History comes alive with the D'Aulaire's series of American history stories for children. My son's favorite is Pocahontis, but Leif the Lucky is also near the top. It is certainly an adventure as Leif travels to Newfoundland and so begins the legend. I am sure children will remember their history much more from these tales than from any dry textbook.

This fascinating biography of Leif Erickson is another classic work by the D'Aulaires. Lavishly illustrated with their wonderful lithographs it accurately relates the adventurous tale of the young Viking explorer, his conversion to Christianity, and his colonization of North America. A must for anyone studying the age of exploration!

Leif the Lucky was the first book of our American History curriculum and we fully enjoyed it. It brought many questions to our minds including what happened to the Viking race?

I really love this book ~ it is perfectly illustrated for children.

Peter Spier is one of my favorite illustrators of children's books. Here, his illustrations for three verses of Francis Scott Key's poem and song, "The Star-Spangled Banner," provide an excellent introduction for children to the meaning behind his famous lyrics.

I usually read this aloud to primary classes around a patriotic holidays. This year, because of our late school year, I read it for Flag Day. Since the words and historical setting are unfamiliar to most younger students, I have begun introducing this book with "The Story of 'The Star Spangled Banner,'" which can be found in "The Children's Book of America," edited by William J. Bennett. These two volumes make fine companions.

Even with this introduction, Key's text needs explaining, however with Spier's finely detailed illustrations, this task is much easier. Children love to examine the intricacies and they usually come up with some excellent comments and questions. On the page featuring Arlington National Cemetery, they ask about who died in battle, why some of the grave markers are stars instead of crosses, and why the flag is flying at half-mast.

Our copy of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is nearly worn out from heavy use. That should say something about the popularity of this excellent patriotic book.

our four-year-old claims this is his FAVORITE book. Perhaps it is because his mother chokes up and tears drop to her cheeks as she reads this book. We have found that this is an excellent read-aloud and has stretched our four-year-old's language skills in many ways. As if The Star Spangled Banner weren't moving enough, the arrangement of pictures flows along with the words of the song to create an image of heroics and bravery. In addition, little incidentals like soldiers feeding their horses and wet clothes hanging to dry aboard ship cause us to remember that these were real people fighting. Peter Spier mixes history with the present as he causes us to remember what these men were fighting for. We see schools and businesses, Arlington Cemetery and the Statue of Liberty, cities and rural farms, synagogues and churches, Amish buggies and a Friends Meeting House all as evidence of our cultural diversity. We also see that the fight continues as we witness a renovation project and scientists working in a lab. The first, second and fourth verses are illustrated. The pictures help the capable parent define words such as "conceals" and "discloses." In addition, the artwork contains so much information and story that conversation just develops as the book is read. There is an oustanding collection of Flags of America and a thorough history of the War of 1812. The words to all four verses of the Star Spangled Banner and the music by J Stafford Smith follow. Peter Spier is becoming our hero as the author of our favorite children's books.

This was one of my favorite books as a child. I checked it out of the library over and over . The pictures just seem to come to life, the stories are enchanting. A must have for troll collectors. I purchased a copy at long last! Thanks Amazon

This book has become a family classic in our home. I enjoyed it in hardback when I was a young boy and now my children are too. This book draws you in with its unique and mysterious stories of folklore long ago. You can picture these stories actually taking place in the areas of the world where they originated. The illustrations are curious and strange in a way that helps add to the book's tales. I am constantly asked to read this title at our bedtime. I can not think of a book that has been enjoyed more by my children and myself over the years. I give it my highest recommendation. Shawn C. Osting (shawn@intouch.org or scoitm@aol.com

Put this in your home library! My kids want more and more of this. They love history but get bored without pictures. This author makes the past people and places come alive for them. They remember and understand the detailed and engaging historical tales.

Although the Amazon page doesn't show the wonderful cover, it shows the young George on a white horse--Washington's white charger became his trademark. Beautifully illustrated, and a direct, unfanciful text. A perfect introduction to the growing up and future of our first President, with no nonsense. The d'Aulaires were stylists and were accurate, visiting the sites. They won many prizes. They deserved every one. A perfect introduction to the life of George Washington.

I've still got my torn, and worn, and partly coloured by my kids, norwegian edition of "Ola". My kids are the second generation lovers of this book. The drawings are friendly and nice, the story is nice, and today it represents a Norway partly gone. That's why it's so valuable as a book to me, I 've used it to show my kids and my pupils what our country was like when I was a girl. Would love to get an english edition, by the way. Reprint! Please! And "Pocahontas" too!

