If You Were There in 1492: Everyday Life in the Time of Columbus

by Barbara Brenner

Overview

If You Were There in 1492 is Barbara Brenner's description of the everyday ife in the time of Columbus.

Instead of focusing on Christopher Columbus himself, this unique historical guide explores the world he left behind, offering little-known facts and stories about fifteenth-century Spain that will expand children's understanding of the world at that time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689822414
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	09/01/1998
Edition description:	Original ed.
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	920L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Barbara Brenner, William H. Hooks and Betty Boegehold are veterans of the Bank Street College Media Group and between their efforts have hundreds of children's publications to their credit, including the ALA Notable books Pioneer Cat (Hooks) and Wagon Wheels (Brenner).

Editorial Reviews

Gr 4-8-- Fascinating details keep company with a style that may strike some readers as cutesy but that gives a wealth of interesting facts about life in late 15th-century Spain. Writing in the second person, Brenner maintains a sense of immediacy between her subject and her audience. Chapters are dedicated to such topics as food and clothing, sickness and health, kings and queens, education, crime and punishment, etc. These short chapters are each followed by a paragraph about Columbus, relating events in his life; at first confusing, this seemingly abrupt change of topic becomes a sensible connection with historical relevance. Use of slang and pointless asides such as ``yuck!'' to describe a typical dinner table of the period is unnecessary and will date this work. The numerous black-and-white reproductions of woodcuts, maps, and period paintings are informative as well as decorative. The extensive notes, bibliography, and index belie the book's simplicity. Obviously, Brenner's approach will not appeal to all, but the book is of value because it successfully introduces a good deal of information and an overall picture of the period in a user-friendly format. --Rosie Peasley, Somerset School, Modesto, CA

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