Book Review: The Vikings

by: Elizabeth Janeway

            This was a pretty good book.  I read it aloud to my 4^th grader for his history and I think we both considered it time well spent.  Probably me more than he but only because he’s a young boy who would rather be up to his armpits in Legos rather than doing anything school related.  Despite his reservations, however, I think he rather enjoyed this one.  Well, it at least held his attention.  

            We learned about Eric the Red, his law troubles and why he had to move to Greenland from Iceland.  We learned  about his son, Leif, Leif’s trip back to Norway and then his probable discovery of North America.  We then read about a Viking settlement started on North America before they had to give it up because the natives were hostile towards them and they were very out-numbered.

            It was an entertaining yet educational book.  I think because Viking culture itself is entertaining.  Especially for 4^th graders.  So, despite the book having a lot of the history about how the Norsemen lived at these very unforgiving locations, how they settled disputes, how they acquired building materials, how they ate, etc., the history was so interesting it didn’t feel like history.

            I liked this book and would recommend it, especially for anyone interested in Vikings and the story of the pre-discovery of North America.