Julius Zebra: Rumble with the Romans!

Written and illustrated by Gary Northfield

A fun and exciting way to explore the Roman Empire, this story about an unlikely hero will have kids wanting to be gladiators. Julius, a rebellious zebra, gets caught all alone at the local watering hole. When he is captured by Roman soldiers, he finds himself insulted, boxed, and transported a long way across land and onto a boat. He talks to and befriends other animals. Even the humans understand what Julius and the other animals are saying. Through a series of silliness, Julius is trained as a gladiator and is due to appear at the birthday celebration for Emperor Hadrian. There are a lot of details and terms that relate directly to the gladiator world, if you can weed out the obvious absurdities. The cartoonish illustrations add to the excitement and actually make this almost a graphic novel. Children younger than third graders would have fun reading this with a parent or teacher to learn more about Rome. An enjoyable read all around.

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  • Julius ZebraTitle: Julius Zebra: Rumble with the Romans
  • Author/Illustrator: Gary Northfield
  • Published: Candlewick Press, 2016
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
  • Grade Level: 2 to 5
  • Genre: Creative, fantastical historical novel, humor
  • ISBN: 978-0-7636-7853-1
  • Extras: Primer on Roman numerals, extensive glossary

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