Early Book Review: Build!: A Knight’s Castle Paper Toy Archaeology by Annalie Seaman, , Charlie Simpson

Build!: A Knight’s Castle Paper Toy Archaeology by Annalie Seaman is an interactive children's book that is currently scheduled for release on October 20 2015.  This puzzle-in-a-book invites kids ages 7 and older to pop out and assemble a stand-up castle complete with knights and battle equipment. Like real archaeologists, kids will interpret clues from medieval documents, paintings, maps, and ground surveys, and then apply their knowledge to excavate the site of a besieged castle and reconstruct both the castle and the battle scene, figuring out how the pieces of wall fit together, what's located inside the courtyard, how a trebuchet works, and much more. With the final setup of warring knights on horseback, the battle comes to life! This book offers hours of imaginative play so fascinating that kids won't even notice how much they're learning along the way.  

Build!: A Knight’s Castle Paper Toy Archaeology is a great way to make history and archaeology come alive for interested students. The book allows children to act as detective, builder, and archaeologists to build their own castle. They can read about castle life and battles while learning about how archaeologists work. The hands on action of popping out the pieces and building with engage readers and make the information become even more real for them. The reader must use their new-found knowledge of how the castle was laid out, and what siege engines looked like to figure out how to piece the paper scene together. This is a great way to get mildly interested kids much more involved in reading and learning about medieval times and/or the science of archaeology. 

Build!: A Knight’s Castle Paper Toy Archaeology is fantastic. Readers are given information about how archaeologists uncover remains, and use secondary sources.

Annalie Seaman, author of Build! A Knight’s Castle, is an archaeologist and educator. Passionate about sharing the extraordinary history of humanity with the next generation, she provides educational and experimental courses for both children and adults at the Sussex School of Archaeology. Seaman lives in Sussex, England.