What It Was Like to be ... (6) - What it was like in Ancient Benin

Much as children often like - and ask to borrow - very big books, small format (standard paperback-sized) non-fiction has its attractions and advantages, too. They are easy to hold and, in this case, more straightforward in layout. Text is printed in straight lines, chapters follow sequentially, and illustrations are interspersed throughout.

With widely spaced lines and easy-on-the-eye/brain font, such books as this one give readers, who might otherwise struggle or be reluctant to engage, an accessible way of learning. Indeed, presenting information in story style may mean some children enter more fully into the historical events described, imagining themselves in the lamplit streets of Benin, for instance, or at a market, or enjoying Oware, one of the games young Edo played.

My only quibble is that small format non-fiction volumes tend to get a bit lost on library shelves, which, it should be added, is NOT a reason to avoid stocking them. They just need to be recommended or put on display occasionally.

What it was like in Ancient Benin is, on the whole, a seemingly well researched and fair presentation of a significant African civilisation which some primary schools now study as a curriculum topic. Teachers may therefore find it a useful resource upon which to draw for images and information relating to the Benin’s rulers, their famous palaces and bronzes, trade, farming, festivals and slavery (among other aspects). It might even prompt discussions about the ethics of post-colonial powers keeping stolen artefacts in modern museums.

96 pages / Reviewed by Jane Rew, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 7+