A guest on CBC-Radio once observed that the reason children love dinosaurs is because they are “big, fierce, and dead.” This partially explains the popularity of Shelley Tanaka’s “I Was There” series, especially last year’s Graveyard’s of the Dinosaurs. In the series, which includes Discovering the Iceman, The Buried City of Pompeii, and On Board the Titanic, Tanaka retells some of the greatest stories in history. Her latest, The Lost Temple of the Aztecs, describes the speedy conquest of the mighty Aztec empire by the Spanish leader Cortes. She also describes the discovery of important artifacts buried long ago. For Tanaka, the process of understanding is half the story, setting this series apart from other books on the same subject.

The Lost Temple of The Aztecs is beautifully designed and illustrated. It makes effective use of the picture book format and is a good example of how non-fiction can work outside the classroom when it is well presented. Greg Ruhl’s paintings are filled with light and colour and drama. In one breathtaking illustration, he recreates the beauty of the Great Temple, returning the ancient empire to its former glory and reinforcing the tragedy of its fall.

In addition to its presentation, one of the book’s greatest assets is Tanaka’s talent for pacing information. She begins with the initial discovery of the lost temple’s ruins and then takes the reader back to the first contact between the Spanish and the Aztecs. The story unfolds in chronological order, but with pauses to explain certain details, often in text boxes and accompanied by full-colour photographs. Unlike many books in this encyclopedia-inspired format, however, these digressions do not cause the reader to lose the thread of the story, and can be read as it unfolds or saved until the end. There is a glossary at the back for quick reference.

Throughout, the main text is balanced and engaging. Tanaka manages to make human sacrifice sound noble – if grotesque – and conveys the Spanish leader’s admiration for the Aztecs, even as he conspires to destroy them. Her chief historical consultant is Eduardo Matos Montezuma, a direct descendant of the ill-fated emperor, a fact that lends both credibility and a sense of realism.

The Lost Temple of the Aztecs is a worthy addition to the “I Was There” series, a well-told story about a larger-than-life event.