This book is part of my year 3/4 class’s Invaders and Raiders topic from the Stone Age into the Ancient Romans. Perhaps Vesuvius remains the most well-known volcanic eruption in history among adults even today - so there could be plenty of opportunity to link with the geography and science National Curriculum on seismology, tectonic plates and geology: perhaps pupils may even have their own experiences of visiting mountainous or volcanic regions they could share, similar to those of the characters in the story. Escape from Pompeii" by Christina Balit is a story about the city of Pompeii and the day that Mount Vesuvius erupted. This short picture book details the story of the city of Pompeii through the eyes of a young boy named Tranio.

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On the hillside overlooking the sparkling bay of Naples, the Roman city of Pompeii glimmered in the sunlight. One of the best ways to get through to a child is to tell them a personal story of somebody in the situation than to just tell them about the situation as a whole.The artwork is, as expected, simply gorgeous, with a rich, orange and yellow-dominated color palette, and Balit's trademark stylized figures. Heading for the harbour, Tranio and his friend Livia hide on a boat and witness one of the most terrifying moments in recorded history-the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of their beloved city, Pompeii. Kingdom of the Sun (written by Jaqueline Mitton), won the 2002 English Association Award for non-fiction. Tranio, like most Roman boys, likes to watch whatever is going on: tradesmen selling their goods, ships unloading their exotic cargoes, politicians making speeches in the forum.

Escape from Pompeii by Christina Balit | Waterstones Escape from Pompeii by Christina Balit | Waterstones

The vocabulary is a little bit harder so it would either need to be read out loud or be meant for slightly older children, with words like "looming," "tremors," "wriggled," and "pumice. The characters we are introduced to along the way however- children Tranio and Livia, Dion and their families - are entirely fictional, although it would rest upon the teacher to explain this to the class because the book itself does not clarify it. D., lots of great opportunities for cross-curricular links as children were enquiring about the amphitheater page and the outfits illustrated. Looking at the illustrations, you can only imagine how horrendous it must have been to narrowly escape as everything and everything you once loved is killed and destroyed - it’s heart wrenching.This book’s language is lovely in the way that it tells the story of what Ancient Rome was like based on the evidence in a way that children can understand and visualise in their heads. I tracked down Escape from Pompeii - it had to be requested through interlibrary loan - because of this fondness for Balit's work, and I was not disappointed. It lends itself really nicely to pottery-making, mosaics, history and geography and I can’t wait to see how the children interpret this beautiful but tragic story. Christina Balit's account of Mount Vesuvius' eruption and subsequent destruction of Ancient Roman Pompeii is an exciting and dramatic read accompanied by the most spectacular of illustrations - the eruption itself almost explodes out of the page.