The drama and fascination of natural disasters provide prime material to entice young independent readers, particularly those who prefer stories based on true incidents. In this volume of the Step into Reading series, the account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius describes village life 2000 years ago, including the activities of """"the family who lived in one of the biggest houses. . . . The father began to dress. His slave helped him.'' From this noncommittal narration readers glean many facets of an ancient lifestyle, reinforced by deft pastel illustrations. Meanwhile, tension mounts; we know ``something terrible is going to happen.'' The eruption and its aftermath are vividly described, as is the excitement when the buried town is rediscovered centuries later. A lively and factual glimpse of a devastating moment in history, in an accessible, attractive package. Ages 6-8. (October)

K-Gr 3 A flawed attempt at conveying a complex historical subject to inexperienced readers. Information about Pompeii is conveyed in one long narrative arbitrarily divided into three chapters. There is a brief description of what a volcano is and how it works, followed by a fictionalized account of what the people in Pompeii were doing on the day of the eruption and what happened to the inhabitants when Vesuvius blew up. The final chapter gives some information about the rediscovery of Pompeii and its excavation by archaeologists. In an attempt to simplify the ideas in the book, Kunhardt has oversimplified the prose. Sentences are choppyalmost joltingand reminiscent of a basal reader. Pronunciation guides are given in the text in a jarring manner: ``These pictures are called mosaics. Say: mo-ZAY-iks.'' The cartoonlike illustrations are colorful and attractive, but they are not clearly drawn or labeled. This book doesn't work as a picture book or as nonfiction. Libraries would do better to wait for better quality easy history books to come along. Ellen Loughran, Brooklyn Public Lib .