Review by Booklist Review
The Understanding World History series first lays out the sequence of events in each period of history and then explains how these events shaped what happened next. Each title begins with a time line, helping students fix the period of history in their minds while providing them with a broad overview. Titles also include an annotated list of important people in the back matter. Page designs incorporate a parchment-paper background, and many of the illustrations are by artists of the period and often include maps and boxes to highlight particular subjects. Students with an appetite for the grisly will especially enjoy The Black Death, with its vivid descriptions of the disgusting living conditions and shocking medical treatments used by medieval people to combat the incredibly deadly disease. These concise treatments of important historical subjects should help students get a firmer grasp on what happened when, and why we still care.--Dove Lempke, Susan Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 7-10-These well-researched volumes deliver chronological overviews and include full-color art reproductions, photos, and maps. In The Black Death, readers learn the surprising benefits of depopulation and how technology, medicine, and even religion changed as a result of this tragic epidemic. Just one quibble: while it briefly covers the beginnings of the plague in Asia and the many people killed there, the bulk of the book is about the impact of the disease on Europe. For a title in a series on world history, one would hope for more balance. The second book opens with an excellent overview of the circumstances that came together to inspire a Renaissance. Each volume includes an introduction to the topic, an evaluation of the conditions leading up to the event, several chapters on the event itself divided by topic, a final chapter discussing the legacy, source notes, and short biographies of important people. Of note are the "Legacy" chapters, which help readers see the enormous impact that history has on the way we live today. There is nothing flashy in these volumes, just good, solid writing; quality illustrations; and well-organized information.-Heather Acerro, Rochester Public Library, MN (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.