The Emperor's Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China [Hardcover]

Jane O'Connor (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Describes the archaeological discovery of thousands of life-sized terracotta warrior statues in northern China in 1974, and discusses the emperor who had them created and placed near his tomb.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-When three farmers, digging a well in a field near Xi'an, China, unearthed a pottery head, they were completely unaware of the magnitude of their discovery. As archaeologists began to excavate the site, they found an entire army of life-sized pottery soldiers of every rank, horses, chariots, weapons-an army fit for an emperor. In lively fashion, this handsome book recounts the story of China's first emperor, Qin Shihuang, who ordered the army's construction to ensure that he remain safe and powerful if his quest for unending life was unsuccessful. As the excellent colorful photographs make clear, none of the soldiers look alike. Their costumes reflect their rank, and their faces probably resemble the people with whom the many potters were acquainted. O'Connor also speculates on the contents of the Emperor's tomb, which at present has not been excavated. Like Caroline Lazo in her somewhat longer book The Terra Cotta Army of Emperor Qin (Macmillan, 1993), O'Connor has done a credible job in telling the story of this important archaeological treasure. An essay about her research process is included, but specific references and footnotes are missing. One can also quibble with some minor points-why, for example, does she refer to these life-sized statues as "figurines," and why does she say nothing about why China has chosen to leave Qin's tomb unexcavated? Still, this book provides an intriguing glimpse at one of China's greatest treasures and at one of its most famous emperors.
Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (April 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670035122
• ISBN-13: 978-0670035120
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Children's Books > History > Australia & Oceania
  • #51 in Books > Children's Books > History > Military & Wars

More About the Author

Jane O'Connor is the author of more than thirty books for children, including the New York Times bestselling Fancy Nancy series, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser, and the Nina, Nina Ballerina stories, illustrated by Dyanne Disalvo-Ryan. Fancy Nancy was nominated for the Quill Award for Best Picture Book in 2007. The Emperor's Silent Army: Terra Cotta Warriors of Ancient China won Booklist's Best Nonfiction Book for Young Readers in 2000. Jane has two grown sons. She was born, bred and still lives in New York City with her husband and their canine companion, Arrow.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hidden arrows, Poisoned King, and Buried Treasure!, November 14, 2002

By 

Ford City Public Library (Ford City, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Emperor's Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China (Hardcover)

Rich with exciting historical details, The Emperor's Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China by Jane O'Connor offers a well-researched book that tantalizes the reader with tales of a poisoned King, a camouflaged dead body, and a booby-trapped tomb. The targeted audience of ages 9-12 will thrill with the adventure while simultaneously profiting from their newfound knowledge of China's first Emperor, Qin Shihuang, and his war and burial customs. Heavily strewn with color photographs, computer images, maps, drawings, and charts, the book easily captures interest and successfully holds attention with its succinct wording and short chapters that directly complement the images.
Jane O'Connor's career spanning roles as editor-at-large, president of mass market children's books at Penguin, and prolific author is crowned by her most recent gem, The Emperor's Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China. Realizing that no children's books had thoroughly documented the world wonder discovered in China, O'Connor successfully fills the void. This book is a must for any library!
The only negative aspect is that the book fails to be part of a larger history series since once the book is read, the reader will want to read more. The detailed bibliography and author's note provide a scope for further reading on the Terracotta Warriors, but readers will long to learn the same concise and tantalizing information on other subjects as well! Hopefully, Jane O'Connor will follow with more books to engage children and adults since The Emperor's Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China masterfully explores its subject.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The story of the 7,5000 warriors who guard Qin, China's first emperor, March 20, 2006

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Emperor's Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China (Hardcover)

While on vacation in China, Jane O'Connor visited the thousands of life-sized terracotta warrior statues discovered near the tomb on an emperor in northern China. She was inspired to find out more about both the army of ghostly gray warriors and the man who had ordered their creation. But as O'Connor read everything available about the first emperor and his buried army she discovered that a book on the subject had not yet been written for children. "The Emperor's Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China" rectifies that mistake.

In March 1974 three farmers digging a well near the city of Xian in Lintong County of the People's Republic of China, discovered the clay head of a "pottery man." Neither the farmers nor the archaeologists who arrived to investigate the figure had ever seen anything similar to the life-like figure, and where astounded to discover dozens, and then hundreds and finally thousands of these terracotta figures. When the excavation was done, an army of 7,500 soldiers and horses has been uncovered (so far), after being buried for more than 2,200 years. The life-size figures weighed as much as four hundred pounds each and wore knee-length robes, armor made from small iron "fish scales," and elaborate topknot hairdos (the low-ranking infantrymen did not wear armor). The figures stand at attention and archaeologists also found the hundreds of real bronze swords, daggers, battle-axes, and arrowheads, these silent warriors were carrying.

After sharing the story of the discovery of the figures, O'Connor tells the story of Qin Shihuang, the divine Son of Heaven, who was the first emperor or China. Qin was a paranoid tyrant, and fearing that grave robbers would loot the treasures in his tomb after he died. O'Connor talks about the measures Qin took to protect his final resting place, which included the terracotta figures, stationed in underground trenches, less than a mile from the tomb. The details about the figures, as to why they do not wear helmets or shields and why they are facing east, are quite interesting. There is logic to their arrangement that O'Connor is able to explain, a well as the difference between the 350 chariot horses and the more than 100 cavalry horses. There are more than forty full-color photographs in the book, which help to distinguish between the different types of warriors. The only disappointment here is that there are not more such photographs.

One of the most amazing things about the figures is that of the two thousand unearthed at the time O'Connor's book was published, no two had been discovered to be the same. The figures represent different ages, different parts of China, and even different temperaments. A colored computer image shows how one of the figures would have looked originally when it was painted. Another fascinating section has to do with modern artisans making replicas, following the techniques of 2,200 years ago, to help archeologists understand how the original figures were created. The final chapters of the book are devoted to what it was like inside the Emperor's tomb, where the body may be wearing a jade funeral suit (the government has no intention of actually opening the tomb and looking, but other tombs have been opened in the past to five us some ideas), and Qin's legacy, which is mainly the first Great Wall of China that he had made with a workforce of half a million slave laborers working for a dozen years. However, it would be Qin's silent army that is probably most responsible for what immortality the first emperor possesses today. Seeing them in person would be an unforgettable experience, and O'Connor's book does an excellent job of making that impression on her readers, young and old alike.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, July 10, 2008

By 

Mary Giragosian "miyasmom" (Waterford, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Emperor's Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China (Hardcover)

I bought this book to read with my daughter before we went on vacation to China and actually saw the Terra Cotta Warriors. I doesn't come close to showing how phenomenal they really are but the history is wonderful and now it's a great reminder of a wonderful trip.