Back to School with DK Canada–Part 6: Smithsonian History Year by Year

To celebrate the Back to School event in our lives, DK Canada is having a special limited time offer (30% off) on selected titles in their Back to School Boutique.  Consequently, to celebrate the Back to School time of the year, I will present you some of the titles found in the DK Canada Boutique in the week to come. 

Today, I want to highlights a special book that will give a bird’s eye view on the event that happened in history – the Smithsonian History Year By Year. 

About the book

History Year by Year presents the world through a detailed timeline, letting children follow the influences, patterns, and connections between historical events.

Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution and featuring more than 1,500 images, this illustrated book brings the story of the past to life. Beginning with prehistory and running up to the Arab Spring, budding historians will learn about the history of humans across the world. Spreads highlight major historical eras including the Renaissance and the French Revolution, while quotations from primary and secondary sources alongside insight from experts give proper historical context. Children will love the "child of the time" feature, telling the experience of children at important historical periods including Ancient Egypt, Viking England, the Industrial Revolution, and World War II.

History Year by Year is a visual journey throughout time and an invaluable reference for kids looking to connect the dots of history across the world.

My Thoughts

This new title from DK Canada will provide you not only an illustrated timeline through history but will also highlights the main events that happened during a specific period of time.   The book is packed photos, paintings, artifacts, graphs,  illustrations, maps, close-ups of items from that era as well as numerous archeological finds.     Specific historical events are highlighted in the book by being expanded in a two pages presentation.  For example if you want to know more about children’s lives during the Industrial Revolution you can read about how they worked in cotton mills in Europe and the USA.   I can’t imagine sending my kids to work in such places nowadays!

There are eight sections in this book:

• 3.5 MYA – 3000 BCE: Before history began – This is all about how civilization came to be (according to evolution).
• 3000  - 700 BCE: Really ancient history – Gods and temples, first writing, metal ages, and much more will be covered in this section.
• 700 BCE – 500 CE: Much more civilized – Sparta, Greek-Persian wars, Celtic warriors, Roman Empire, Pompeii and more will be highlighting your historical knowledge in this section.
• 500 – 1450: The marvelous Middles Ages – The Maya, Islam, The Crusades, Aztecs and Incas are only a few of the subjects touched in this section.
• 1450 – 1750: Exploring and reforming – This section will introduce you to the Renaissance, the age of exploration, the Ottoman Empire, the trial of Galileo, and other fascinating events during that time period.
• 1750 – 1850: Time for change – Explore the Industrial Revolution, the American Revolution, the French revolution, the slave trade, and much more.
• 1850 – 1945: Empires and World Wars – American Civil War, World War I, Great Depression, and World War II are some of the subject touched in this section.
• 1945 – present: Fast forward – In this section you will be exposed to the Cold War, the division of Berlin, the Civil Rights, exploring the moon, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Fall of Communism, apartheid, and much more.

At the present time, we are studying Greece and we are learning quite a bit about the wars during that time.   This book can provide visual images which will allow us to have a better understanding of the events during that time.   For example, in one of our readings we learned about the war elephants used in India when Alexandre the Great tried to conquer the area.    It’s interesting to see a terracotta statue of a mauryan war elephant which represent these war elephants. 

No matter what era you are studying with your children (or they are studying at school), I serious think that this book is a great reference to own at home.  Not only it is great for history but you can get more knowledgeable in history when you take the time to read the pages of this book.  There are literally numerous things we can learn in this book.     This book would be a great gift for whoever loves history in your life as well.  

If you want to find these titles and many more that could be interesting to supplement school works/studies as well as inform your kids on specific themes, I would suggest that you check out the Back to School Boutique at DK Canada.  Don’t forget that they offer 30% off on titles listed in this specific promotion. Click on the image below to discover the various titles found in the Back To School Boutique at DK Canada!

The title presented in this review are available for purchase at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

  

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.