The Assyrians (The Cradle of Civilization) [Library Binding]

Elaine Landau (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

Examines Assyria's growth from warlike city-state to huge empire, through its conquest of all of Mesopotamia and Egypt, and aspects of its culture.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-7--Useful, solid information for report writers. Each of these titles introduces the history and culture of an empire that was influential in the development of Mesopotamia. They all begin with the same chapter describing the prehistoric tribal origins that led to the rise of more powerful, organized city-states and cultures during the early history of the Middle East. Subsequent chapters focus on the rise and ultimate demise of the specific empire. The texts are lucid, smoothly written, and easy to understand. Large type; open pages; and frequent use of maps, full-color and black-and-white photographs and illustrations of artifacts and architecture enhance the readability and usefulness of these titles. Topics covered include daily life and customs of different classes; social roles; notable rulers and their accomplishments; advances made in law, the arts, agriculture, and sciences; and factors leading to the decline of that empire. A good complement to these books is Clarice Swisher's The Ancient Near East (Lucent, 1995), which does a commendable job of tying these Mesopotamian cultures together, giving readers better insight into the development of early Middle Eastern civilization up to the conquest by Alexander the Great.

Cynthia M. Sturgis, Ledding Library, Milwaukee, OR

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Library Binding: 64 pages
• Publisher: Millbrook Press (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761302174
• ISBN-13: 978-0761302179
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,157,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > Children's Books > History > Middle East

More About the Author

I'm a children's book author and writing coach who loves both children and books. I've never been much of a fiction fan, I've spent my time both reading and writing nonfiction. I live in tropical Miami with my husband and son who are nonfiction lovers as well.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Assyrian Letdown, May 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Assyrians (The Cradle of Civilization) (Library Binding)

While there are not many books on Assyria for this age group, I found this one lacking. There are two other books by Elaine Landau in this series called The Sumerians and The Babylonians.

There are 17 illustrations including one map, photos of artifacts, photos of present day sites related to the Assyrians, and two colored drawings. Considering the age group this is written for, there are not many illustrations.

There is other information about their way of life that is interesting. Assyrian life, law and religion are discussed along with their military prowess.

The type is slightly larger with large space between lines and wide margins. It is easy on the eyes for children to read.

The text on the first five pages in the three Landau books is virtually the same. The only major difference is the map is changed for whichever topic--Sumerians, Assyrians, or Babylonians--is being covered. The map is well done, however, not all locations are shown. While Assyria conquered Babylon, and Babylon is mentioned in the text, it is not shown on the map in the Assyrians book.

Paging starts on page 9, text through page 54, timeline text of Important Dates pp. 55-56 (not facing pages), Notes p. 57 (bibliography?), Glossary pp. 59-60 (no pronunciation information though), Further Reading pp. 61-62, and Index pp. 63-64 (nice touch). So for a 64-page book there is only 45 pp. of text, and the format is smaller than usual, too.

This means there is not a lot of detail in any of the information. The history necessarily skips a lot. I find it strange that Ashurbanipal and his library would be skipped. How did we learn about these cultures? This is not discussed in any detail. Because these cultures do interact with each other, I think it might have been better to publish a combined text.

My children (ages 4-13) did listen to me read this to them, but it was not written in a very interesting style. Because of the lack of detail covered, I think this book would be better if read to the 6-9 age group. Or read by them, if they can read well enough!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting little book, March 3, 2008

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Assyrians (The Cradle of Civilization) (Library Binding)

This interesting little book is part of Millbrook Press's The Cradle of Civilization series, and covers the Assyrians. It covers the history of the Assyrians, and delves into such subjects as Assyrian law and religion. Now, this book is written as an introduction for young students, and it is quite short, so if you are looking for in-depth information then this is not the book for you.

However, what this book aims to be, it succeeds at admirably. Even as an adult armchair historian, I found things about the Assyrians that I never knew before. So, if you are looking for a short introduction to the Assyrians for a young student, then this is the book for you.