The Story of People: A First Book About Humankind
Condensing the entirety of human history into such a slim volume to make it accessible to children is an amazing feat, but one which the writers and illustrator have managed with aplomb. The scope of the book is necessarily broad, as it covers from the dawn of time to the present day, and is the third book in a series following on from The Story of Life and The Story of Space. All of the major events in history are covered, from our origins, our differences and wars, to our inventions and technological advances, with a speculative look at how we can best manage our resources in the future.
The full-page illustrations are lively, bright and engaging, the text is informative, but easy to read. This is an amazing resource for primary school children, allowing them to visualise historical events clearly and without confusion. The authors have experience in the field, Catherine Barr studied ecology and worked at Greenpeace before becoming the editor at the Natural History Museum, she is the author of the first two books in this series. Steve Williams is a biologist and bee-keeper who teaches science. Amy Husband has won the Cambridgeshire Children’s Book Award in 2010 and also wrote and illustrated Dear Santa.
Highly recommended.
