The Buried City of Pompeii

by Shelley Tanaka, Greg Ruhl (Illustrator), Jack McMaster (Illustrator)

Recreates the lives of Pompeii's inhabitants just prior to the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Ancient History, Picture Books, Historical, Childrens

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Natalie]

When I was a little girl my mom had this set of books that were about historical disasters like the Titanic, Hindenburg and Pompeii. I literally read these books all the time. I loved them all but my favorite was about Pompeii and I dreamed of the day I would get to visit that ancient city.

In 2011 my dreams came true and I visited Pompeii. It was even more spectacular than I had ever dreamed of. My heart ached for the people that died and I can't imagine the horror that the whole village experienced on that fateful day. Nowadays Pompeii is alive once more. Walking the ancient city and imagining it full of shops and people is an incredible experience. I've always loved history and nowhere have I felt it come to life than in Pompeii. It's remarkable.

I saw this junior non book on sale in a book order for $2 and so I snatched it up. It was about Pompeii. I can't resist books about Pompeii.

The book combines the imagined story of Eros, a steward to a wealthy family and true facts about Pompeii. The book wanders through what Eros might have been doing the day Vesuvius erupted. It's a perfect way for children and even adults to view history. Dry facts don't bring history to life - the story does. History is about people and it should be personal. I thought the author did a brilliant job using archaeological facts to create a scenario.

I haven't seen the books of my youth for a long time and this was the first book about Pompeii that I've read since actually visiting. It was even more realistic because I've walked the grounds they were discussing.

Great book, especially for young readers. I'm now anxiously looking forward to the time I can return to Pompeii. Next time I will read a book right before I go to make it even more real.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Very well done - an excellent package that combines a fictional story with straightforward factual information and that includes painted illustrations, maps and schematic diagrams, and photographs (both archival and modern). The distinction of texts is made very clear by the use of tinted pages for the facts - so one could read the fictional narrative straight through, if desired. Thankfully, the factual sidebars are not overdone, with at most one per spread (there is a single instance of two). (When we did this book, parent read the main text and child read the sidebars.)

The book is divided into four parts: Prologue, Part One (morning), Part Two (1 PM), Epilogue. The middle two parts are the fictional account (this is the "I Was There" series). The prologue tells about the region and the epilogue tells about the archaeological work and what it has revealed. The sidebars cover:

The House of the Menander
The Forum of Pompeii
Ancient Graffiti
Roman Fish Sauce
The Forum Baths
Gladiators and the Games
The Theaters of Pompeii
From Slave to Freedman
The Day Vesuvius Exploded
How Was Pompeii Buried?
How Do We Know About the Eruption of Vesuvius?
Discovering a Villa
Treasures in the House of the Menander
The Victims of Vesuvius
Pompeii Today

These range from a single paragraph to a page and a half. Most include multiple images.

This book as it stands could not have been produced more than fifty years ago, when full-color printing was limited (particularly of photographs). Since its publication twenty-five years ago, however, the juvenile nonfiction style pushed by publishers has become overly busy, fragmented and cluttered, and apparently uninterested in providing any single clear narrative. Fortunately this gets the balance right.

Includes glossary (21 words, both scientific and Latinate) and bibliography (6 books, unfortunately without dates of publication) for further reading. There is neither a table of contents nor an index. You just have to skim through the 48 pages to find whichever sidebar you might need. Not such a big deal.

So what is exceptional about this book? Not the fictional story. Not the children's encyclopedia-type of text in the sidebars. Not the illustrations by Greg Ruhl. Not the photographs or diagrams, especially. It is the combination - the design of the package, which is restrained and clear and just right to meet perfectly the intended purpose.

[Guen]

good but sad

[Elizabeth Joyce]

A great book for a young reader who wants to learn more about Pompeii.

[Laurie Wheeler]

Colorful picture book that details the volcanic destruction at Pompeii that our kids used for our Classical Dialectic homeschool history studies.

[Hutchings]

I loved the fun facts and the entertaining story.

[Kay Mcgriff]

I have always been fascinated by the city of Pompeii, an ancient Roman city preserved at a moment in history because it was buried in volcanic ash. I remember wondering what archaeologists of the future would learn about my life if some disaster preserved my home and town, only to be rediscovered centuries later.

Shelley Tanaka brings the story of the ancient city and the modern archaeological site to life in The Buried City of Pompeii (A Hyperian/Madison Press Book 1997). One of the bodies discovered in Pompeii is that of Eros, identified by a seal found next to him that says he worked for one of the most important families in town. We don't know who the body of the young girl lying next to him is, but it could have been his daughter as Tanaka supposes.

I like how Tanaka creates a narrative that takes Eros through his day on the day that Mount Vesuvius rained down fire that buried an entire town. The story reveals what life was like in ancient Rome, from the foods and social heirarchy to the market place, amphitheater, and public baths. Photographs of the present-day ruins and artifacts bring the history and archaeology of Pompeii into just the right moments of the story. Color illustrations by Greg Ruhl put the story into its historical context.

I can't even begin to imagine the horror experienced by those who were not able to escape the city (and I was relieved to know that most of the townspeople did escape to survive). I would love to visit Italy and walk among the ruins myself, but it's not happening anytime soon. In the meantime, here are some ways to explore Pompeii without leaving your computer:

Discovery Channel takes you through Pompeii and quizzes you on your survival skills
The Tour of Italy for the Financially Challenged has photographs that make you feel like you are there--almost

First published on my blog at http://kaymcgriff.edublogs.org/2012/0...

[The Reading Countess]

Having had the privilege of seeing Pompeii firsthand as a child (thanks to living the nomadic life of an Army brat whose dad was stationed for three years in Germany), I became enraptured with the horrific outcome of the sleepy Italian villa at an early age. After bringing my own children to a local museum showcasing many of the artifacts and reproductions of the casts, I am convinced that this fascinating portion of history holds a great deal of appeal to young readers. The Buried City of Pompeii is full of text features one would expect in quality nonfiction to use as a mentor text, but also high interest enough to demand a waiting list once released into a classroom library.
Highly recommended.

[Sandi]

Tanaka creates fictional characters based on discoveries archaeologists made of a luxurious house in the ruins of Pompeii. The tale of Eros the steward and his young daughter on that fateful day in A.D. 79 when Vesuvius erupted is woven around details of the actual artifacts uncovered. Modern photographs and artists recreations are presented to give the reader an understanding of the science behind the story. A glossary of terms and recommendations for further reading make this book a springboard for further exploration of the ancient city.

Use with lessons about ancient Italy, archaeology, volcanoes.

Non-fiction/Information
Information Book Award 1998 (Canada)
Ages 9 and up

[Angie]

I have long been fascinated by Pompeii... In light of this, I seek out books about the tragedy. This children's book is my latest find. I liked this one a lot! I enjoyed the pictures and the "what might have happened" side story about a caretaker in a prominent house in the town. She ficitionalized a possible account based on evidence and records. I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in pompeii!

[Mike Aragona]

An excellent introduction to Pompeii. My children have loved reading this since they were old enough to understand the significance of this ancient city and have now started to read it to their younger siblings!

[Fives OnTheFly]

A fabulous look back at what life was like in Pompeii around the time of the eruption. The kids loved the story of Eros the head servant and his young daughter. The mix of history and fiction, illustrations and pictures of Pompeii made this book a huge hit and a great learning tool.

[Aliya]

Good intro to pompeii