The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

by Lynn Curlee

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The Colossus of Rhodes. The Great Pyra-mid at Giza. For centuries these names have inspired wonder and mystery. They are but three of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Most of these masterpieces of human achievement have long since crumbled into dust. But their legacy survives, and these triumphs of human vision, architecture, and creativity have become the stuff of legends.

In the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Lynn Curlee ponders the questions that have fascinated researchers and archaeologists for decades: What purpose did these structures have for the societies that built them? How did they achieve the means necessary to construct such intricate and innovative temples and statues? Mr. Curlee investigates and illustrates how these Seven Wonders must have appeared at their peak.

With extraordinary paintings and a moving narrative, Mr. Curlee tells the story of some of man's greatest feats and explores the timeless desire of cultures to leave a permanent mark on the Earth.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens, School, Read For School, Ancient History

35 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2002

Reviews

[William]

cool cover

[Megan]

This is beautifully illustrated and well written; it’s a great historical reference book written for kids.

The reason I only gave it two stars is that the picture of the Egyptian Pharaoh makes him look white. Ancient Egyptians were definitely not white.

Aside from that glaring mistake, it’s well done.

[Tracy Reed]

We used this as a review when wrapping up our homeschool study of Ancient Civilizations.

[Helen]

I riffeled through books that were going to be tossed from the Middle School library- rather given away. I grabbed this one because I will be visiting Greece this summer. The ancient Colossus and the temple...it is all exciting that some things stand. For other grand wonders only the story remains. Still one has to be amazed at the creation, the willpower to manuver and build such wonderful articles. The book will remain on my shelf in my classroom.

[Emily]

I'm slowly working my way through all of Lynn Curlee's books. I learn a lot from each one. It is amazing what these ancient cultures were able to create.

[Mark Reynolds]

Good, basic info. I enjoyed it. But one mistake crept in. The Great Wall of China is NOT visible from space.

[Marsha]

I use a variation of the clock appointments with students in my 6th grade social studies class. The 7 Most Wonderful Appointments!!! which I found in the History Alive curriculum. When I asked them to go to the Colossus of Rhodes partner, I realized they had no idea what or who this was. I had a general sense, but no details.

So I found this book. It is my intention to read the brief entry for each wonder as we "use" that appointment partner. So we started with our Colossus of Rhodes partner activity, I read the 2-3 minute piece from this book. The artist's interpretation of what the statue might have looked like was great to help my kids visualize what this wonder of the ancient world might have been.

I think they enjoyed hearing about it and I think it was just the right length. I do think 6th graders could definitely read this book on their own because it is mostly a picture book.

[J]

Excellent illustrations and interesting writing bring kids and adults into the ancient world's architecture and culture. Very well done. Undoubtedly, it would be a bit boring for some kids. However, for those interested in archeology, history, and big/cool structures, this will be a beloved book. I wish this had been around when I was a child.

[Heidi]

Great picture book about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Decent illustrations, but it does have one picture of 4 naked men running (representing the olympic games). I desired a prettier and more colorful picture of the Hanging Gardens. We enjoyed the map at the beginning and the chart at the end comparing the height of the Seven Wonders to the US Capitol and the Statue of Liberty.

[Jeffrey Ellsworth]

The book had a full page of text on one side of the page and a full page picture on the other. The facts about the 7 ancient wonders were pretty interesting. I thought the book was still a little too text heavy.

[Jenny]

Very interesting read. I read this book to my oldest son Houston. I didn't know what the 7 wonders of the ancient world was. The only one ancient wonder still standing is The Great Pyramid At Giza.

[Graceann Oswald]

I loved the information it taught. It was very informative but not overdone and so long that you lose interest. There is a picture in the back that shows the different wonders to scale, compared to each other. It gave a great perspective!

[Theresa]

beautiful pictures and explination of the historical references and aspects of those seven wonders first identifies in history, and how they survived or were distroyed over the ages leaving only the great pyramid as the sole remnate

[Whole And]

A rich resource on the seven wonders of the ancient world, articulated beautiful and with wonderful references to ancient writers, poets and sculptures. These references provide the foundation for further research into the time periods and their incredible works

[Kelly]

This is an outstanding children's nonfiction book that even my husband and I enjoyed. The artwork is gorgeous and the text reads intellectually, which challenges kids and also shows them respect. From about second grade and on, all ages of children would appreciate this book.

[Nicole]

This book will be a great introduction for my students on the seven wonders. I will be teaching four classes of Ancient Civilizations this year and each class is named after one of the seven wonders. The book will allow me to introduce each class to their wonder in a quick and easy way.

[Tweller83]

Good book.

[Christian]

Wonderful illustrations.

[Ndungu]

good

[Roksolana]

jr

[Kate]

This was a great, simple, informational read.

[School For Wayward Children]

Nice 2 page-ish write up on each of the seven wonders. We picked one a day and read.

[Kris]

Excellent illustrations and the writing brings interest to children and adults. Especially for those interested in archeology, history and architectural structure.