From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-- Fascinating details keep company with a style that may strike some readers as cutesy but that gives a wealth of interesting facts about life in late 15th-century Spain. Writing in the second person, Brenner maintains a sense of immediacy between her subject and her audience. Chapters are dedicated to such topics as food and clothing, sickness and health, kings and queens, education, crime and punishment, etc. These short chapters are each followed by a paragraph about Columbus, relating events in his life; at first confusing, this seemingly abrupt change of topic becomes a sensible connection with historical relevance. Use of slang and pointless asides such as "yuck!" to describe a typical dinner table of the period is unnecessary and will date this work. The numerous black-and-white reproductions of woodcuts, maps, and period paintings are informative as well as decorative. The extensive notes, bibliography, and index belie the book's simplicity. Obviously, Brenner's approach will not appeal to all, but the book is of value because it successfully introduces a good deal of information and an overall picture of the period in a user-friendly format. --Rosie Peasley, Somerset School, Modesto, CACopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Card catalog description
Readers take a trip back in time to learn about the culture and civilization of 15th century Europe and Spain, and the discovery of America by Columbus.
If You Were There in 1492: Everyday Life in the Time of Columbus ANNOTATION
Readers take a trip back in time to learn about the culture and civilization of 15th century Europe and Spain, and the discovery of America by Columbus.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Chock-full of little-known facts and written with you-are-there immediacy, this volume explores everyday life in Spain at the end of the 15th century.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman
How did people live in 1492? Ms. Brenner gives readers a taste of that life. It is nothing like Hollywood's swashbuckling romances. Life was brutish even for the wealthy. No Taco Bells. No Big Macs. No Baskin Robbins. Food was heavily salted or spiced to preserve it. Fruits and vegetables were rare. Garbage was dumped into the streets and disease was rampant as there were no antibiotics. Spain was bogged down in the Inquisition managed by the infamous Torquemada. The Moors and the Jews were killed or expelled due to their religious beliefs. Yet, it was a time of exploration and new ideas.
School Library Journal
Gr 4-8-- Fascinating details keep company with a style that may strike some readers as cutesy but that gives a wealth of interesting facts about life in late 15th-century Spain. Writing in the second person, Brenner maintains a sense of immediacy between her subject and her audience. Chapters are dedicated to such topics as food and clothing, sickness and health, kings and queens, education, crime and punishment, etc. These short chapters are each followed by a paragraph about Columbus, relating events in his life; at first confusing, this seemingly abrupt change of topic becomes a sensible connection with historical relevance. Use of slang and pointless asides such as ``yuck!'' to describe a typical dinner table of the period is unnecessary and will date this work. The numerous black-and-white reproductions of woodcuts, maps, and period paintings are informative as well as decorative. The extensive notes, bibliography, and index belie the book's simplicity. Obviously, Brenner's approach will not appeal to all, but the book is of value because it successfully introduces a good deal of information and an overall picture of the period in a user-friendly format. --Rosie Peasley, Somerset School, Modesto, CA
Art & Photography
Book Info
