You Wouldn't Want to Be a Medieval Knight!: Armor You'd Rather Not Wear

What was it really like to be a medieval knight? I mean what was it really like? This book takes a look at that question. You get a look at some of the difficulties and challenges that knights faced in their chosen profession and along the way you learn all about their weapons, armor, and customs. This book is very informative and it also takes a realistic look at the job of being a knight. All that armor was very heavy, and marching off to the crusades was a difficult and arduous journey. Not to mention that maintaining a castle was very expensive! The illustrations are wonderful and all the curious aspects of knighthood are covered from sieging a castle to jousting. Want to know what a quintain is? It's in the book, which also includes a nice two-page glossary of terms in the back.

Lively writing and clever caricature-style color illustrations bring energy and animation to accurate facts about the life of a knight in the Middle Ages. Ages 8-14.

This book is part of the excellent children's series, "You wouldn't want to be a," in this case, Medieval knight, that examines history. Fiona Macdonald has cut herself a nice niche with a style that is fun for learning. The Cambridge University educated author does a good job of making history interesting for children by apealing to their instincts. The idea is that you the reader are the person, in this book, the knight. The young student will learn in this book the various details of knighthood, including the expected behaivor and duties. The book explains how if you choose to be a knight you wil begin training at age eight. The young student will learn about life in the castle, armor and battle gear. Also the role of the Crusades is exposed to the student. What is clever about the presentation is how the author brings up the harshness of the situations, hence, the you wouldn't want to be knight line. For example,for the page on the Crusade, at the bottom of each page, a series of small comical drawings explain things like fleas,snakes, shipwrecks and seasickness that you would encounter as a knight. The author goes on to explain the risky nature of being a knight. She explains most don't live to be 50 years old and all the possible things that you can die from. Again, in small pictures, such things as frostbite, heatstroke, battle, dysentry or prison are listed as possible casues of early death. There are handy hints for the student to not be concerned about the risks because if you die abroad your friends will pickle your body and bring it home. It is these gross details that appeals to the young student. The gross factor always makes students like the story, even if it is history. Included is a nice glossary. The drawings are comical and produced in a style reminiscent of the irreverent magazine Mad. This is a good book for the young student in grades K-6, recommended for community and school libraries.