Famous Figures of Ancient Times is a thick book with a colorful cover that catches your eye and makes you interested in what is inside. Famous Figures of Ancient Times, with figures that are easy to put together and use, offers a hands-on approach to learning about historical people. The first thing you may notice about this book is the high quality of the paper used for the figures. They are on heavy cardstock that will put up with play and use during lessons. You have two options: the full color images or the black-and-white outline figures that can be colored in by yourself or a child. The full color versions are in brilliant colors that seem to pop off the page and ask to be cut out and played with. The black and white drawings allow the imagination to reign in determining what color such things as a robe or crown should be.

There are step-by-step directions at the front of the book. This lets you know what supplies you need and gives instruct in preparing and assembling the figures. To make preparation even easier, the pages are perforated for ready removal from the book. You will want to have on hand: coloring tools or paints, scissors, 1/8" hole punch, 1/8" mini brads, brass fasteners, or 1/8" eyelets and a setting tool if you choose to use eyelets. From there it's just a matter of cutting out the images, punching holes, and using your choice of fasteners for the figures’ joints to make them movable.

There are 20 figures to put together and they include such individuals as Narmer, Moses, Nebuchadnezzar II, a Greek Hoplite, Hannibal and his elephant, Jesus, and others. You will also find a brief biography of each person at the front of the book so that children can act out their stories or create new ones.

This book offers an enjoyable way to add to traditional history studies and make them more understandable. The publisher states that no copies may be made, which may be a deterrent to large families that want each child to make a figure. If it would cause problems to only have one figure per family, then you would purchase additional books or simply handle assembly yourself, letting the children share in their play. This book is well worth the investment, especially for children who learn by tactile interaction or by doing arts and crafts to retain information.