Would You Want to Live Here?

Review also includes:

A Roman Soldier’s Handbook, ***, 978-1408112908

The ‘White Wolves’ non-fiction series is intended to support lessons across the curriculum and to introduce children to a variety of text types. These two latest titles are organized in traditional double spreads and have copious illustrations, mainly photographs, alongside short blocks of text. Would You Want to Live Here? introduces children to the most extreme places inhabited by human beings including the hottest, wettest and most polluted. I just wonder if such brief visits to fascinating parts of the world are likely to inspire more than superficial interest or the urge to research further. The focus in A Roman Soldier’s Handbook is narrower and therefore it works better. A lot of information is covered in a short book: about eligibility to join the Roman army, uniform, weapons, training, fighting battles and diet. There are many books for children about Ancient Rome which include something on the life and conditions of Roman soldiers. This one rings the changes by organizing information in the form of a handbook for prospective recruits.