Frances Lincoln ISBN 9781847808264 £8.99
A companion book to Discover the Ancient Egyptians, this book explores Romans and the Roman Empire – but not Romans in Britain which is the focus of the National Curriculum history unit. Presented in exactly the same way as the Egypt book, this volume looks at Roman history, gods, heroes, life, empire and towns. The text is accessible and attractive, the images add to the ‘feel’ of the period, and the book serves as a good introduction and basis for further study of the topic. The pull out map at the back is again excellent – simple, clear and informative. But the timeline – which is not to scale – is misleading and prevents pupils from getting a real sense of the time period. The text is very ‘safe’ – there are few, if any, of the controversies and debates historians have about the Roman Empire. A useful reference book for primary pupils, as long as it is only one part of sources about Rome.
Alf Wilkinson, The Historical Association