Gary Northfield, Rumble with the Romans! (Julius Zebra #1), Walker Books, 1 May 2015, 288pp., $17.99 (hbk), ISBN 978 1 4063 5492 8
Julius the Zebra is a naughty boy. He refuses to drink at the dirty waterhole in the Serengeti, and when he is running home he is captured by the Roman soldiers. With other African animals he is taken to the Colosseum, where he and his friends are trained to fight the gladiators. It’s touch and go for Julius, and he soon learns how unpleasant the whole business can be.
Northfield has illustrated each page with comic drawings of Julius, Cornelius the warthog, Felix the giraffe, Milus the lion, Lucia the crocodile and the various Romans who are intent on killing them. Any seven or eight year old who is discovering that reading can be fun will enjoy Julius’s escapades. Information is supplied with a light touch and plenty of wit, so they may also learn about the mighty Roman empire and its impact on language, number and place. There will be more adventures for Julius before Mr Northfield is finished, as a series is promised.
reviewed by Stella Lees