Easter Island

by Arnold, Caroline

• ISBN13: 9780618486052
• ISBN10: 0618486054
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-10-23
• Publisher: Sandpiper

Summary

In about A.D. 400, a group of seafarers reached a small, isolated island in Polynesia and founded a new settlement. They developed a rich and complex culture that lasted more than a thousand years. The population eventually declined, and soon all that remained were a few inhabitants and hundreds of mysterious giant stone statues in varying stages of disrepair. Caroline Arnold explains how archeologists and other scientists and scholars have pieced together a history of Easter Island by studying its natural resources, listening to family stories and Polynesian legends, and examining the statues and other clues the people left behind. Photographs, taken by the author, provide a stunning visual accompaniment to this clear and concise account of one of the most remote--and fascinating--places on earth. GLOSSARY, BIBLIOGRAPHY, INDEX.

Author Biography

Caroline Arnold always loved books, but as a child she never thought of writing as a career. Born in Pittsburgh, she grew up in Minneapolis and studied art at Grinnell College and the University of Iowa. "It was only after my children were born that I became acquainted with children's books and it occurred to me that I could use my training to become a children's book illustrator. I soon realized that I needed a text to go with the pictures, and the more I wrote, the more I realized that I liked writing as much as or more than drawing. I've always been fascinated by the natural world and love to go to the parks and museums. Perhaps that is why so many of my books are about scientific topics." Arnold is now the award-winning author of more than 100 books for children. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, a neuroscientist, and teaches writing at UCLA Extension. For more information visit www.carolinearnoldbooks.com.

Table of Contents

Island in the Middle of the Sea	p. 4
The First Settlers	p. 10
The Legend of Hotu Matu'a	p. 12
Daily Life	p. 14
Stone Altars	p. 20
Giant Stone Statues	p. 23
Making the Moai	p. 26
Moving the Moai	p. 30
Topknots and Eyes	p. 32
Woodcarving	p. 34
The Rongorongo Tablets	p. 35
The Birdman Competition	p. 36
Drawings on Stone	p. 39
The End of Paradise	p. 40
After the Arrival of Europeans	p. 42
Easter Island Today	p. 44
Glossary	p. 46
Index	p. 47
For Further Information	p. 48
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