“The castle stands high on a rocky hill. It has tall towers, thick stone walls, doors of wood and iron, and a wide moat. There is NO welcome mat!” An exciting offering for advanced beginning readers is an adaptation of David Macaulay’s earlier work Castle (Houghton Mifflin, 1977) into a whole new form. The writing and layout keep the needs of beginning readers clearly in mind, including short lines of text, simple sentence structure, and ample spacing. But the interests of kids who prefer nonfiction to fiction are also at the forefront. And like the best nonfiction writing, this is wholly engaging, in this case incorporating plenty of information into the second-person narrative (“You are deep within the castle. Welcome to the inner ward”), and some wonderful moments of humor, too. Macaulay’s artwork details both the architectural and human dimensions of a narrative that concludes with a glossary and index. (Ages 4–7)

Take a tour of a medieval castle.

Every part of the castle has a function. Walls keep the enemy out. Towers protect the lord and the soldiers. From the moat and portcullis to the great hall and dungeon, see how a castle works as an enemy army tries to storm the walls.

Castle: How It Works is a Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2012