Vile Vikings (Smelly Old History) [Paperback]

Mary Dobson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Series: Smelly Old History

Take to the seas with the vicious Vikings, and get a whiff of life on board their famous longships packed with animals and seasick sailors. You'll need a strong stomach for the stormy voyages. Watch their bloody battles, and the gruesome disemboweling of their defeated enemies, then delight in the fragrant feasts they held to celebrate their victories.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-An olfactory approach to history. The strength of this series is the idea itself: a short, breezy look at the hygienic habits of various ancient societies. Some of the pages feature scratch-and-sniff panels. They are very subtle, each smelling pretty much the same. According to Dobson, the Greeks probably had a rather pleasant olive-oil odor, perhaps accounting for the fact that of the two, Vile Vikings offers more grossness per page. Although the books feature lots of facts, they both suffer from a somewhat confusing organization, as readers bounce around from myths to facts, with some non-hygiene information thrown in. Both have funny, full-color cartoons, an activities page, and a rather clunky poem. While not pretending to do more than scratch the surface of what life was like in these societies, these books may give students enough of a whiff to want to read further.
Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"May give students enough of a whiff to want to read further."--School Library Journal

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199104948
• ISBN-13: 978-0199104949
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.3 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,013,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fresh start!, June 2, 2001

By 

Suzanne E. Mcbroom "luvbunny13" (Potsdam, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vile Vikings (Smelly Old History) (Paperback)

This small paperback has a surprising amount of information. There are "vile" scratch and sniff areas (and some pleasant ones as well) in this book, but they also serve to show that the "Vikings" are not as vile as everyone else makes them out to be- they also made important contributions to history and civilization as we know it.It's a wonderful book to introduce young (or old) readers to Norse culture. You will find it an (almost entirely) accurate account which will encourage you to learn more. I also recommend the treasure chest "The Vikings" by Fiona MacDonald as a companion to this book. Both were definitely worth the money I paid for them, and will become part of my private research collection.