My only previous experience with Mary Pope Osborne's books was through her Magic Tree House series that my daughter enjoyed when she was an early reader. As those books, especially for early reader books, were well-researched, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with this book about Pompeii.When I added it as a selection for the What's in a Name? challenge, I expected the book to be longer, more like Osborne's Magic Tree House research guides (the companion nonfiction books), so I was surprised to find that it is instead a picture book. But I wasn't disappointed! The illustrations by Bonnie Christensen, which mimic the frescoes of ancient Pompeii are absolutely gorgeous! Each page has a short paragraph about an aspect of life in Pompeii, and the adjacent page has a beautiful fresco reflecting this aspect. It's truly a beautiful little book.
I appreciated reading about the way of life in Pompeii prior to its destruction. There was a hint of sadness at the complete and sudden destruction of this community. I was reminded of Life As We Knew It, which I reviewed last month.
2 comments:
My kids and I have really enjoyed her series based on the Odyssey. MUCH shorter than the original, and you become familiar with the stories that are alluded to in so many other works.
We'll have to check those out! Thanks for the recommendation!
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