What Did the Vikings Do for Me?

by Elizabeth Raum

Overview

From longships to clinker ships to a national assembly, Vikings continue to influence all aspects of contemporary life. Read this book to find out more about how we encounter links to the ancient world every day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781432937454
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	09/01/2010
Series:	Linking the Past and Present Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	870L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 10 Years

About the Author

Elizabeth Raum has written over two-dozen nonfiction books for young readers, including a biography of Louis Armstrong for Capstone Press. Over the years, she has worked as a middle school and high school English teacher, an elementary school librarian, and a college library director. Elizabeth Raum has written many nonfiction books for children. Two of her Capstone You Choose books, Orphan Trains: An Interactive History Adventure (2011) and Can You Survive Storm Chasing? (2012), are Junior Library Guild selections. Elizabeth lives in Michigan with her husband, Richard.

Table of Contents

What did the Vikings do for me? — Who were the Vikings? — What was Viking society like? — How did the Vikings build ships? — Who were the Viking raiders? — What new worlds did the Vikings explore? — Where are the Vikings today?

Editorial Reviews

Children will likely know the Vikings primarily as marauding warriors, and while they won’t stop thinking that after reading this title in the Linking Past to Present series they will also have a nicely balanced understanding of the other significant aspects and lasting impact of their civilization. Small chunks of text, usually a paragraph per page, sit alongside a grab bag of digital illustrations, maps, paintings, and photographs to cover different aspects of Viking culture, from daily life and farming to shipbuilding and exploration to, of course, raiding and berserking. The bottom of each spread features a "Then . . ." and ". . . Now" section that touches on such finer points as how Vikings were the first to use juries of peers (called things), how much of our vocabulary is derived from Viking words, and the remarkably progressive role of women in their society, which took the rest of the Western world centuries to catch up with. Key dates, a glossary, and a handful of resources close out this even-keeled look at a notoriously hot headed culture.— Ian Chipman Booklist 10/1/2010

Booklist

These books all begin with a brief section that introduces the featured civilization and includes a map outlining the area it inhabited. The remainder of each book discusses the lifestyle of the ancient people and includes "Then" and "Now" text boxes showing the reader how certain things discovered or used by the ancients are still used today. For example, the idea of a jury was first used by the Vikings to determine a person’s guilt or innocence when being accused of a crime. The books are filled with fascinating tidbits that will whet the reader’s appetite to learn more, as well as with colorful illustrations and photographs. Though none of the books give enough information to write a report, they do provide an exciting introduction to life in ancient times and the important contributions each civilization made to contemporary life. Bibliography. Glossary. Timeline. Websites. – Ann M.G. Gray, Library Media Specialist, Pittsburg (New Hampshire) School Library Media Connection January/February 2011

Library Media Connection