Dirty Rotten Vikings

by Jonathan Clements

Overview

Who was vicious, who was vile and who was just very, very bad - or just mad? Discover what the Vikings were really like and what they were up to, and learn whether they really were that rotten. These colorful books are packed with the fun and grossness kids love, and also the real historical facts that parents and teachers want them reading. A half-illustrated, half-photographic approach creates a feeling of real depth, and fuses the twin strands of imagination and historical reality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783252091
Publisher:	Octopus Books
Publication date:	04/07/2015
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jonathan Clements is a prolific author of books for children and adults on international historical topics, including A Brief History of the Vikings (Robinson) and Vikings: Lost Worlds (Sterling).

Editorial Reviews

07/01/2015
Gr 3–6—This eye-catching title zeroes in on the bad behavior of Vikings. Information runs the gamut, from tales of Viking escapades to details about their religion. The book also covers their ships and colorful characters including Eric Bloodax, whose last name explains his claim to fame. Strong illustrations complement the text. Tyr, the god of war, and Freya, the goddess of love, look like they're straight from the pages of a graphic novel. Large, colorful images accompanied by a few paragraphs of text make the topic easy to digest. Although the subject is interesting, the writing is not without its flaws. Some parts are editorialized and don't include documentation supporting the author's claims ("The Vikings had their own religion, which was quite crazy and seemingly made up when they were drunk."). The organization makes following the flow of material challenging. For example, a two-page map, "Places to Rob," is sandwiched between "The Norse Creation Myth" and "Gods of the Vikings." Although readers learn about the impact the Danes made on our language today, other Viking contributions are absent from this title. VERDICT While this work is visually appealing, the text doesn't quite live up to the design. Better options exist, such as Andrew Langley's You Wouldn't Want to Be a Viking Explorer!: Voyages You'd Rather Not Make (Scholastic, 2001).—Robin Sofge, Prince William Public Library System, VA

School Library Journal