Ancient Horsemen of Siberia
(Time Travelers)
by Janet Buell (Millbrook Press)

   About 2,500 years ago in the countryside of deep dark Siberia, there rode some of the world's first horsemen. But, without archaeologists like Russia's Natalya Polosmak, we might never have known it. Polosmak has made her life's work studying the burial mounds of these ancient horsemen known as the Pazyryk. Buried along with their bones were artifacts that revealed their secrets. Janet Buell's book explores the mysterious world of the Pazyryk riders with Polosmak as her guide. You may not get as many illustrations, but the exciting story of these great adventures will keep your imagination occupied.--Kelly Milner Halls

Aztecs
by Richard Platt (Dorling Kindersley)

The Aztec Indians, an ancient Mexican civilization, lived and thrived for more than seven centuries. This book overflows with fantastic colorful photos and rich illustrations. You won't believe the similarities between these ancient people of the past and the people of today. Football? Consider this. The Aztecs had another idea for our favorite past time. Death by football. That's right, these people risked more than a Super Bowl ring when they hit the field. Astronomy? Don't worry about the Aztecs, they had a handle on the stars thousands of years before you were even born. Discover the intriguing world of the Aztecs, I think they'll surprise you.--Kelly Milner Halls

The City of Rainbows
Retold and Illustrated by Karen Foster (The University Museum, University of Pennsylvania)

You'll be proud to be caught with this elegant little black book peeking out of your backpack! In this ancient Sumerian story, preserved for millennia on clay tablets and now available in kid-friendly paperback, two kings claim two different cities are favored by the goddess Inanna. Enemy sorcerers wage a battle of magic to find out which king is right. After you read the story through, flip to a section in the back that walks you through the story again, this time pointing out important cultural facts--how the City of Rainbows got its name, how the sorcerers predicted the future, what animals had to do with gods. I won't give it away, but one cultural fact changes the meaning of the story entirely--you'll be itching to go back and read it all over again!--Elizabeth J. Himelfarb

Finding the Lost Cities
by Rebecca Stefoff (Oxford University Press)

Author Rebecca Stefoff offers you a glimpse of not one, not two, but 12 lost cities on five different continents discovered between 1812 and 1922. She uses well-researched writing to explain the what and where of these mysterious lost cities. Plus, you'll learn how they were lost and who rediscovered them. You'll feel like an archaeologist yourself! Look for more that 130 color and black and white illustrations as well as 14 amazing maps to bring the lost cities to life.--Kelly Milner Halls

The Greeks Pop-up by Pam Mara
The Egyptians Pop-up by Anne Wild
The Romans Pop-up by Andy and Maggie Hall
(Tarquin Publications in association with British Museum Publications Ltd. Norfolk, England)

Who says Rome wasn't built in a day? If you have a steady hand and a LOT of patience (one wrong snip of your scissors could bring a nation tumbling down!), you'll love watching ancient cities be reborn in your bedroom. Careful cutting and folding yields your own handmade pop-ups. You'll learn enough about the ancient world (don't be scared off by the teeny-weeny print) to blow your teacher away. In The Greeks, you'll learn about the mythical Minotaur of Crete and Heinrich Schliemann's incredible discovery of Mycenae. You'll get to know Alexander the Great and Aristotle. You'll even learn to speak a little Greek. The Egyptians reads like a travel guide. You'll learn, for example, that the columns at Karnak temple are so big that 100 people could stand on the end of one, that the stone blocks used to build the Great Pyramid at Giza weighed two tons each, and that the Queen of Punt (probably modern-day Somalia, in Africa), depicted in a wall painting, was a real fatty. You'll visit Cleopatra's Needle, King Tut's tomb, and Abu Simbel without leaving home! The Romans zeroes in on the Roman legion for a peek at the force that extended Rome's frontiers not only by fending off attack, but also by building roads and towns in foreign lands. Soldiers joined the army at 16! The book also offers a glimpse of what Romans did for entertainment. It makes television sound boring! Men fought lions to the death, chariot racers became celebrities, public baths were centers of gossip, and the theater was a major attraction. Ages 10 and up.--Elizabeth J. Himelfarb

The Make It Work! Series
The Hands-On Approach to History
by Andrew Haslam (World Book)

Photo by Richard Bowditch

The Make It Work! series plunks you down in ancient places inhabited by modern kids, who wear costumes and fashion tools you can make at home. Craft a paper wig in Ancient Egypt and learn, "the higher a person's status was, the more makeup and clothes worn. Servants were scantily dressed." Books on North American Indians, the Arctic peoples, Japan, Stone Age people, and the Roman Empire offer bite-size coverage of lots of topics like entertainment, travel, and beliefs. Ages 11 and up.--Elizabeth J. Himelfarb

Pompeii: The Day A City was Buried
DK Discoveries Series
by Melanie and Christopher Rice;
Illustrated by Richard Bonson (Dorling Kindersley)

If you read about my adventure with Pliny in the first issue of dig magazine, then you know what can happen to a city when a nearby volcano decides to blow its top. But this great new book will show and tell you even more about the day 1,920 years ago when Mt. Vesuvius turned the Italian city of Pompeii from a Roman Empire metropolis into a ash-covered tomb.    The book's awesome color illustrations show what life might have been like in Pompeii up until the moment Vesuvius exploded--kids shot marbles, men yacked about sports, women shopped, etc. Even more impressive are the pictures of the plaster-cast bodies that had been frozen in ash and the many artifacts found by archaeologists over the centuries. (Look for three other books in this excellent DK Discoveries Series: Polar Exploration, Castles at War, and King Tutankhamun).--Kelly Milner Halls

The Roman Empire
by Peter Chrisp; Consultant, Simon James B.Sc., Ph.D,
The British Museum (World Book/Two-Can)

Imagine the late great Roman Empire and what comes to mind? Dresses called togas? Buffed up gods? Sparkling gold coins? That was all part of this ancient civilization. But this fun and factual book of hands-on info created by the folks at World Book proves Rome was a lot more than a legend.    Author Peter Chrisp explores all kinds of Roman history and detail, from the science of building a bridge to the art of theater and pottery. And to make it easier for kids to understand yesterday, he's created crafts and activities you can do today. Where else could you learn how to make gladiator sandals and understand whose feet they used to protect?    The Roman Empire is full of color photographs and illustrations, and text that's smart and sassy.--Kelly Milner Halls

World Book Encyclopedia Presents Ancient Greece
by Peter Chrisp (World Book)

Ancient Greece offers a kid's-eye view of one of the great civilizations of the ancient world. Meet Cleon, son of a potter, his sister Crytilla, and Hermia, the family slavegirl. While Cleon learns reading, writing, music, poetry, and athletics, Crytilla learns to make clothes and practices accounting in preparation for the responsibilities of running a household. Cleon explains the rituals of his everyday life, from eating (he'll show you how to make a traditional dessert), to religion (make Poseidon's trident), to drama (craft your own comedy and tragedy masks.) You'll read age-old myths, wear funny traveler's hats (the Mediterranean sun is strong, after all!) and follow the most important ancient trade routes. Ages 7 and up.--Elizabeth J. Himelfarb