Interview with Cleopatra & Other Famous Rulers by Andy Seed

Interview with Cleopatra & Other Famous Rulers by Andy Seed

By Andy Seed (author) , Gareth Conway (illustrator) Part of the Interview With series

"Time-travelling interviews with some of the biggest names in history!"

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Fresh from his success interviewing a tiger and other clawed beasts, in the book of that name , Andy Seed adapts his tranimalator into a time machine and heads into history to put searching questions to the likes of Cleopatra, Boudica, Harald Bluetooth and Akbar the Great. These famous rulers might be nonplussed to find a nosy interviewer from the future turning up with a microphone, but they answer his questions honestly and even put up with his terrible jokes.

It’s lots of fun, but packed full of facts and historical information too. There are lively black and white illustrations on every page, pictures of the characters and their homes plus maps, making it even more accessible, and there’s a quiz at the end to test your knowledge. This succeeds in the same way that the Horrible Histories series does, bringing history alive in a thoroughly memorable and appealing way.

If you could go back in time and talk to famous rulers from the past, what would you ask? Brave animal interviewer and author Andy Seed has adapted his incredible 'tranimalator' device into a time machine, allowing him to go back and talk to all kinds of figures from history!

Read the full description

Get to know 10 famous rulers who take time out of their busy schedules to answer all sorts of (very nosy) questions about their actions and unique perspectives. Discover the good, the bad, and the unexpected as each ruler reveals the truth about their lives - and attempts to find out about the future! In this fun and fact-filled book, bite-sized text in a question-and-answer format is paired with engaging illustrations, perfect for reluctant readers and humour-seeking history fans.

Featuring interviews with Cleopatra, Alexander the Great, Boudicca, Hadrian, Harald Bluetooth, Genghis Khan, Montezuma II and more - plus bonus facts about key events in each ruler's life. Perfect for fans of the Horrible Histories books, this series offers a fun, fresh take on history, featuring true stories from historical figures from across the world.

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to talk to animals, check out Andy Seed's Interview with a Tiger and Other Clawed Beasts Too and Interview with a Shark and Other Ocean Giants Too .

Andy Seed is an author and poet. He writes memoirs, funny poems and humorous non-fiction books as well as all sorts of things for teachers. Two of his greatest passions are cheese and table tennis, which he feels sure could be combined somehow one day. Andy lives on the side of a hill in the woolly wilds of North Yorkshire where he grows comedy vegetables and the best weeds for miles around. He also loves visiting schools and getting children reading for enjoyment. Andy's most popular book for adults is All Teachers Great and Small and his most popular book for children is The Silly Book of Side-Splitting Stuff , which won the 2015 Blue Peter Best Book with Facts Award.

Read a Q&A with Andy Seed:

Describe your book in about 15 words:

A fun guide to being a nature detective and discovering animals from the clues they leave behind.

How do you get the ideas for your books, especially The Clue is in the Poo?

I spend a lot of time with kids and I know the types of things that interest them and also parents and teachers. I read a lot, do research at the library, travel around a lot and explore wild places (and get lost a lot). I also collect interesting snippets and facts and true stories that can be used to make good books. And then it’s a case of adding some funny bits, maybe a splash of silliness and making it enjoyable to read. With ‘The Clue is in the Poo’ I borrowed lots of big detailed books about animal tracks and signs from my local library and used them to learn things I didn’t know. Then I walked around the forest where I live and I looked at the kinds of things that children are most likely to come across and be interested in. Then I added facts about dangerous and very large, exotic creatures, to add a thrill element, and there was a book that was useful, enjoyable and interesting.

What is your favourite children’s book? Both right now and when you were a child. Why?

Right now, I think The Iron Man by Ted Hughes is just a great, simple, powerful story. When I was young it was Stig of the Dump – it took you into a magical, wild and adventurous world. My current fact-book fav is The Usborne Official Astronaut’s Handbook (Louie Stowell) – this combines brilliantly info, wit, stories, great illustrations and expert knowledge. Outstanding.

Why are books important to you?

Stories give you a chance to enter another world and learn about other people and happenings you’ll probably never encounter. But for a time you are there, in it, living it. Our minds when we read great stories paint far more vivid pictures than any digital screen ever will.

Factual books I love too: true stories (biographies and memoirs) tell us about real amazing lives and events. Then who doesn’t love a wacky random fact or a clever explanation of the way that some small part of the world or nature works? And if a book can make me laugh too then that’s the best thing of all: we all need to giggle.

And poetry is wonderful too: playing with words to bring alive wit and fun and power.

Choose one thing that you would like your readers to take away after reading your book:

That there are clues to wildlife activity everywhere – and even a pile of poo can tell you a lot!

Did anything surprising happen during the writing of your book?

Living on the edge of a forest I was able to go for walks and see loads of the clues I was writing about and now I notice a lot more than I used to. On one of these research rambles I came face to face with a very big and fierce-looking wild boar. Luckily it didn’t consider me worth mangling!

No more Non-Fiction! - You Couldn’t Make It Up says Andy Seed, award-winning author of over 30 fact books for children.

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The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Interview with Cleopatra & Other Famous Rulers and determined it is suitable for children aged 5-8 years old

Interview with Cleopatra & Other Famous Rulers features in the following genres: Featured Books for 5+ readers, Recommendations, History, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, People / Places, Featured Books for 7+ readers

Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. Not Available.

Interview with Cleopatra & Other Famous Rulers was written by Andy Seed and published by Welbeck Children's Books an imprint of Welbeck Publishing Group

Interview with Cleopatra & Other Famous Rulers has 128 pages

Yes it is part of Interview With series

£7.19, reduced from £7.99. Not Available.

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