Product Description

What terrible secret was buried in Shi Huangdi's tomb? Did nomads like lizard stew? What happened to Anansi the Spider in the Village of the Plantains? And how did a six-year-old become the last emperor of Rome?

Told in a straightforward, engaging style that has become Susan Wise Bauer's trademark, The Story of the World series covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. This first revised volume begins with the earliest nomads and ends with the last Roman emperor. Newly revised and updated, The Story of the World, Volume 1 includes maps, a new timeline, more illustrations, and additional parental aids.

This read-aloud series is designed for parents to share with elementary-school children. Enjoy it together and introduce your child to the marvelous story of the world's civilizations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2196 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-26
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 350 pages

Homeschooling in Japan, January 2002
"This may well be the best multiage read aloud narrative of world history yet to have been written. "

Cafi Cohen, author of Homeschooling The Teen Years
This works wonderfully as a family read-aloud... There's plenty of dialogue and enough detail to keep adults interested.

Cathy Duffy, author of Christian Home Educator's Manual: Elementary Grades and co-author of Beyond Survival: A Guide to Abundant-Life Homeschooling
This is a basic history resource from which you can build a complete study for the early grades.

Customer Reviews

Fundamentally Flawed
I'm not even going to get into how bad this book needs a copy editor. It reads like it was rushed (far prematurely) into print.

This book was so bad that it made me view all the other Wise/Bauer works through a new, gimlet eye.

I have edited this review extensively, because having thought it over, I think that this book's premise is a poor one after all. I think that it reads disjointedly and muddles facts because it skips around so much- it reads like "Here's five chapters on the Middle East. Meanwhile, over in China..."

I think that it makes more sense to study the history of a particular culture, nation, or area. In other words, use geography as the spine. Trying to tell what was going on all over the world during any given year (or century) is going to be haphazard most of the time.

Very good resource
Only one caution, there are some map inaccuracies in the workbook. Ninevah is on the wrong side of the Tigris river on two of the worksheets. Very nice foundation for young children; mine look forward to reading every day.

Lacks a Providential view of His-Story....
Right from the beginning, with the "definition" of history you are given the author's world view. History is treated as a series of facts, events, and people-thereby glorifying man and his knowledge and successes APART from a Providential view of history which recognizes God's Hand in history- properly defined has His Story!

As for the writing style-the narrative is most appropriate for early elementary. The narrative is engaging for that age set and could be self read, though it lends itself to a read-aloud.

Overall, this volume is inappropriate for a Christian home educator. I would look into something from Foundation for American Christian Education, Mantle Ministries, Beautiful Feet Books or the like in lieu.