Cleopatra By Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema

Summary
Ahead of her time, Cleopatra served as a conquering queen in 51 BC. She became Queen of Egypt at age 18, and by 20 years of age had been driven off of the throne. For such a young woman, she accomplished much, including loving two men who were killed (one murdered, one suicide) and acquiring quite a stockpile of riches and treasures. Who knows what the world would be like today if she had succeeded in conquering the world.

Analysis
It is important to note that all historical accounts of Cleopatra were written by her enemies. All literature that portrayed her any differently than a conniving, deceitful, and immoral, was destroyed and most likely the authors of those works were destroyed too. (Notes on Ancient Sources) It must also be noted that no one truly knows what Cleopatra looked like since all statues of her were destroyed. (Notes on Ancient Sources) These facts make this book by Stanley and Vennema even more impressive in that it takes a one-sided view of history and presents Cleopatra’s life story evenly and unbiased, and in an engaging manner. The authors present both her shortcomings and strengths equally, and through their descriptions provide a glimpse into the life of a famous woman from a very long time ago. This book is appropriate for 5th-12th graders.


Learning about Cleopatra was a fascination experience for me. I knew very little about her, and certainly everything I did know was biased against her. It never occurred to me what an accomplishment she had made just becoming a ruler in a time where women were not highly valued! I can’t imagine having your brother out to get you, which was the case for Cleopatra. The illustrations in the book are beautiful, and compliment the biography nicely. The mosaic tiles give the text an “authentic” feel and make this book appear more like a picture book than a biography book.

Key Words
ambitious, grandeur,scandalized, conspiracy, assaains, supremacy, beacon