Cross-Sections: Castle, by Stephen Biesty

Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections: Castle
32 pages
©1994
New York: DK Publishing
ISBN 9781564584670


Annotation
This book covers not only the architecture of a medieval castle but also the details of life within and without.


Commentary
Where Stephen Biesty's Incredible Body explored at the cellular level, Castle encompasses daily life of hundreds of people -- from peasants and servants to knights and nobles. Full-page illustrations show the structure of the castle's walls, moat, and towers as well as where the necessary facilities like the armory, dining hall, nursery, and privies might be located. An amazing amount of information is presented in paragraphs and captions accompanying the pictures -- readers will learn about the food, weapons, clothing, entertainment, and occupations of life in the 11th century, and much more. A masked "spy", like Waldo, appears somewhere in each picture for readers to find. Middleschoolers will pore over the tiny figures in their historic environment and find even more questions to be answered through further research.

Author Info
Illustrator Info
Media: pen and ink, colored pencil