You certainly discover more about your country as you move from wealthy households to temples before finally ending up leading a life of hard labour. The humorous cartoon-style illustrations and the narrative approach encourage readers to get emotionally involved with the characters, aiding their understanding of what life would have been like being a Sumerian slave. Informative captions, a complete glossary and an index make this title an ideal introduction to the conventions of non-fiction texts for young readers. It fits into KS2 History and is an ideal text for the shared and guided reading for Key Stage 2 pupils within the framework of the National Literacy Strategy. It also helps to achieve the goals of the Scottish Standard Curriculum 5-14.

Jacqueline Morley studied English at Oxford University. She has taught English and History and is the author of numerous books, including award-winning historical non-fiction titles for children. David Antram was born in Brighton in 1958. He studied at Eastbourne College of Art and then worked in advertising for 15 years before becoming a full-time artist. He has illustrated many children's non-fiction books.