Betsy Maestro

A history of the major world religions is presented in this advanced picture book from prolific author/illustrator team and husband and wife Betsy and Giulio Maestro. Beginning with a discussion of what religion is and is meant to do, the kinds of questions about the world and about life that it is meant to answer, the book proceeds to the nature-centered religions of prehistory, and the different polytheistic faiths found around the world, from ancient Sumer and Egypt to the ancient show more Americas and the classical Greek and Roman world. Specific attention is then paid to Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The book closes with extensive back matter, including sections on the sacred books of various faiths, their festivals and holidays, other religions, the Golden Rule, and an index...

Published in 1996, The Story of Religion is the fifteenth book I have read from Betsy Maestro and the sixteenth from Giulio Maestro. It is an engaging and informative work of non-fiction on an important subject, and with one notable exception, would make an excellent title for use in educational venues, including grade-school classrooms and homeschooling settings. I thought the author did a good job covering a wide range of beliefs and customs, tying them together in a coherent way. The accompanying artwork, done in colored pencil, ink and watercolor, was appealing, and well up to Giulio Maestro's normal high standard. My only critique (the exception noted above), is my disagreement with the philosophical statement at the end of the book, between the main text and the back matter, to the effect that there is no one true way to seek and understand God, and that accepting this is the way to tolerance and peace. While I am inclined to agree with the first part of this on a metaphysical level—I do believe that there are many ways of approaching and understanding the divine—I think it is misguided to expect sincere and pious believers of any specific faith to reject the idea that there is one true way. For many of them, this kind of belief is central to their faith, and to reject it is to reject that faith. I think it is more realistic, and more just, to state that peace and tolerance in this matter rest on accepting and respecting the idea that all people have the right to answer these questions for themselves, and that it is not given to us to try and direct or force them onto any path, even if we sincerely believe it is the one true one. This balances reality—many people wouldn't belong to a religion if they didn't think it offered the correct answers and path—with the requirements of justice. With this criticism noted, and with the exception of that single page, I would recommend this one as a good beginning text on worlds religions, for the study of young students in the primary grades. show less

The colonial conflicts between England and France and their native allies during the course of the late 17th and 18th centuries are covered by author/illustrator team (and husband and wife) Betsy and Giulio Maestro in this fourth installment of their picture book history series, The American Story. Opening in 1689, when the previous volume closed, they set out the relative position of English and French (and Spanish) settlement and exploration of the North American continent, pinpointing a show more key factor in future events: namely, that the while the French had claimed vast swathes of land and had a successful fur trade, the English had settled many times more people, and greatly outnumbered them. The conflicts between the French and their largely Algonquian allies and the English and their Iroquoian allies were largely over issues of trade and land, but were also tied to conflicts between the European powers at home. The book covers King William's War, a part of the Nine Year's War, which raged in the Americas between 1689 and 1697; Queen Anne's War, a part of the War of the Spanish Succession, active in the colonies between 1702 and 1713; and the War of Jenkins' Ear (1739-1748), which occurred largely in the Caribbean and in the areas of Florida and Georgia. This latter led to the European War of the Austrian Succession, known in North America as King George's War, which occurred largely in what is now the northeastern US and maritime Canada. Finally, the French and Indian War (1754-1763), which decided the dominance of English power on the continent is covered. The book closes with back matter including additional information about Colonial America, explorations and explorers of the period, and an index.

Published in 2000, Struggle for a Continent: The French and Indian Wars: 1689-1763 is an engaging and informative addition to the Maestros' series about American history, and an excellent follow-up to its three predecessors, The Discovery of the Americas, Exploration and Conquest: The Americas After Columbus: 1500-1620 and The New Americans: Colonial Times: 1620-1689. Like those predecessors, it covers a wide range of events in a coherent and intelligible way, tying the various conflicts under discussion into the wider theme, while also giving specifics about each one. As always, I appreciated the fact that the authors didn't sugar-coat the less-than-admirable aspects of the history being covered—the sale and use of slaves, including in the northern part of the continent; the damage and destruction conflicts with European colonials brought to many native peoples—while not allowing their narrative to be overtaken by those themes. It's a fine balance to walk, and I think they did an excellent job, creating a solidly worthwhile overview of the history of this period for young people. I also appreciated the thematic approach here, and the coverage of more than just the French and Indian War itself, as I don't recall much attention being given to King William's War, Queen Anne's War or King George's War, in the AP course I took on American history in high school, let alone at the grade school level for which this book is intended. The accompanying artwork from Giulio Maestro, done in pen and ink, watercolor and colored pencil, is well-matched to the text, and also engaging. All in all, much like previous volumes in the series, I think this could make an excellent basic text for this subject, when teaching children—both in a classroom and homeschool setting—and could be used with other titles that cover and expand upon specific topics within it. It is for that purpose that I would recommend it. show less

