The Tale of Peter Rabbit was written in 1900 and has stood the test of time very well. Generations of children have loved the story of Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck among others and treasured the books of Beatrix Potter. It is up there among the greats of children's literature with Wind in the Willows, The Water Babies, Peter Pan, Treasure Island and many others.
In these days of computer games and electronic toys of one kind or another, books sadly are sometimes not as high on the list as they were a few years ago, perhaps that is why literacy in schools is not all that it could be. Personally as a child books were always my first love and Christmas would not have been the same without a Rupert annual.
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Read Wallace Breem or William Alteri or Iggulden first.As one reviewer has pointed out,the trouble with this book is that it relfects too much the way roman history is taught in the British educational system.Somehow the Brits have never gotten used to the fact that the Romans conquered Britain.Not only that,but the Romans did not like the uneducated savages they found there.So they proceeded to build roads,houses,towns,bridges,waterways,baths,etc and to teach the locals how to read;write,count;knit,medicate,cook,make wine etc to bring them up to the standards of Roman civilisation.But the British educational system has never gotten over the fact that the Romans conquered Britain and so continues to portray the Romans as "bad","corrupt" and so ... Read More:
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I was majorly dissapointed when I finished reading this book earlier on this afternoon. The story has the promise of being extremely exciting and the ending highly anticipated. When you come towards the end of the book you realise that a lot of loose ends will not be concluded despite the 600+ pages and the story doesn't seem to be coming towards a climax with 10 pages to go. This book had the makings of a book I wouldn't put down but sadly I wish I hadn't picked it up.
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She has magical gadgets and plenty of pluck. The only question I would have is why be a blonde, like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears -- when you could be like Liv Tyler or C. Zeta-Jones? Otherwise, cool mystery and great adventure. I can't wait for the others!
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I nearly put this book 'back on the shelf' when I first picked it up, but perservered and have enjoyed it.
On the downside, it had me grinding my teeth at all the anachronisms. In 3500BC no-one rode horses, they were still too small. Tin bronze was probably 500 years in the future, at best there would have been arsenic bronze, but we are barely out of the chalcolithic at this date, even in the proto-urban zone. Some of the weaponry was too advanced (cut and thrust swords in an era when sickle swords would have been the norm, possibly rapiers) and so on. Technologically, I think this story should have occurred around 600BC.
That said, the areas where the author's experience show through do shine - the human aspects of command, ... Read More:
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The story of Arthur and his knights has been told and re-told countless times but this is not only one of the very best versions, it also transcends the Arthurian legend to become an incredibly insightful and moving account of the growth of a boy into a man, and the decline of that man into a disillusioned person. It ranges across all human emotions, from happiness and joy to despondency and depression. Particularly at the end there are some of the most moving scenes I've ever read, when Arthur realizes that all he has fought for his entire life is in ruins, and Merlin tries to persuade him that maybe not all is lost. Over 800 pages of sheer beauty, what's keeping you?
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One of Marcia Wiliams' best titles. This is a retelling of a dozen of the Arthurian legends, done with energy and verve. Young children will love the bold illustrations, especially the panoramic view of Camelot, packed with humorous detail, and the Round Table. There's also a dragon belching forth fire all over our hero, Sir Lancelot, whose limbs stretch over half of a double-page spread.
This is probably the best book I have ever read. I read Journey to the River Sea and loved it and then this one was recommended to me and I thought it was amazing. The book is all about this girl called Annika who lives in Vienna with her foster mum Ellie, Ellie's best friend Sigrid and three professors. However as a baby Annika was left in a church and Ellie took her in. One day Annika's mother comes to fetch her and Annika is swept on an adventure of discovery and unexpected danger. I would recommend this book to anyone aged 10-12 particularly as I think this is the age the book is really good for. However older or younger readers may also enjoy this story. It suits pretty much everyone from the ages of 10-12. It has an historical part to it, good characters, ... Read More:
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