Dittmar, Brian. Mongol Warriors.

Dittmar, Brian.   Mongol Warriors.  Scholastic/ Childrens Press   24p  $23.00 978-0-531-20780-2       elem/ms     Series History's Greatest Warriors (Scholastic/Childrens)  E-BN         

Using photographs of real-life reenactments, the Mongol Warriors, their equipment and their training come to life for today’s students in this, an excellent book for fans of military strategy or of Genghis Khan. It will appeal to those fans in grades 3-8.   

The crisp, detailed photographs will capture the eye of any casual browser or student who needs information for a report.  This is the perfect book to mesh with a biography of Genghis Khan.  The book explains how the warriors trained and the discipline required to be an excellent warrior. It describes their equipment and its use and explains the military strategy of the warriors.  This book makes the centuries-old warriors seem contemporary.  With glossary words highlighted in the text, a good index, and references for further reading, this book will serve report writers well.    

The series History’s Greatest Warriors will intrigue readers who love the strategy, equipment, and lifestyle of disciplined warriors. Glossary, index and further reading coupled with crisp, detailed photographs make this a perfect book for report writers.          -- Lois McNicol

Brew, Jim Pirates

Brew, Jim   Pirates     Scholastic/ Childrens Press   24p   $21.95     

978-0-531-20781-9       elem        Series: History's Greatest Warriors (Scholastic/Childrens)        Average          

This short nonfiction selection presents basic information about pirates.  Included are a brief description of pirate ships and a history of piracy.

     

There are three positive and two negative sides to this book.  On the positive side, the pictures are lively and interesting, and the glossary is a nice feature that supports younger readers.  In addition, the writer has not "dumbed down" his vocabulary; the words he has chosen are authentic terms, useful for vocabulary acquisition.  On the other hand, a negative feature is that the sentences describing pirates and their job are overly simple, making the book suitable only for younger elementary-school children.  But even more important on the negative side, the book is just not that interesting. 

Children want exciting stories about pirates, not a how-to book that describes their equipment and their ships.  The author’s purpose is only to present the basics, and if the classroom teacher hopes to introduce the topic to his/her class, then the book is acceptable.  However, if the teacher hopes to inspire literacy, this book misses the boat. 

At the end, there is a glossary and a list of resources, followed by a short index.  All in all, this book does not meet expectations as one in the series History’s Greatest Warriors, which includes books about many of the world’s famous "tough guys".  Aztecs, Comanches, Mongols, Samurai and Spartans are just a few of the topics in the series.  Each book presents basics about the history of each group, the materials they used to accomplish the job, and the targets of their wrath.  -- Martha Squaresky