Meet the Ancient Greeks

This is another excellently presented book, in an attractive square format hardback with top quality shiny paper which sets the illustrations off really well. It's a perfect short introduction which is ideal for readers who are beginning to explore ancient history - and Ancient Greeks will be studied at school. Readers will get to know the basics on Ancient Greece from religious ceremonies to day to day life, with easy-to-digest, humorous text accompanied by detailed and engrossing illustrations that pack in plenty of humorous detail to bring these ancient people to life for today's children. A good way to encourage reluctant readers too. These books are an excellent mix of history and humour - they are presented in a way that will appeal to the majority of children and encourage them to enjoy learning, and want to know more.

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Take an exciting trip back in time to learn about the glorious Ancient Greeks and the fearsome pirates who once roamed the seas with two fabulously illustrated, fun and informative books from talented Welsh author and illustrator James Davies. Meet the Pirates and Meet the Ancient Greeks are the two new books in a cleverly conceived series that began with entertaining studies of the Ancient Egyptians and Ancient Rome. Designed as short, eye-catching introductions to history for younger readers, these busy but fun-filled and easy-to-read explorations of history make learning facts seem like an extension of playtime. When it comes to history, there is so much to digest that it is difficult to know where to begin but Davies fills the pages with facts and figures that will amaze and interest the youngest children. There are hours of discovery in the pages... get to know the basics on Ancient Greece from religious ceremonies to day to day life, and discover the fascinating facts on pirates from famous looters to scurvy and hygiene through fabulous illustrations and a light-hearted text that is reminiscent of the bestselling Horrible Histories series. Learn about the different types of pirates, the roles and features of a crew on a pirate ship, meet some of the most feared pirates that sailed the oceans, and discover the nightmare concept of Davy Jones' Locker, the deep sea graveyard of dead pirates. And Ancient Greeks examines the lives the Hellenes (people known in modern times as the Greeks). From the fantastical myths of the heroes and monsters, and the notorious Greek gods, this journey into the ancient past explores all the well-loved aspects of ancient Greek history as well as revealing how the people ate, exercised and fought. Davies' stunning artwork and playful infographics in a limited palette provide a fresh, non-fiction approach that is sure to captivate young readers. Combined with a vibrant, snappy text, these brilliant books blow away the cobwebs from centuries of history!

Northern Regional Newspapers

These two hardback non-fiction releases follow in the footsteps of Meet The Ancient Romans and Meet The Ancient Egyptians. In our house these books are beloved by 6 year old Kit and Mum and Dad too. The same should be true in the rest of the world as they have wide appeal.Funny, engaging and stylish, their primary aim is surely to entertain and inform. But this is no fuddy-duddy school textbook - James Davies brings new life to well-worn topics, and finds quirky extras to amuse, shock and surprise (Kit's favourite part of Ancient Egyptians is the mummification of pets!) The factual information is delivered concisely and backed up with the most amazing illustrations. So in Meet The Pirates, we learn who they were, where they came from, parts of the ship, how they navigated and so on. In Ancient Greeks, we are taken through the buildings, the myths, education, art, games and more - both volumes stretch to around 64 pages.The illustrations (I said they were amazing), add humour and humanity to each page - so we get Homer writing an epic blog; pirates claiming "This looks nothing like the brochure"; Athens' Got Talent; parrots squawking "Who's a pretty boy then?" to pirates on a catwalk; Alexander the Great sticking Post-It notes all over the countries of a map claiming 'Mine'; oh, and some cat references (follow James on Twitter for updates on his own cat, Audrey). Sometimes the humour is hysterically childish, sometimes it makes you laugh out loud, but it will always bring a smile to your face, no matter how old you are.Within the books we particularly enjoyed the cartoon retellings of historical sagas. Here James really excels with a traditional-looking cartoon format for Pandora's Box (Ancient Greeks) or The Strange Case of Alexander Selkirk (Pirates). We'd love to see James get the opportunity to work on a comic or graphic novel.We should also mention the design of this series which has been very well-considered. Olivia Cook and Marty Cleary get the credit at the front of the books - James has designed his own font, and it's clear that the whole book, from endpapers to maps, timelines, subheadings and page edges, have been thought about in great detail.Perfect for all ages; from inquisitive 5 year olds, fact-seeking 8 year olds, eager 12 year olds, unashamed 43 year olds and older - we can't live without these books at the moment, and don't think you should have to either.

Family BookWorms