Grade 3-8–Just in time for the Olympics comes this splendid introduction to Greece's most renowned monument. Curlee covers the mythic and historical backgrounds that led to the fifth-century construction of the temple to Athena. He also describes other components of the Acropolis, as well as relating the Elgin controversy and the effects of modern air pollution. His examination of the architectural details is particularly accurate and absorbing: he explicates all elements of the structure, its decoration, and the heroic statue it originally enclosed. The limpid, forthright prose matches artwork of similar clarity and elegant simplicity. The acrylic paintings balance areas of flat color with finely controlled line. Well-labeled plans of the Acropolis and the Parthenon, and examples of the classical Orders of Architecture, help youngsters to orient themselves.
