*OSBORNE, Mary Pope. Pompeii: Lost & Found. illus. by Bonnie Christensen. unpaged. map. CIP. Knopf. Jan. 2006. Tr $16.95. ISBN 0-375-8288-3; PLB $18.99. ISBN 0-375-92889-8. LC 2005009331.
Gr 3-5-After brief accounts of the events of 79 A.D. and the first archaeological investigations of the city that lay beneath the fields surrounding Mt. Vesuvius, Osborne's straightforward text focuses on the life at Pompeii at the time of the volcano's eruption. Discussions of daily activities include mention of the many types of buildings unearthed, such as private homes, bakeries, baths, and markets, as well as the activities enjoyed by the free citizens of Pompeii-concerts, plays, and gladiator fights. A large illustration, flanked on the right by two boxes containing text and a smaller picture, occupies most of each spread. Christensen's distinctive, haunting frescoes are reminiscent of the art found throughout the site. Some illustrations are copies of original artwork, while others offer glimpses into what the city may have looked like prior to the volcano's eruption, detail objects found on location, and offer readers information on dress, decoration, and architecture. The illustrations are framed with decorative patterns typical of the period and the colors used reflect those found at Pompeii, including the distinctive, earthen red of some of its most familiar frescoes. While Osborne's text does not go into great detail, it will serve as an enticing introduction to this legendary city "frozen in time." Students ready for more information will be fascinated by James M. Deem's Bodies from the Ash (Houghton, 2005), illustrated with outstanding color photos.-Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal

Frescoes illustrate this lovely reconstruction of life and death in the ancient city of Pompeii. The straightforward narrative opens with the city's destruction by the eruption of Vesuvius and then fast forwards to its discovery by archaeologists and the painstaking reconstruction they have made of the lives of its inhabitants. Osborne takes care to ground surmise in the physical evidence, adducing such kid-pleasing detail as graffiti honoring gladiators and the discovery of petrified loaves of bread in baker's ovens. Christensen's frescoes, what better medium could she have chosen, depict Pompeii in both life and death. Her design allowing most spreads to juxtapose recreations of Pompeian activities against a picture of a piece of substantiating evidence. A Roman lady in her garden appears with representations of ancient tools, and so on. Captions engage readers in a game to identify the purposes behind such objects, with the answers found at the back. It is of necessity an introductory treatment, but what a lovely introduction it is, and it will whet readers appetites for more in-depth examinations.