"Ola" is the story of a small Norwegian boy who sets out one snowy morning and by book's end, has traveled from one end of Norway to another. One of the first books by the great children's author/illustrators, the text and illustrations are imaginative, dramatic, charming, and beautiful, flexible in form and constantly varying.

The story of Pocahontas is both tragic and inspiring. As early colonists settle in what is modern day Virginia, they become uneasy with local native americans. When one of the colonists is captured and sentenced to death, Pocahontas saves his life, and becomes an important bridge between two conflicting cultures. Ultimately, Pocahontas marries one of the colonists and travels to Europe, where she is received as a foreign princess by the Queen of England herself. A truely beautiful story that children of all ages will love.

We've been taking this book out the library for years. We finally bought it. As with all of the books by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'aulaire, the illustrations are beautiful, the stories full of information and the facts true. They are very easy to read but still not wishy-washy. We all learn something everytime we read them. You want to read them over and over. Our children read these for fun. Wonderful.

I am surprised to see that I'm doing the first review on this book! I checked this book out from the library to read to my children, and it is one of the most memorable biographies we have read together. This beautiful book is the story of Benjamin Franklin's interesting and inspiring life, with many full page illustrations. It includes many of his sayings throughout the book. I can't wait to own it!

I first read this book when I was twelve years old and it affected me so much that ten years later I still have a deep and abiding love of Greek mythology. A ratty, paperback copy I found at Salvation Army still holds *the* place of honor in my Greco-Roman collection, usurping The Odyssey, The Iliad, Edith Hamilton, and Robert Graves.

What originally struck me as so fantastic (and still does) is that the D'aulaires don't write down to their audience or edit out details important to the original myth that some parents might not approve of. The end result? An all ages storybook and mythological primer that no one should be ashamed to own.

The drawings are an acquired taste, falling somewhere between Classical pottery paintings and Art Deco, but they do grow on you. My only quibble is that there's no pronunciation guide, which can really hamper you if this is your first exposure to these stories.

Buy this for for your children or even for yourself, you will never regret it.

When I was in elementary school I found this book at the library. I loved it so much that I did not want to return it. Finally, after several months of renewals, my parents bought it for me. It was one of my most treasured--and worn out--books that I owned.

What made me fall in love the book was the beautiful, large colorful pictures; the easy introduction of the many Gods (to a child with no background in the stories); and, of course, the myths themselves. They were wonderful stories and will pull in readers of all ages.

The book inspired me to read more books on Greek mythology--Edith Hamilton, for instance--and Norse myths (the D'Aularies wrote a book on Norse gods that is unfortunately still out of print) and Asian folktakes when I was still in grade school. In college, however, I learned that these myths in this book had gone through a bit of sanitization, but it is still terrific. I haven't found another chilren's book that treats Greek mythology so well.

This book is one that will keep giving even when the child becomes an adult. When I went to college and was assigned other Greek and Roman poems, plays, and essays, I would be reminded the pictures and the myths found in this book. It would bring back wonderful memories, and at the same time made reading ancient literature enjoyable and easy rather than onerous. To this day, I still remember all of the myths and gods that are in this book, and it gives me a nice referemce to my academic reading.

My parents recently bought the hardcopy edition of the book for me for Christmas. It was the best gift I have received in years!

It is simply a wonderful book!

I don't know about all of you, but Greek Mythology is something I just can't live without! I pondered long and hard over many other volumes that were of the same material, but VERY longwinded. I don't have a lot of time on my hands, but I was just dying to learn of the famous Zues, Hera, Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, and all of the other gods and goddesses who governed the world high atop Mount Olympus. Also of Cronus, Rhea, Gaea, Uranus, and other gods and goddesses I never knew about. Then I found this book, this treasure amongst literature. The artwork alone is enthralling and the detail in which the stories are told is absolutly mesmerizing. The book is one of the best and one would certainly advise a friend to read it if one is streched for time yet has an incredible lust for Greek Mythology. The stories are easy to understand and yet so graphical that even the simplest child could lose themselves in the stories of Eos, Hercules, or Heracles as he is called in the book, Persephone, Demeter, and Phaethon. If you love Greek Myths, this book is an absolute must