Arts and Literature in the Middle Ages

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

The Medieval World is one of Crabtree Publishing’s visually richest
and most interesting series. While the focus of these books is primarily
Europe from 500 to 1500, there are also sections on African art, Persian
and Chinese poetry, and the Shaolin Monastery in China during this
period.

The text is necessarily brief (100–200 words per subject). It focuses
both on the things that will interest children most (e.g., knights,
armour, battles), and the subjects that will support curriculum (how
people lived, roles of people in society, medieval housing, and so
forth).

The language in Science and Technology in the Middle Ages is at a
higher reading level than that in the other three volumes, but all are
appropriate for upper-elementary children.

Visual continuity among the books is maintained through vellum-looking
backgrounds and repeating medieval borders. Illustrations fill more than
half of the pages. Modern illustrations, such as cutaway sections of
buildings, increase the teaching value of the books. Many of the other
illustrations are taken from great works of art. For example, a detail
from Pieter Bruegel’s Children’s Games, painted in 1560, illustrates
children’s play. Unfortunately, most of these are not identified by
title or artist. Apart from fulfilling the moral right of artists to
have their names associated with their works, identifying the works
would have allowed children to begin learning about the artists within
the context of the period.

Each book provides a good overview of its subject and is highly
recommended for public and elementary school libraries.