A Journey Through Time Series
by Roberto Angeletti (Oxford University Press)

Grab these books and a flashlight and pull the covers over your head. Escape into a world where Robbie and Anna, modern kids just like you, stumble upon ancient worlds. Start with The Cave Painter of Lascaux-Anna makes a great heroine. When she learns her class is going to the famous painted caves at Lascaux, in France, instead of to an amusement park, she figures she's in for a real snooze. Until, that is, she becomes separated from the group. She meets a 20th-century guard dressed like Fred Flinstone hired to protect the paintings. He thinks he knows all about the Stone Age, when the beautiful cave paintings of animals were made. But when a real cave man appears on the scene, both Anna and the guard learn a thing or two about this famous site. Is Egypt more your cup of tea? Meet up with Anna and Nefertari, beautiful princess of Egypt, and a mysterious grey kitten for a grand pyramid tour. Head to Knossos on the island of Crete, where adored archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans helps Robbie (with his puppy Pip in tow) perfect his homework assignment on the ancient Minoans. Or join Robbie and his new friend Vulca to ogle the beautiful paintings in an Etruscan tomb. You'll love the colorful illustrations on every page and the handy cultural facts in the back of the book. Ages 8 and up.--Elizabeth J. Himelfarb

The Sightseers Guides
(Kingfisher)

Photo by Richard Bowditch

The Sightseers Guides are a kid-friendly Frommer's for time travelers. Don't go near a time machine without such choice tips as this one from Paris 1789: "The best way to see Paris is by hot air balloon." In Ancient Egypt, you're advised not to forget that "The Egyptians have an unshakable belief in magic. Any part of your body can be used in a spell against you!" Don't be surprised when, in Ancient Greece, a slave dumps you in a large ceramic pot and pours water over your head--that's what passes for a shower. Without Sightseers Guide in Gold Rush California, budget travelers might miss the free food offered at "the many saloons and gambling dens!" Ages 9 and up.--Elizabeth J. Himelfarb

A Street Through Time
A 12,000-year Walk Through History
by Dr. Ann Millard; Illustrated by Steve Noon (Dorling Kindersley)

Your neighborhood wasn't always the place it is now. There was a time when it was just open land, thriving with plant and animal life. But how does a single location evolve through the centuries from an open area to a modern-day city? This fascinating book by British Egyptologist Dr. Anne Millard maps it out for you with lots of fun and interesting details.    In the first two-page illustration, Dr. Millard's "street" begins as a tiny riverside village. As you turn the pages, the illustrated village evolves until it ends up as a city scene that may look like the place where you live. Special cut-away illustrations that show buildings inside and out help make this a great way to understand gradual change.--Kelly Milner Halls