Cleopatra

Title: Cleopatra
Author: Diane Stanley Vennema and Peter Vennema
Illustated: Diane stanley Vennema
Published: Scholastic Inc. and Trumpet, New York
Date: 1994
Summary: This is a biograpy (for students) about Cleopatra in her years of conquest.
Age Level: Upper Elementary (5-6)
Strengths: I think the artwork is very interesting. You see, Cleopatra wasn't an Egyptian, but was a Macedonian Greek who conquered Egypt and ruled it with her King brother (also her husband by law). She wanted to renew the Ancient Egyptian golden days by using certain tecniques and fashion by the Egyptians. I think I liked how the artwork looks like Greek and Roman paintings, in order for the reader to get a sense of what it was like back when Ceasar ruled all of Rome and expanded his empire. The cover of the book shows a tile glass portrait of Cleopatra which makes it looks like an artifact. These tiles also show up when text is presesnt, which gives the background of the text an interesting look, as of telling a story. I like how the authors go through important stages of Cleopatra's life and describe her journeys, her role and her love life. The different images of boats show that she travelled to many places and that Greek and Roman life based their lives by travelling overseas.
Concerns: There is a lot of details within the text about Cleopatra, that older students might have to slowly read it in order to understand what kind of a person she was. What is surprising is that the research the authors did on this book was taken from documents of Cleopatra's enemies, but no supporters because they didn't find any.
Comments: This is good biographical book that tells who Cleopatra really was. It will help students understand that she came after the time of the Pharohs, not during, but she did try to renew the "Land of the Nile."