The Great Wall: The story of 4,000 miles of earth and stone that turned a nation into a fortress (Wonders of the World Book) (Hardcover)

by Elizabeth Mann (Author), Alan Witschonke (Illustrator) "The battle raged around him..." (more)
Key Phrases: Great Wall, Qin Shi Huangdi, Zhu Yuanzhang (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 4 Up. A look at the story behind the building of the famous wall. Told in story format, the readable text is presented in a concise, straightforward manner. Beginning with the kidnapping of the Ming dynasty's sixth emperor in 1449, Mann traces the roots of the historical battles for land and power between the Chinese and the nomadic Mongols. As a result of the constant fighting, the first attempts at building a wall date back to the first emperor of China, around 200 B.C. However, the majority of the text focuses on the period after Khubilai Khan's rule through the year 1644. The text is surrounded by ample margins and accompanied by a full-color, captioned illustration on each spread. The vivid paintings, done in earthy tones, blend in with the photographs and museum reproductions that also appear throughout. A time line highlighting the various Chinese dynasties, a chart of the Mongol invasion, and a map showing the approximate location of the Wall round out the presentation. This title includes more detail than Leonard Fisher's The Great Wall of China (Macmillan, 1986); fans of Mann's The Great Pyramid and The Brooklyn Bridge (both Mikaya, 1996) will not be disappointed with it.?Shirley N. Quan, Orange County Public Library, Stanton, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 4^-6. Although they are more dramatic than informative, Alan Witschonke's pictures are what will probably attract readers to this entry in the Wonders of the World series. A little information about the Great Wall and its construction is given, but it's clearly not the architecture or the awesome magnificence of the structure that is the book's real concern. In fact, more information about the structure and its building would have been welcome. Instead, Mann focuses on the convoluted history behind the structure's building, which she makes surprisingly accessible. She begins with events during the reign of the first emperor of China and follows the protracted conflict between the Chinese and the nomadic people who inhabited the grasslands north of China, which became the touchstone for the wall's construction. A good adjunct to other resources. Stephanie Zvirin

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• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Mikaya Press (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965049329
• ISBN-13: 978-0965049320
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 10.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #591,886 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
  
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