Frank's Great Museum Adventure
by Rod Clement (HarperCollins)

   Frank is a dog with a pet--a boy who fancies himself an adventurer, a real life Indiana Jones in sneakers and bike chains. So he set out to find real excitement and took dog Frank along for the ride. The museum, he said, was the place to go way, way, way back in time. It was the place to find mysteries you'd never find at home.
   First he saw an Ice Age display, and wondered if his long lost pineapple pizza might be buried along side the woolly mammoth. Then he saw prehistoric man with his prehistoric stone tools and wondered who invented haircuts, when fantastic factoids were the only way to chop and style. Then he saw the Egyptian mummies and wondered if they ever had Egyptian daddies to match.
   Obviously, Frank and his kid aren't real serious about their stroll through ancient time. But they're definitely out to have a good time. And if you read this fun fiction book by award-winning children's writer Rod Clement, you're bound to have a good time, too.--Kelly Milner Halls

Why Are You Calling Me a Barbarian?
by Birgitta Petrén and Elisabetta Putini (The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles)

Did you know that "barbarian" means foreigner? Those Romans! They used the word "barbarians" to talk about people they thought were uncouth, unclean, and unpleasant. They thought anybody who wasn't just like them was uncivilized! Marbord, a young "barbarian" from Scandia (modern Denmark and Sweden) wants to set the record straight. He befriends a Roman slave girl named Martilla (Marbord speaks Latin) and the ancient kids compare notes on towns, houses, food, clothes, music, and daydreams. With this enchanting and boredom--free storybook as your companion, you get two ancient cultures for the price of one!--Elizabeth J. Himelfarb