[Book Review] History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians and History Dudes: Vikings by Laura Buller and Illustrated by Rich Cando

I love children's books and I was a history major at Cal State University Bakersfield (CSUB) so when I read an article from Collins Nonfiction at gather.com about winning free children's history books History Dudes: Vikings and History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians by Laura Buller and illustrated by Rich Cando, how could I resist entering?

I was quite excited when Collins Nonfiction emailed me and told me that I had won copies of both books FREE. The only stipulation is that I had to read and review them for Collins Nonfiction by the end of January 2008. I had no problems whatsoever with agreeing to read and review the books in that time frame.

Here's what illustrator Rich Cando says about the History Dudes books in an article he wrote at gather.com "...each page was designed to satisfy the short attention spans of today's kids while supplementing what they've learned in their classrooms. My panoramic cartoon illustrations pair up with author Laura Buller's witty contemporary prose to make history fun for your little dudes. (For Kids 7-12)"

I must say that History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians is one of the most entertaining children's history books that I have ever read! It's fun to read and the illustrations are even MORE fun! So I would have to say that from MY perspective, the author and illustrator have succeeded in making history fun for ME! Ok, ok, the books are for kids, but seriously, kids DO love the books too! I know our three boys do anyway.

History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians is amazingly comprehensive and covers the timeline 3100 B.C. - 332 B.C. Within the books' covers, through the use of ordinary language sprinkled with quite a bit of slang and some graphic novel style (think comic book) illustrations, Ancient Egyptian history comes alive.

Through reading the History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians book, children learn about nearly all aspects of Egyptian life. The book covers where the Ancient Egyptians lived, how they lived, what they wore, who ruled them, their religion, and so much more.

Did you know that these Egyptians dudes farmed in the desert! But only along the banks of the Nile River where floods came in every year and left fertile soil behind when the river left.

Children get to know about the Egyptian social/religious class structure all the way from the top (Pharaoh) down to the lowliest peasant. Children will get a "look" into the house of the common Egyptian peasant, the Egyptian nobleman and the Pharaoh. There are detailed illustrations by Rich Cando about ancient Egyptian homes and their furniture, food, clothes, and even their wigs! It seems that wigs were quite popular among the Egyptain dudes and dudettes!

History Dudes: Vikings is the book that was our boy's favorite. It's written and illustrated just like the History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians book except it is about Vikings of course! The Vikings spent a great deal of time fighting and going to war so the illustrations reflect that and that's what seemed so appealing to our three boys.

Just like in the History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians book, History Dudes: Vikings teaches children about nearly all aspects of Viking life. Using a simple and easy-to-read format filled with bright and energetic illustrations, kids get the Viking history lesson without feeling like they are being punished! Children learn Viking history, games, work, exploration, boatbuilding, funeral practices, runes, and so much more.

Did you know that during a Viking funeral, the body and the worldly goods of the deceased were put on a funeral boat and set on fire? It seems that the Vikings even added horses and servants to the funeral boat.

One fun thing that I discovered while I was reading History Dudes: Vikings is on one of the pages about runes "Rune Master" (no, it's not a role-playing game!) and it's a message on the rock written in Viking rune symbols. I won't tell you what it says but the illustrator, Rich Cando, is a funny guy!

I believe that both of the History Dudes books, while they are intended for younger readers (7-12), they could also be used for older, possibly even high school age kids. The History Dudes books would be a perfect starting point for an Ancient Egyptian or Viking report or just as a quick and brief overview of both Ancient Egyptian and Viking life.

History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians

Written by Laura Buller; illustrated by Rich Cando

ISBN: 978-07566-2941-0; 64 pages; published by DK (Dorling Kindersley)

$12.99 (you can order it through Amazon for $11.04)

History Dudes: Vikings

Written by Laura Buller; illustrated by Rich Cando

ISBN: 978-0756629403; 64 pages; published by DK (Dorling Kindersley)

$12.99 (you can order it through Amazon for $10.39)