From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-These two titles are attractively illustrated and thoughtfully arranged. Each book features the now-standard two-page layout with short "main" text and multiple illustrations with explanatory captions, some of which are almost as long as the central text. Troy moves from Heinrich Schliemann's fascination with Homer, to his determination to find the site of Troy, to its discovery and excavation, and finally to an investigation of life in the ancient city and the Greek legends connected with it. Tutankhamun follows Howard Carter's discovery of the tomb of the "boy-king," as well as the wealth of material found there, and then surveys Tut's life. In texts so short, there are almost bound to be oversimplifications. Troy assumes that the connection between Greek myth and history is more firmly settled than it is, referring, for example, to the treasure, city and palace of King Priam as though there were no doubt of such identifications. Only later are readers told that Priam's existence has not been established. Tut accepts Akhenaten's paternity as a given-though it is not. Even so, the titles are generally solid and are impressively illustrated. The layout for the chapter "Tutankhamun's Tomb" is especially good, depicting the plan of the tomb, a cut-through illustration of the jumbled contents, and a "flattened" sketching of the wall paintings in the burial chamber. While not essential purchases, these offerings will be welcome where more material on ancient history is needed.
Coop Renner, Moreno Elementary School, El Paso, TX Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
A city rose on the banks of the Aegean 5,000 years agoTroy, the very stuff of legend; in this archaeo-history, Caselli targets all the most exciting material. Using a format that features clusters of text and images, often encircling a larger commanding image set on a two-page spread, Caselli sketches the background of Troy by following the work of Heinrich Schliemann, the archaeologist whose team unearthed the city. When the story gets to Priam's Troy, greater detail is added, giving readers a taste of what it was like to live within the city walls and towers, as a commoner or as a king. Under discussion are architecture and social structure; he speculates on the role of the sacred in Trojan life, from Bronze Age idols to Greek statues. Then, with just the right amount of drama, Caselli tells the story of the Trojan War: of Paris's kidnapping of Helen, the ten-year siege, and Laocoon's warning about Greeks bearing gifts, especially big wooden ones in the form of a horse. Caselli separates what is known as fact from what is likely fiction, but not so rudely as to erase the mystery and poetry of the Homeric legend as it hovers over Schliemann's dig. Handsome, beguiling illustrations add to the provocative stew. (diagrams, maps, chronology, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12) --
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