Christina Balit

Two children survive the destruction of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, buried beneath the ashes when nearby Mt. Vesuvius erupted, in this engaging work of picture-book historical fiction. An alert and active boy, Tranio was the son of an actor, and was out and about when the earth in his home city began to tremble. He immediately set out in search of his friend Livia, the baker's daughter, and when the sky turned dark and began to rain down ashes, the two fled to the harbor, where they show more found safety on a ship setting sail. Behind them was their home and their families, soon to disappear forever...

I am a great admirer of the work of author/artist Christina Balit, and have enjoyed many of her books, from the wonderful folkloric and mythological retellings she has illustrated for other authors, to her own Atlantis: The Legend of the Lost City, which she both wrote and illustrated. I tracked down Escape from Pompeii - it had to be requested through interlibrary loan - because of this fondness for Balit's work, and I was not disappointed. The story is engaging - sure to please young adventure lovers, it also gives the basic outline of the historical story of the destruction of Pompeii, something explored in more detail in the author's afterword. The artwork is, as expected, simply gorgeous, with a rich, orange and yellow-dominated color palette, and Balit's trademark stylized figures. Recommended to picture-book readers who enjoy historical fiction and/or stories of survival, as well as to anyone looking for supplemental titles to be used in a teaching unit on Roman history and/or Pompeii. For myself, I will have to see if I can track down a non-fiction children's book about this topic, that could pair well with this fictional tale. show less

Using Plato's dialogues, Timaeus and Critias, as sources, British author and illustrator Christina Balit relates the Greek myth of Atlantis in this gorgeous picture-book. Built up from a tiny island by the god Poseidon, after he marries island girl Cleito, Atlantis becomes a marvel of the world - an island city both wealthy and peaceful. Named after Poseidon and Cleito's oldest son, Atlas, it is governed by a wise set of laws. But when Poseidon sleeps beneath the waves, the people of show more Atlantis gradually abandon the laws, and violence and injustice creep into their civilization. Waking from his long rest, the sea god must fulfill his vow to destroy the island, if its people ever break the law, raining down fire and submerging Atlantis in powerful waves. And so the island slips beneath the waters, never to be seen again...

Although there are various different versions of the myth of Atlantis, something outlined by scholar Geoffrey Ashe in his afterword, Atlantis: The Legend of the Lost City retells the traditional Greek tale. The story here is engaging, and the illustrations simply beautiful! Balit uses vibrant colors - deep blues and oranges, and lovely golden highlights - and stylized figures to create paintings that are a pleasure to peruse. Beside the passage discussing the giving and keeping of Atlantis' laws, she depicts a carved half-disk that looks very much like the Phaistos Disk, from the ancient Minoan civilization on the island of Crete. This felt entirely appropriate, as some scholars believe that the story of Atlantis is actually about Crete, and about the destruction of the Minoan civilization after the eruption of a volcano on the island of Thera, in 1450 BC. I'd recommend this one to all folklore and mythology enthusiasts, particularly those interested in the legend of Atlantis, or in the idea of lost civilizations. show less

Set in Ancient Italy, Escape from Pompeii follows a young boy, Tranio, through the days before the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Tranio is a playful kid who likes to play with his friend Livia. One day, when he's with his parents at the theater the ground starts to shake. He runs to find Livia. Scared but together, they ran and hid on a ship to get away from the earthquakes and darkening sky. When they woke, they were sailing away and Pompeii was destroyed. After a long time, Pompeii became show more habitable once again and Livia and Tranio returned to Pompeii as an elderly couple. I loved the artwork of this picture book. It was bright and beautiful even though the last image on the last page (Livia and Tranio, standing on their buried past, six bodies and the crumbled buildings from earlier pictures of Tranio and Livia's childhood home) broke my heart. The entire city of Pompeii was lost under ash and lava for centuries but it was so long ago that there's a sort of disconnect and no one talks about it in terms of victims but as a geological event. show less

One thing I really thought made this book great were the illustrations they were colorful and used colors like orange, blue, red, green, and a few hints of purple. The patterned borders on the edges of the pages re beautiful and only add to the book. The details in the illustrations are almost enough for this story to tell itself, but the text is still necessary. In this book, Pompeii is hit by a natural disaster, a volcanic eruption. The town is filled with smoke and ash, choking and show more covering the town. People were upset and devastated. Many lost their lives and their homes. This is very personal for me, as I lost everything I had in Hurricane Katrina. My family was devastated and found ways to cope with the loss. We rebuilt and came back stronger, but I cannot say the same for Pompeii. It is a city that will never be forgotten. I found the cover of this book to be very interesting and eye catching. The colors and fear on the faces of the children is there and the dark cloud of dust and ash in the rough water makes the reader think and feel. I think this is a great book to read to children because it can teach them about the town of Pompeii and the culture of the people who resided there. This book can expose children to culture and ways to handle natural disasters, as in Louisiana, we are not strangers to them. I distinctly remember learning about this topic in school and I think a book like this would have made the lesson more engaging and interesting, from a students perspective. show less