ealkotob's review against another edition
5.0
Some of you may ask, "Eman, why did you read a children's chapter book on Napoleon when there are an array of adult biographies?"
Well, we all have to start somewhere and this was a great way to get a concise history of Naploeon's life without loquacious, long-winded paragraphs. And it did the job. I enjoyed the quick read and learned a lot about this man who conquered many places before experiencing his, some say "much deserved," downfall. Although, you'd have to be the judge on whether he deserved it or not.
Some fun facts about Napoleon
- he didn't learn French until he was about 9 years old
- that was because he actually grew up speaking Italian since he was raised in the small Italian island of Corsican, which later France conquered
- his father changed their name from Bounaparte to Bonaparte since it sounded more French
- as a kid, he would trade his lunch of white bread with a soldier's stale rations since he thought he better get used to that type of food if he wanted to be a military man
- he was 5'7", not quite as short as he is typically depicted
- he would put his hand in his coat during portraits since he wanted to be portrayed as a "relaxed" person
See, you can learn so many things from biographies meant for children!
Well, we all have to start somewhere and this was a great way to get a concise history of Naploeon's life without loquacious, long-winded paragraphs. And it did the job. I enjoyed the quick read and learned a lot about this man who conquered many places before experiencing his, some say "much deserved," downfall. Although, you'd have to be the judge on whether he deserved it or not.
Some fun facts about Napoleon
- he didn't learn French until he was about 9 years old
- that was because he actually grew up speaking Italian since he was raised in the small Italian island of Corsican, which later France conquered
- his father changed their name from Bounaparte to Bonaparte since it sounded more French
- as a kid, he would trade his lunch of white bread with a soldier's stale rations since he thought he better get used to that type of food if he wanted to be a military man
- he was 5'7", not quite as short as he is typically depicted
- he would put his hand in his coat during portraits since he wanted to be portrayed as a "relaxed" person
See, you can learn so many things from biographies meant for children!
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review
4.0
So, who was Napoleon?
Napoleon is such an iconic figure---short of stature, striking poses, brilliant at war, egotistical---in popular culture that it is difficult to know what is true. So I seek a book to fill me in and separate truth from fiction.
The Who Was series of books is an incredibly popular series of biographies for elementary kids, and I can see why. The books are heavily illustrated and focus on sharing the most fascinating of fascinating information about the most fascinating figures in history.
So what did I learn about Napoleon? Yes, short of stature, but not markedly so. He was actually average height for his day. He did love to strike a pose; he was one of the first leaders to work hard to heighten his own public image. He played war over and over as a child, and he studied war as a teen. He tried novel approaches to battle that changed war completely. And he was egotistical, with an exaggerated view of his own worth.
Napoleon is such an iconic figure---short of stature, striking poses, brilliant at war, egotistical---in popular culture that it is difficult to know what is true. So I seek a book to fill me in and separate truth from fiction.
The Who Was series of books is an incredibly popular series of biographies for elementary kids, and I can see why. The books are heavily illustrated and focus on sharing the most fascinating of fascinating information about the most fascinating figures in history.
So what did I learn about Napoleon? Yes, short of stature, but not markedly so. He was actually average height for his day. He did love to strike a pose; he was one of the first leaders to work hard to heighten his own public image. He played war over and over as a child, and he studied war as a teen. He tried novel approaches to battle that changed war completely. And he was egotistical, with an exaggerated view of his own worth.
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