Pompeii ... Buried Alive! (Step into Reading Book Series: A Step 4 Book)

by Edith Kunhardt

Overview

A Step 4 HISTORY reader. "The drama of natural disasters provides prime material to entice young independent readers. In this volume, the account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius describes village life 2,000 years ago, the eruption itself and its aftermath, and the excitement when the buried town is rediscovered centuries later. A lively and factual glimpse of a devastating moment in history, in an accessible, attractive package."—Publishers Weekly.  

Step 4 Readers use challenging vocabulary and short paragraphs to tell exciting stories. For newly independent readers who read simple sentences with confidence. With full-color illustrations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780394888668
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	10/12/1987
Series:	Step into Reading Book Series: A Step 4 Book
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	174,825
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.15(d)
Lexile:	520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Edith Kunhardt has written over 65 children’s books and has illustrated sixteen. Much of her work has built on Dorthy Kunhardt’s (her mother) blueprint with sequels such as Pat the Cat and Pat the Puppy. Her other works include I'm Going to Be a Police Officer, Pompeii-Buried Alive!, and Honest Abe. 

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 3 A flawed attempt at conveying a complex historical subject to inexperienced readers. Information about Pompeii is conveyed in one long narrative arbitrarily divided into three chapters. There is a brief description of what a volcano is and how it works, followed by a fictionalized account of what the people in Pompeii were doing on the day of the eruption and what happened to the inhabitants when Vesuvius blew up. The final chapter gives some information about the rediscovery of Pompeii and its excavation by archaeologists. In an attempt to simplify the ideas in the book, Kunhardt has oversimplified the prose. Sentences are choppyalmost joltingand reminiscent of a basal reader. Pronunciation guides are given in the text in a jarring manner: ``These pictures are called mosaics. Say: mo-ZAY-iks.'' The cartoonlike illustrations are colorful and attractive, but they are not clearly drawn or labeled. This book doesn't work as a picture book or as nonfiction. Libraries would do better to wait for better quality easy history books to come along. Ellen Loughran, Brooklyn Public Lib .

School Library Journal