About This Book
Reach for this book when your child starts asking big questions about how cities work or expresses a budding interest in the secrets of the past. It serves as a perfect bridge for children who find standard history books intimidating, using a highly tactile approach to make ancient civilization feel like a living, breathing neighborhood. Through the eyes of the Flavius family, children see that while technology changes, the human desire for community, play, and family remains the same. This Usborne classic uses over 70 flaps to reveal the inner workings of Roman bakeries, bathhouses, and amphitheaters. It is developmentally ideal for the transition from picture books to more complex information, offering a sense of discovery that rewards curious minds. Parents will appreciate how it fosters a sense of historical continuity, helping children realize that the people of the past were just as vibrant and busy as we are today.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
The book takes a secular and historical approach. While it depicts gladiators and chariot races, the violence is neutralized and presented as a historical spectator sport without gore. Slavery, which was central to Roman life, is depicted through the presence of servants, though not explored in its full political or human rights context.
