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Topic: Maya

Non-fiction

Take a look at the wackier side of history!

Did the Maya really invent hot chocolate? Why did they have pointed heads? And did the Maya civilisation really disappear?

With an engaging question and answer format, this series draws young readers into the fascinating, sometimes gruesome, world of famous peoples and civilisations through history. Each spread opens with a simple question, opening up an exploration of an aspect of the life of a people or civilisation and busting some popular myths along the way!.

The lively lay-out is supported by annotated photos and cartoons, making history fun and accessible for readers aged 9+.

Non-fiction

Mayans looks at one of the most fascinating and advanced ancient civilisations. Through structures as imposing as a sacrificial pyramid or objects as beautiful and complex as the Mayan calendar, readers aged 9 and up gain a picture of who was whom in ancient central America and how the civilisation in which they lived really worked.

Perfect for Key Stage 2, each book in Great Civilisations approaches its subject through a scene-setting spread Who/where were the… then introduces the achievements of the chosen civilisation through 12 structures or objects, each of which illustrates a key aspect or theme. Writing, architecture, industry, warfare, transport and learning are all covered in the same simple, colourful and engaging way. Fact boxes and panels present incidental information and point the reader to the importance of parallel developments in other parts of the world.

Non-fiction

The Mayas and Incas were skilled builders, artists and inventors, and one of the best ways to discover how they lived is by studying the artefacts they made. Just as ancient objects enable us to step back into the world of the people who made them, the stories people told can reveal what they thought about their world. This book combines facts about the Mayas and Incas with photographs of the artefacts they left behind and the stories they shared with each other to present a full picture of life at the time.

Non-fiction

History in Infographics helps children to visualise facts and statistics using a clever and appealing mix of graphics and numbers. The colourful, high-impact design will appeal to a wide range of children, from visual learners to struggling readers, capturing and then holding their attention. Infographics are a really exciting, different way to learn about core historical topics, and are ideal for fact-hungry children, revision work, and to improve the quality of presentations.

History in Infographics: The Maya allows children to explore the Maya civilisation like never before, finding out how people lived, what they ate, what they wore, how they were ruled, the games they played and how the civilisation died out. Children can discover that the Maya were the first people to make hot chocolate, and how they did it, that they went to war to capture prisoners they then sacrificed to their gods, and all about other South American civilisations, including the Aztecs and the Incas.

Ideal for children of 9+, and fact and history lovers of all ages, the Maya have never seemed more exciting!

Non-fiction

Find out about the incredible ancient civilizations of the Americas, right up until the Spanish conquest. Discover the monumental pyramids and mountain cities of the Maya, Inca, and Aztec people. Explore the sites of Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, and Tenochtitlan, learn the pictures of the Mayan language, unearth the history of chocolate, and find out how naughty children were punished with chillis!

Peer into the past with amazing illustrations, see some of the most impressive ancient structures in the world, and stock up on facts to amaze your friends with. Packed with information, artefacts, and colourful illustrations, DKfindout! Maya, Incas, and Aztecs brings their worlds to life.

Non-fiction

This book explores what life was really like for everyday people in the Maya Civilization. Using primary sources and information from archeological discoveries, it uncovers some fascinating insights and explodes some myths. Supported by timelines, maps and references to important events and people, children will really feel they are on a time-travelling journey when reading this book.

Picturebook

The ancient Mayan belief that the future was divinely decreed and could not be changed is the basis for this original tale of a boy who must defeat the Rain God in a ball game to save his people from disaster. Mayan art and architecture were the inspiration for the spectacular cut-paper artwork.

Chapter book

Ever wonder where chocolate came from? We have the Mayan king Kukulkán to thank. Kukulkán is more than a king–he is also a god. One day he brings his people an amazing gift: a chocolate tree! But there is just one problem. Kukulkán’s brother, Night Jaguar, doesn’t want regular people to have chocolate. He thinks only gods should eat the tempting treat. Will Night Jaguar prevail? Or will the Mayans get to keep their chocolate tree?

Short story collection

Mayan civilization once flourished in what is today Guatemala and the Yucatan. The Mayan sacred book the Popol Vuh tells of the creation of the universe, the world of gods and demi-gods and the creation of mankind.

Translated by David Unger

Graphic Novel

Can two young boys outsmart and outwit the lords of death? The Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, were blessed by the Mayan gods with special powers. But their incredible skill at playing Pok-ta-Pok, the Mayan ball game, angers the lords of Xibalba, rulers of the land of the dead. When the lords challenge them to a Pok-ta-Pok game in Xibalba, the twins know they must use all of their powers and cunning to defeat the lords’ many challenges. Will they survive the land of the dead?

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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