The Usborne Book of Castles (internet linked)

This is a new edition of this hugely entertaining guide to castles, published in association with English Heritage. This book helps you to find out what it was like to live inside a castle, discover where people ate, slept and made merry and even experience a siege in action in this packed and informative history. Stunning photographs are combined with artwork and unique computer graphics so that readers will experience the world of castles as never before. A selection of recommended websites is spread throughout the book. These allow readers to discover even more about castle life, including virtual tours and exciting and innovative games.

As I said in my previous review, the theme of work for my children this term has been Castles and when the theme was first announced, I scoured the library shelves and catalogue for suitable books which may assist with future homework and this was top of my list! It is a one stop book for all things castle related. I would say that this is the most info laden of Usborne's castle books and is suitable for Key Stage 2 and upwards homework. At this point, I would also like to mention another of Usborne's castle books see inside castles, which my son (age 7, year 3) found very interesting and easy to understand) for his homework. This book was used more by my 9 year old daughter.

The book is split into six sections: an introduction; stone castles; war; the age of chivalry (knights and heraldry); castle life;the beginning of the end.  There is a lot of information included within this book and there is many factual information along with photographs and illustrations  and most of the double page spreads include a box with Internet links for extra research. There is also a page towards the end of the book with hints, tips and advice about using the Internet for research. There are maps included of castles in Europe and Japan and the Middle East within the book.

This would be a fantastic book to buy for children who love castles and want to know more but also this is a must have for any school library - for both primary and secondary schools.

Thank you to the publishers, Usborne, for sending me the book to review.