Born a prince of Macedonia in 356 BCE, Alexander the Great became one of the greatest military leaders of all time. He conquered the entire Persian Empire, defeating King Darius III four times. He invaded India, defeating a seven-foot-tall Indian king and extending the boundaries of his empire into most of Asia. Brutal in his drive for power, Alexander maintained supremacy by forcing his soldiers to marry the foreigners that they conquered. He amassed a huge fortune by plundering the riches of his enemies and married two foreign princesses, one of them King Darius III's daughter. By the time of his death at age thirty-two, Alexander had conquered most of the known ancient Greek world, a remarkable achievement in only twelve years.
Demi's storytelling skills bring Alexander the Great's exploits to life. Her splendid illustrations were painted with Chinese inks and gold overlays and with frames inspired by jewels from the tomb of Philip II of Macedonia at Verghina. An Author's note describing Demi's research and source material is included.
Alexander the Great
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle.
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Gr 3-5–Another beautifully illustrated biography by the talented artist. Demi depicts the life of the great conqueror from his birth in 356 BCE to his death in 323 BCE. Her familiar and detailed style shows a segment from Alexander's life on every page. Using mixed media, she includes an abundance of red and gold inks to emphasize her subject's royal heritage. Framed scenes include Alexander as an infant with his parents, Queen Oympias and King Philip II; his tutoring by Aristotle; and his many battles across Persia, Asia Minor, and beyond. The text focuses on the facts and general time line of Alexander's life. There is not a lot of elaboration, but no matter. Students wishing for more depth or a different slant may be interested in Peter Chrisp's Alexander the Great: Legend of a Warrior King (DK, 2000) or Vicky Shecter's Alexander the Great Rocks the World (Darby Creek, 2006). Overall, this book is a stunning introduction to one of history's most-noted figures.Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From Booklist
Demi brings her unmistakable style to this pithy biography of the great Macedonian conquerer. Short paragraphs trace Alexander’s childhood and then his series of increasingly magnificent military campaigns as he conquered his way from Greece through Persia and into Asia. Readers may wonder a bit about the disconnect between some of his exploits: after the Greeks rebelled and Alexander “quickly crushed them by fighting and winning every battle,” a couple pages later he “freed the Greek cities under Persian control.” While Alexander comes across as a fiercely dominant figure, slaughtering any who opposed him and destroying cultures left and right, the treatment here favors opulence over bloodshed. The delicately lined figures, highlighted in red and, of course, gold, float against dreamy watercolor backgrounds, and scenes of rows upon rows of soldiers lowering their massive spears to attack practically bristle with energy. A welcome, handsome introduction to history’s most successful general, this picture book concludes with a dazzling, gilded map that traces the route he slashed through antiquity. Grades 4-7. --Ian Chipman
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Demi was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and now lives in Yarrow Point, Washington. Demi is the author and illustrator of more than one hundred children's books, including picture-book biographies. Her work has received numerous awards and accolades.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outlines of Alexander's life story and military campaigns,
By
This review is from: Alexander the Great (School & Library Binding)
For children with an early interest in ancient Greece, or for boys with a sense of adventure, this book is a great introduction to Alexander the Great. The illustrations depict war and bloodshed, without too much gore (actually, unrealistically small amounts of gore) and show off the increasingly exotic cultures that Alexander encountered.
Outstanding map. Your little guy will love how YOUNG Alexander was - 20 when he began, and 32 when he died.
5.0 out of 5 stars
All the Essentials Delivered in a Beautiful Form,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Alexander the Great (School & Library Binding)
My seven year old daughter has a limited attention span when it comes to reading children's history books. "Alexander the Great" does a great job of getting out all of the essential information about Alexander's life in a format that will appeal to a young child. Demi's style of illustration is heavily influenced by the Sino/Persian miniature tradition of painting. Her images are very detailed and will appeal to both child and parent alike. Highly recommended.
5.0 out of 5 stars
great art and text!,
This review is from: Alexander the Great (School & Library Binding)
This biography retells the life and history of the times,
as well as the religious befiefs. It is extremely well researched, and the art is glorious.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
So You'd Like to...
|
|
