Lands of Long Ago

Gr 1–5—Travel through the lands of long ago in this search-and-find title with an educational twist. After a brief introduction to two unnamed child guides and the premise of the book, a time line of the different periods and cultures, from the Stone Age to the era of piracy, is presented. From there, the real fun begins. Wood and Jolley devote a full spread to each of the 10 time periods featured. The catch: hidden in the illustrations are relics that do not belong in that specific time or region, such as a hot-air balloon in the Han Dynasty of ancient China or a gramophone among the Mughals of India. With a turn of the page, all of the objects, once concealed, are revealed with an explanation of why the item does not belong as well as what the people in that place and time used instead. The illustrations are gentle enough for younger readers to enjoy but will not alienate older readers, who will get much more out of the text. However, while the volume is informative, the lack of substantial, more detailed data is a flaw.