Siege (Knights and Castles)

Gr 4-6-Large, full-color photographs and illustrations distinguish this series, which gives emerging readers a fascinating glimpse into the medieval world. With each spread devoted to a subject (e.g., "Personal protection," "Castle defenses," and "Banquets and feasts"), the books cover a wide range of topics such as weapons, castle construction, food, religion, and the structure and hierarchy of society. Though the texts are limited, they are well integrated with the appealing illustrations, which include contemporary photos of re-enactors and intact castles and ruins, art reproductions, and cutaways. Many images are also labeled with captions that introduce new words, which will increase vocabulary comprehension. Although these books do not present information that has not already been covered by existing sets, their clear, readable prose and illustration-focused format will attract and hold the attention of browsers and aid report writers. Strong new or replacement choices. α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The Knights and Castles series offers information on double-page spreads spotlighting topics such as weapons, moats, chivalry, and daily life in a castle. Each spread features two or more illustrations surrounded by text in varied type sizes, at different angles, and on several brightly colored backgrounds. While the individual paragraphs of text include interesting bits of information, the clash of colors can be garish and the layout is distracting. Siege considers siege warfare from inside and outside the castle walls. In addition to colorful illustrations from different sources (medieval and nineteenth-century art, modern drawings, and photos of historic sites), this series uses reenactment photos. On one hand, these can make the medieval era seem more real. On the other, their realism is compromised when most participants wear very clean, new-looking costumes and some articles of clothing that look modern. Still, these colorful pictures should attract some readers. Grades 4-5. --Carolyn Phelan