Volume 2 picks up where Volume 1 left off, and tells the fascinating story of the "Dark Ages," from the fall of Rome through the Renaissance. Like the preceding book, this story of history doesn't limit itself to a dry, white-bread-without-the-crusts retelling of a primarily European history, instead it is a rich, whole-wheat blend of European, Indian, Chinese, Australian, Arabic, Japanese, Jewish, Mongolian, Turkish, African, Russian, Australian and American history during the period. Fascinating topics abound here, including knights, samurai, Vikings, the rise of Islam, the Crusades, Genghis Khan and the Mongols, the Plague, the Mayans, the Incas, Marin Luther, the Reformation, the discovery of the Americas, and much more. A timeline and an index are included at the back. This volume was revised in 2007; 2nd edition text is available in hardcover and paperback, and activity book is paperback.

Customer Reviews

 
Kim H. from Nazareth, PA wrote the following on 08/03/2007:
My daughter used to complain about history until we got this book. She is really interested in the stories (and so am I!) and doesn't complain about history any more. We used the activity book the 1st year, but didn't do everything. Mostly, we read some of the suggested books in there. This year I am only getting the test book to use as review of what she reads. She was 10 when she did this book, and we did the 2nd also, and now will be doing the 3rd this year. My daughter is very visual, but even though this doesn't have many pictures it didn't matter, since the stories are so interesting. She comes back to tell me things she read in the book, so I know she's retaining the information and understanding it, which she didn't in the more traditional history textbooks we used to do.

 
Teresa D. from Round Rock, Texas wrote the following on 10/25/2007:
The story format of this history text is interesting and short enough for my first grader, but I could see that an older child would get a lot deeper with the same material. I would strongly suggest the activity book to go with the history text if only for the matching maps and coloring sheets. I think that as my daughter colors a picture of what I am reading about-- while I read it-- that she is paying attention on multiple levels instead of her mind wandering. The texts are short enough for a single session, with each chapter broken into manageable chunks. As an adult I really appreciate the worldwide take on history-- not just Europe in here!