Boudicca

Famous People Famous Lives

by Emma Fischel

Each title in this series tells the story of a man or woman whose dedication to their chosen cause led to changes that affect all our lives today. Each includes a vivid description of the world in which the famous person lived. This vivid narrative tells of how, two thousand years ago, when the Romans invaded Britain, not everyone went down without a fight. The book paints a picture of a wild Britain, of oppressed peoples and how one brave woman defied the might of Rome. Readers learn of how both the Romans and British lived, how they organised themselves, and how different peoples treated each other Brilliant line illustrations bring to life the excitement of battle and also the harshness and tragedy of defeat. The book is a handy companion to those readers learning about the Romans in Key Stage 2.

48 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 2000

About the author

Emma Fischel grew up in the country, the middle of five children, and had a happy, muddy childhood. She now lives in London and has three nearly grown-up children of her own – two boys and one girl, all very tall, and extremely useful at changing light bulbs she can’t reach. Emma writes both fiction and non-fiction. Her books have been published by Bloomsbury, Usborne, Watts, and others.

Reviews

[Jashim Uddin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boudicca by Emma Fischel

This book tells the story of Boudicca whose dedication for her cause has led to changes that affect all our lives today. Its includes description of the world in which Boudicca lived. The book gives a narrative of how, two thousand years ago, when the Romans invaded Britain, not everyone went down without a fight. The book paints a picture of a wild Britain, of oppressed peoples and how one brave woman defied the might of Rome.

The book explains how the romans invaded south eastern Britain and how the Iceni tribe (with Prasutagus as king), like several other tribes, made a treaty with the Romans. Which meant the Romans allowed them to keep most of their independence as long as they stayed friendly.
The book describes how Boudicca was a simple girl of royal descent who grew up in traditional Celtic Roundhouse. She was taught the history of the Celts and her tribe, traditions, culture and religion. She then married King Prasutagus of the Iceni tribe and had two daughters. Life was all good for a while until King Prasutagus passed away.

When King Prasutagus died he left a will, stating half his wealth and land was for the emperor (the Romans) and the other half for his daughters. And left Boudicca to reign as queen. This then lead to a series of events which included the Roman's taking over King Prasutagus's kingdom and wealth.

While the Romans continued to take lands and goods, Boudicca then wanted revenge. She was the first female known leader and was an inspiration during her time. Boudicca got together with other angry Iceni leaders as well as the leaders of the neighbouring kingdom and planned a rebellion. Boudicca’s rebel army then attacked Roman occupied towns starting with Camulodunum (Colchester), then Londinium (now London) and lastly Verulamium (now St. Albans). Boudicca's desire for a country free of Romans was becoming a reality or so she sadly thought. The book ends with the sad death of Boudicca.

The book is more suitable for children learning about the Romans in Key Stage 2. The book allows the reader to learn how both the Romans and British lived, how they organised themselves, and how different peoples treated each other.

This book provides great cross curricular links between English, History and geography. Children can write their own stories based on the life events of Boudicca. They can then used that to role play their stories and bring it to life. This incorporates all types of learners visual, audio and kinetic. This book is a good example of a role model which children can learn from. It allows children’s to review how things were in the past and bring it to life. It can also be used in English as a comprehension to reinforce the key events from the book.

Overall I think this is an excellent book and has great potential for cross curricular links.

[Ciaran Mcnamee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this text with my year 3 class during a term when we studied the Romans. It is short enough to be read in two or three input sessions. The book isn't that attractive - the pictures a bit dull and are in black and white - but it is functional.