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Gr 5-9
This title takes readers on a whirlwind tour of 4.5 million years of history, broken into six chronological chapters. Each one is divided into two-page sections with DK's signature sprinkling of text and visually arresting graphics. Samples from "The Middle Part" (400-1399) include "the birth of Islam," "a frank interview with Charlemagne," and "Medieval mall." Sections are variously formatted as games, Web sites, newspapers, comics, art, maps, and pages from books. Some of the spreads are stunningly creative, presenting episodes from history in immensely appealing style. Others are so cluttered that they are difficult to read. In some cases, tiny print and dark backgrounds render the content almost indecipherable. Occasionally, the cheeky presentation is jarringly out of sync with serious subjects ("Rock out at a gory Aztec festival"). There is abundant fictionalizing of thoughts and dialogue of historical figures and personification of artifacts, e.g., two Easter Island statues discuss the 2000-mile voyage of their Polynesian builders. The lack of extensive coverage on any particular topic makes this book unsuitable for research, and its hefty size may deter browsers. An annotated table of contents and an index of the major topics make the content accessible. This title may find an audience with fans of Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley's Believe It Or Not!-Amy Pickett, Ridley High School, Folsom, PA
ShoppingQueen
Posted February 17, 2009
I bought this book for my son when we were in Barnes and Noble just looking around. The cover caught my son's eye and we browsed through the book together in the store. My son immediately loved it. Whe we got home we started reading it together and I was amazed not only with the beautiful pictures but all the information that was put into this book. So many items in the book "brought me back" to when I was younger. Some things I had forgotten about but after reading reminded me of when I was growing up. Whether you are older and lived through these things growing up or whether you are younger and hearing about these things for the very first time, this book is a true winner. This book is chock full of information on everything and keeps the readers attention throughout. This book was a little more money because it is hardcover but well worth every penny. If your child loves to read and learn about new and different things from the past, then this book is for them. Additionally, it gives kids a catalyst of things to talk about and engage each other in conversation instead of sitting in front the television or playing video games. Try it, you won't be sorry.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Kimmy908
Posted December 19, 2009
I Also Recommend:
This book is fantastic. The reason why is if you need to find a certain year, just look at the top right corner and it tells you what year they're talking about. I recommend it for kids with history projects. This book makes history really fun! For kids ages 8+.
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Overview
Discover the history of the world through the unlikeliest of channels: newscasts from 1492, the blog of ...