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Thursday, October 15, 2015

Medieval LEGO, by Greyson Beights

You'll need to sit down for this one. Or, as the chances are high that you are already sitting down, just hold that position.

Medieval LEGO, by Greyson Beights is the latest LEGO book offering from No Starch Press and it is an absolute "must see." (I know I say that about a lot of No Starch Press LEGO books, yes? You should be taking the hint.)

Medieval LEGO is a brilliant way to teach children about the history of Medieval Great Britain. Compiled by author Greyson Beights, this small-in-stature book (it's roughly 7 in. x 7 in.) is comprised of short stories from various history professors sharing information about everything from William the Conqueror's invasion and victory, to the Battle of Bosworth Field when Henry Tudor took the crown. In between you'll read about various battles and conquests, the singing of the Magna Carta, the Treaty of York,the Great Famine, Geoffrey Chaucer, and the Black Death. Each topic is covered in 2-3 pages of text and as is fully illustrated with LEGO scenes.

An army of LEGO builders contributed to the scenes pictured in this book. Whatever this says about me, I have to confess that "The Black Death" scene by Ryan Howerter was the most interesting. Eleanor of Aquitaine was equally captivating. I love that LEGOs are being used to teach history. To me, Medieval LEGO is a marriage of two beautiful subjects and is a title worthy of being enjoyed by a great multitude. Author Greyson Beights had me at the Preface with the following words:

It is essential that we learn history. History tells us where we've been and where we might yet go. Winston Churchill once stated, "The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see."

I couldn't agree more if I tried.

LEGO enthusiasts in our household quickly picked up this title to flip and read through it. It has been laying out on our coffee table for the past week or so and I've witnessed more than one guest eyeballing it during conversation. This book has been picked up and thumbed through repeatedly which is exciting to me because I find it beautifully laid out and quite interesting to read.

Here are some images of a few page spreads to give you a better idea of what this book contains:




We highly recommend Medieval LEGO to you for your consideration. It's just absolutely delightful.

Many thanks to No Starch Press for sending a copy of this title my direction in order to facilitate this review. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are 100% my own.

Other No Starch Press titles you might be interested in:


4 comments:

Queen of Carrots said...

Oh cool. Dash and Dot are doing the Middle Ages in school this year, Dash will *love* this. And I'm only second on the library hold list!

Barbara H. said...

What a cool book!

Shonya said...

How fun! I'm sure Easton would love BUILDING these scenes. :)

Bluerose said...

This one just arrived at our house, too! :D My Grasshopper LOVES history, so I couldn't resist giving it a try.

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