[Book Review] History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians and History Dudes: Vikings by Laura Buller and Illustrated by Rich Cando

I love children's books and I was a history major at Cal State University Bakersfield (CSUB) so when I read an article from Collins Nonfiction at gather.com about winning free children's history books History Dudes: Vikings and History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians by Laura Buller and illustrated by Rich Cando, how could I resist entering?

I was quite excited when Collins Nonfiction emailed me and told me that I had won copies of both books FREE. The only stipulation is that I had to read and review them for Collins Nonfiction by the end of January 2008. I had no problems whatsoever with agreeing to read and review the books in that time frame.

Here's what illustrator Rich Cando says about the History Dudes books in an article he wrote at gather.com "...each page was designed to satisfy the short attention spans of today's kids while supplementing what they've learned in their classrooms. My panoramic cartoon illustrations pair up with author Laura Buller's witty contemporary prose to make history fun for your little dudes. (For Kids 7-12)"

I must say that History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians is one of the most entertaining children's history books that I have ever read! It's fun to read and the illustrations are even MORE fun! So I would have to say that from MY perspective, the author and illustrator have succeeded in making history fun for ME! Ok, ok, the books are for kids, but seriously, kids DO love the books too! I know our three boys do anyway.

History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians is amazingly comprehensive and covers the timeline 3100 B.C. - 332 B.C. Within the books' covers, through the use of ordinary language sprinkled with quite a bit of slang and some graphic novel style (think comic book) illustrations, Ancient Egyptian history comes alive.

Through reading the History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians book, children learn about nearly all aspects of Egyptian life. The book covers where the Ancient Egyptians lived, how they lived, what they wore, who ruled them, their religion, and so much more.