Customer Reviews

The Golden City: Jerusalem's 3,000 Years

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When I write reviews of children's books, I write with my audience of elementary and middle school students in mind. As a Catholic school librarian with limited funds, I consider the practicality of the library's purchases. My main question then for all books I purchase is: How useful is this book? Utility can even include beauty. That said, here are some basic observations:

*Writer/illustrator Neil Waldman creates what I would call a souvenir book, highlighting the history of Israel beginning with David slaying Goliath. His lovely, almost dreamy illustrations that match each major change of history have a glowing memory effect about them.

*His narrative reads like an essay, unbroken by subtopic headings, making this a smooth historical travelogue but not a useful research source.

*The best thing is the chronology concluding the long essay and located in the back of the book. It is divided by black left-margin dots.

So all things considered, "The Golden City: Jerusalem's 3,000 Years" is a nice book to add to your collection, but not essential. Truthfully, I obtained the book through our book fair at a significant discount.

It is a lovely book!