Author/illustrator team and husband-and-wife Betsy and Giulio Maestro provide an overview of the world's bats in this work of picture book natural history from 1994. Opening with the argument that despite the fear and superstition with which these flying mammals have been viewed by many humans historically, bats are neither harmful or scary, the book goes on to discuss the diverse range of bat species—over 1,000 worldwide—their geographic range, anatomy and appearance, and their show more nocturnal habits. The difference between megabats (mostly found in the tropics) and microbats (found worldwide) is discussed, as are their hunting methods, diets, and the way they raise their young. The book closes with a list of facts about bats...

Although I have read a number of appealing picture books about bats recently, from Nicola Davies and Sarah Fox-Davies' Bat Love the Night (about a pipistrelle bat), to Sandra Markle & Alan Marks' Little Lost Bat (about Mexican free-tailed bats), Bats: Night Fliers is the first I have picked up that covered the diversity of bats to be found around the globe. Because of this, and the range of topics it covers in an engaging way, it would make an excellent introduction to the subject for young children. It is more solidly non-fiction than the other books mentioned, although they too are informative in their way, and could both pair nicely with this one. The accompanying artwork here from Giulio Maestro, done in pencil and watercolor, adds to the appeal, beautifully capturing a diverse range of bats, from a pallid bat to a giant flying fox. Recommended to young animal lovers, particularly those who love bats, but perhaps also those who fear them, as a corrective. show less

The history of the American Revolution is told by author/illustrator team (and husband and wife) Betsy and Giulio Maestro in this sixth installment of their picture book series, The American Story. Opening just where the fourth volume, Struggle for a Continent: The French and Indian Wars: 1689-1763 left off, at the close of the French and Indian War, the book details the growing tension between Britain and its North American colonies over issues of taxation and representation, covering the show more Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the Tea Act (not named in the main narrative), Boston Tea Party, and the resultant punitive "Intolerable Acts." The resultant sympathy for Massachusetts in the rest of the colonies, and the growth of a colony-wide movement is also covered, before the book moves on to the beginning of the Revolution itself, at Lexington and Concord. What follows is a narrative of the major battles and events of the war, until the final victory at Yorktown, in 1781. The book closes with a Table of Dates; a collection of biographical snippets about the Unsung Heroes of the American Revolution; sections devoted to Blacks in the American Revolution, Women in the American Revolution and Native Americans and the American Revolution; a selection of facts and additional biographies, entitled More About the American Revolution; and in index...

Liberty or Death: The American Revolution, 1763-1783 is an outstanding history of the Revolution for young people, presenting a fairly detailed and coherent picture of the major events and movements of the war, and highlighting many of the major people involved. Unlike the previous installment of The American Story series, A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution, which really ought to have come after this one, chronologically speaking, and which was published long before the series existed, this one appears to have been published after the series came into being, and was always meant to be part of that series. The blurb on the back cover states that the series "introduces America's history to young readers in an appealing picture book format," and that "each volume contains an objective and balanced account of a segment of America's history and tells of both the glories and tragedies of our past." I think that this description is entirely true, and I am in agreement with its analysis of these books, particularly as it concerns the balanced picture they give of the events in question. As I have mentioned in reviews of earlier books in the series, I appreciate the fact that the Maestros don't occlude less-than-admirable aspects of our history, whether that be slavery or the treatment of Native Americans, but that those aspects aren't allowed to dominate the entire narrative, as one feels they might today. The statement in the blurb that "these books encourage young readers to see history as a continuum—connected events that together form a meaningful whole," is also one I agree with. In sum, this is an engaging history for young people, being both well told and well illustrated, and is one I would recommend as a basic text for this subject, when teaching children—both in a classroom and homeschool setting. show less