The Encyclopedia of the Ancient Americas
Jim Green, Fiona Macdonald, Philip Steele, and Michael Stotter
Southwater
Nonfiction, YA History
***+
DESCRIPTION: From the frozen Arctic tundra to the lush jungles of the Amazon, the Americas have a rich and varied history, often overlooked in this European-dominated modern society. This large book examines many of the New World's cultures, their traditions and everyday lifestyles, with many illustrations and art projects you can make yourself.
REVIEW: I found this one at Half Price Books, and certainly got that much out of it. For a book aimed at young people, this is a fairly good volume, covering cultures that are often overlooked and about which much has been lost or deliberately destroyed. Much of the information in this is new to me, and it is presented in a manner that, while shallow and jumpy, was easy to absorb. Personally, I wanted more actual information and less of the dippy arts and crafts, but I suppose that's what I get for buying a Young Adult encyclopedia. This is a good way to introduce New World cultures to kids, not to mention adults who haven't really read too much on them (as most of the grown-up stuff is rather dry and heavy reading), but still find them fascinating.
You might also enjoy:
The Jaguar Princess (Clare Bell, Fiction - A slave girl in Aztec times displays strange shapeshifting abilities)
Voices of the Winds: Native American Legends (Margot Edmonds & Ella E. Clark, Nonfiction - A collection of legends from many tribes)
The Maya: Life, Myth, and Art (Timothy Laughton, Nonfiction - An overview of the lost Mayan culture)
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