Two children survive the destruction of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, buried beneath the ashes when nearby Mt. Vesuvius erupted, in this engaging work of picture-book historical fiction. An alert and active boy, Tranio was the son of an actor, and was out and about when the earth in his home city began to tremble. He immediately set out in search of his friend Livia, the baker's daughter, and when the sky turned dark and began to rain down ashes, the two fled to the harbor, where they found safety on a ship setting sail. Behind them was their home and their families, soon to disappear forever...

I am a great admirer of the work of author/artist Christina Balit, and have enjoyed many of her books, from the wonderful folkloric and mythological retellings she has illustrated for other authors, to her own Atlantis: The Legend of the Lost City, which she both wrote and illustrated. I tracked down Escape from Pompeii - it had to be requested through interlibrary loan - because of this fondness for Balit's work, and I was not disappointed. The story is engaging - sure to please young adventure lovers, it also gives the basic outline of the historical story of the destruction of Pompeii, something explored in more detail in the author's afterword. The artwork is, as expected, simply gorgeous, with a rich, orange and yellow-dominated color palette, and Balit's trademark stylized figures. Recommended to picture-book readers who enjoy historical fiction and/or stories of survival, as well as to anyone looking for supplemental titles to be used in a teaching unit on Roman history and/or Pompeii. For myself, I will have to see if I can track down a non-fiction children's book about this topic, that could pair well with this fictional tale. ( )

Tranio loved to watch all the goings on in Pompeii. He was in awe of his beautiful city but even more in awe of the city’s great protector Mount Vesuvius. There were many earthquake tremors, which no one took seriously until it was too late. Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii. Tranio and Livia barely escaped. They were rescued and taken in by a kind Greek captain to live out the rest of their days. Many years later they returned to Pompeii to place flowers underneath an orange tree and pay tribute to the many people who lost their lives the day Mount Vesuvius erupted. I loved the illustrations throughout the book. The last page has a really powerful message about the death of the people of Pompeii. It speaks volumes! ( )

I truly enjoyed this book. I love history and Pompeii has always been an interest of mine. The book has sad moments, of course, no one can change the terrible thing that happened to all of those people. The art in the book was my favorite part because it resembled Roman art. There was one picture that touched me the most, the illustrator drew Pompeii burried under new land but made sure the reader could still see the houses and the people who were trapped there. When anthropologist and archeologist started to discover Pompeii's remains, this is exactly what it must of looked like seeing it from a cut side view of the city. Althoough this was a sad event, the author did a great job making a sweet story out of it. ( )

One thing I really thought made this book great were the illustrations they were colorful and used colors like orange, blue, red, green, and a few hints of purple. The patterned borders on the edges of the pages re beautiful and only add to the book. The details in the illustrations are almost enough for this story to tell itself, but the text is still necessary. In this book, Pompeii is hit by a natural disaster, a volcanic eruption. The town is filled with smoke and ash, choking and covering the town. People were upset and devastated. Many lost their lives and their homes. This is very personal for me, as I lost everything I had in Hurricane Katrina. My family was devastated and found ways to cope with the loss. We rebuilt and came back stronger, but I cannot say the same for Pompeii. It is a city that will never be forgotten. I found the cover of this book to be very interesting and eye catching. The colors and fear on the faces of the children is there and the dark cloud of dust and ash in the rough water makes the reader think and feel. I think this is a great book to read to children because it can teach them about the town of Pompeii and the culture of the people who resided there. This book can expose children to culture and ways to handle natural disasters, as in Louisiana, we are not strangers to them. I distinctly remember learning about this topic in school and I think a book like this would have made the lesson more engaging and interesting, from a students perspective. ( )

Escape From Pompeii is the story of a young boy, Tranio, who lived in the ancient city of Pompeii. The colorful artwork, along with the descriptive story-line, gives readers an idea of what the city (which was covered in layers of volcanic ash and not discovered for 1,700 years) may have been like from a young boy's perspective. At the beginning of the story, Tranio and his friend Livia are two happy kids, playing and enjoying life in Pompeii. Little do they know, the volcano is about to erupt, and their lives will be changed forever. They manage to escape by boat, but their friends and family perish in the aftermath of Mount Vesuvius' eruption. ( )