Customer Reviews

Cleopatra

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The authors brought out a different side to Cleopatra and portrayed her as the brilliant, intelligent and beautiful women she was. With the use of her power she planned on joining the world under her Egyptian rule. It is full of information, yet it has a natural flow and easy to follow. It has a number of stories within the story telling her enjoyful, tragic life. It starts off with giving some information on her family background and slowing moving into her reighning years as Queen of Egypt. It also mentions her personal love life as well as family members, but not too in detail just enough to give you some kind of idea on her values and strength as a women. There are beautiful illustrations on each page that show you her lifestyle and her riches as a powerful Queen who was loved by many people. The language usage is easily understood and one doesn't seem to get lost in the text. It also has plenty of other useful information on other historical people and events that occured during her life time. This biography of Cleopatra is full of life and is sure to educate children. It is great for readers who are first learning of Cleopatra and the Egyptian form of ruling. Finally there is a great bibliography which could also be very helpful when researching a little bit further on this courageous and charmful ruler.

I have found that the best way to learn about many subjects is to pick up a children's book from the library. In a good children's book, the facts are clearly and engagingly laid out, often with wonderful illustrations. You finish the book knowing that you have learned something you didn't already know, and it was explained so simply and clearly that you are not going to forget what you've learned. Cleopatra by Diane Stanley is that kind of book. While it is written "simply", it does not talk down to the child or to an adult reading the book. It just says what happened in a memorable way. Books like these teach history the way it ought to be taught. Highly recommended.

Diane's Stanley's illustrations are masterful, incredibly detailed, and wonderfully expressive; every page (except for the two useful maps) is covered with either spreads that have been delicately painted to look like tile work, as can be seen on the marvelous cover, or has large and intricate paintings, with so much in its compositions that one can look at them repeatedly and find new things to admire.
Stanley's technique is superb, and her medium is gouache.

The history is fascinating and clearly written, and describes the times that Cleopatra lived in as well as what is known about her, which as Staley and Vennema point out, "Everything we know about Cleopatra was written by her enemies", and also, though we know what Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony and Octavian looked like, all we have of Cleopatra's image are crudely carved coins, as her statues were destroyed.
Though only 48 pages in length, each page has either information worth reading and learning (by both children and adults), or is graced by Stanley's beautiful work, making it weighty in content; as an artist and illustrator, I tip my hat to her creativity and skill.

This book isn't a history or academic work. In fact, it's a picture book designed for children ages 7 and up. However, that should not suggest that it's not worth a read even for adults as an introduction to the life and times of Cleopatra, Antony, and the fall of the Roman Republic. The author presents a detailed, fact-based account of the queen's life, including pertinent and amazingly helpful references and quotations from Plutarch's histories. No fictional flourishes were added to richen the story, and though sometimes opinion slips in in a description of a descision or event, the story is very unassuming and true to historical evidence and generally accepted fact.
So, as a short academic text, this book lays out the basics of her life (her marriage and civil war with her brother Ptolemy, wishes for an empire combinging East and West, affairs and marriages to Caesar and Antony, defeat at Actium and suicide in Alexandria,) in an inviting, exciting manner. But, in this case, its more important role is as a picture book, a role that it magnificently fills and excels in. Stanley's illustrations are beautiful and lavish, scenes of the beautiful queen and the people of her life set among breathtaking scenery such as the Alexandrian palace and harbor, the streets of Rome, and flowing sea. One particular favorite of mine is the illustration of Cleopatra's vessel as she approaches Antony's encampment at Tarsus, in which she sits reclining, dressed as Venus, in all of her splendor upon the magnificent boat and splendid sea.
For the fledgling historian (particularly a child interested in history) this book is a must. I recommend it to anyone wanting a springboard from which to learn about the wonderful, tragic, and tumultous life of the last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt, and the fall of the Ptolemaic empire.

My son borrowed this book from the school library and loved it so much we're buying it.

This book is a well written picture book that will hold the attention of young children, but has enough solid information to also educate older children and adults.

This book fills in the gaps most of us were left with after a public education.

Take it from someone who has been studying the Hellenistic world for over 14 years now (both independently and academically): this book is absolutely fantastic. The fact that the authors present alternative facets of traditionally recorded history is both superb and unique in a children's book. The highlight of the book for me was the Battle of Actium. The authors mention the use of sails aboard Cleopatra's flagship as evidence of her strategy to return of Egypt. This simple fact gets left out of too many Rome-centered works for historians, so I am both surprised and satisfied that it was presented in this glorious picture book. And the pictures themselves are superb. Cleopatra actually looks like Cleopatra: not classically beautiful, but she has that stunning face and strong profile which would have been considered more than glorious in the ancient world. No doubt, my students will enjoy it as much as I have.

Beautiful illustrations in the style of Roman murals set this text off beautifully. This book portrays Cleopatra as a woman of charm, determination, and leadership. It discusses her love affairs without passing judgment, and it deals with the politics of the Romans (who increasingly hated the sway she held over their generals) and the Alexandrians, who were devoted to her.

Good description of the Battle of Actium, including maps.
Very good illustrations of Roman and Greek-Egyptian sailing vessels, clothing, and palace life. Great maps, and did I mention the beautiful illustrations?

Pronunciation guide at the back.

Very well done.

The book arrived in a timely manner and was exactly as described. This title has great artwork.