Medieval Castle

Okay, when your three year old can describe the castle moat, portculis, and everything in between - who wouldn't want this book and everyone like it. My kids love watching the Magic School Bus and the books are even better. We wish the show was still in production but we will settle for all the books. They know how to explain everything.

This oversized paperback book has been a great addition to our collection about the Middle Ages, mainly because my kids (2nd & 3rd grade) love it and it is a pretty good summary of what they've learned. The book defines a castle, labels the parts of a castle, gives some idea of what castle life was like for those who lived in and around the castle (peasants, craftsmen, servants, nobility), shows how a castle was attacked and defended, and describes a Great Hall feast after the battle. While I consider the pages to be a bit busy - there is a narrative Ms. Frizzle travel-back-in-time story, there is comic-strip style commentary relevant to the narrative story (which the kids find terribly funny), and there are Q & As at the bottom of the page - the children find it very appealing. They pull this book out to read on their own.