reference, at least for children, to ``a great prophet [Jesus]'' who ``nearly two millennia earlier . . . discussed the future of humanity with his disciples.'' The illustrationsdone in watercolor and colored pencils, with a predilection for juxtaposing shades of purple with shades of greenappear like elegant snapshots against a grainy, beige background, each one with a caption (location, date). Although they are not on the whole very detailed, the architectural drawings are accurate and evocative. (chronology) (Picture book/nonfiction. 7- 11)