Castle: ALA Recommended Book for Reluctant Young Readers

What a great book on reference for architecture and history, I just really enjoy these books & I'm in my 60's

Like Eyewitness Books? This is another nice entry in their series for younger readers. What is a castle? The book describes it thus: "A castle was the fortified private residence of a lord." The lord could be a king or a baron or some lesser noble. It was designed as both a residence AND a stronghold. The book begins by noting that such structures have had a long history (one ancestor goes back to Mycenae in about 1250 B.C.). The volume moves on to consider the first castles (appearing in the 9th and 10th centuries A.D.). There is discussion of different approaches to building a castle--such as the use of concentric rings to harden the castle against attack. There are also discussions of different styles in castles--from the Loire region in France to Spanish castles, to German castles (take a trip along the Rhine River, and you will see numerous examples) to Japan. There is discussion of how those who wanted to capture a castle would strategize and how castles were structured to defend against such attacks. The volume considers the different functions of a castle--from defense to kitchens and eating to entertainment. The volume concludes with a discussion of the decline of castles. All in all, a useful volume in the Eyewitness Books portfolio. Young readers, many of whom are enchanted by castles, are likely to find this a fun read--and a source of knowledge.

A wonderful book for children grades 3-6 who are interested in all things medieval. Huge amounts of information without a lot of reading, just enough to add to the wonderful photography. A must for children interested in finding out more

My first grader loved this book while working on his castle unit at school.

Eyewitness books give readers complete information in short 'blurbs' and captioned pictures. These books are always the first to be checked out in our school library...our students LOVE THEM...and parents, you will too!