I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned to you before that history was a dreaded subject for me throughout school because it was pretty much taught out of a textbook. Little did I know it at the time, but one textbook is pretty much like one piece of a very large puzzle. How can a person possibly be expected to see the whole picture if most of the pieces are missing?
Textbooks have come a long way since then, but it's still almost impossible for any one resource to cover the entire range and scope of any given topic, even if you have the most enthusiastic teacher. That's why, when I started to seek out children's literature to teach the subject, what was once dread suddenly turned to fascination!
When it comes to history, there are some authors who are literally able to pull the world into their books. They have a passion for the topic and go to great lengths to find true stories, primary source (authentic) documents, photographs, and even paintings to provide you with many different - and real - points of view. The facts are presented to inspire you to ask more questions, instead of simply memorizing answers.
That's why, when I read School Library Journal's Who Sailed the Ocean Blue? I got really excited! The article includes many extraordinary picture books about Christopher Columbus and the Age of Exploration. Usually I'm the one seeking out the very best children's books relating to a particular topic (and I go to great lengths to do so), so it's so nice to find that someone else has done the research for me!
While I have not been able to find the time to actually take a look at all of the books mentioned in the article, I was able to get my hands on a copy of The World Made New: Why the Age of Exploration Happened & How It Changed the World, by Marc Aronson & John W. Glenn. As I just flip through it, I can tell you that it is of the same astounding quality that every National Geographic book I've ever looked at is. Here are just a few of the things I love about this book right off the bat:
- Stunning photographs, artwork, maps, and other primary source documents are included. It's like visiting a museum without the trip!
- Chapters are grouped into 3 parts: "Causes, What Happened, and "Consequences."
- Detailed time lines are provided in each chapter, which will allow readers to piece together the different events and see the big picture.
- There's a biographical dictionary of explorers, a glossary, an index, and most importantly, a comprehensive list of sources and recommended web sites for children and teachers.
You'll want to read this book along with your child a section at a time. It's most appropriate for the 9 to 14 age range.
For children between the ages of 7 and 9, you might want to bring some science into the subject with Animals Christopher Columbus Saw: An Adventure in the New World, by Sandra Markle. There's a related Teacher's Guide in pdf format that has some wonderful curriculum ideas for grades 2 through 4.
An older resource for the same age range is Betsy and Giulio Maestro's The Discovery of the Americas, which would go along nicely with The Story of Money, which is also by Betsy Maestro.
If you or your children don't really have an interest in history, maybe one of these books will be the spark you need to fire up your interest in it. Sometimes, all it takes is that one right book...
And sometimes, a little research and a trip to the public library can do you and your family a world of good.
Please let me know what you think of any of these books!
