It is a good thing I can type my review of this book because, having just finished reading it out loud to my kids, I have no voice left to TALK about it. For the same reason that I enjoy and appreciate all of Genevieve Foster's books, this book does a great job of taking a snapshot of what was happening around the globe during a period of time, Eastern and Western cultures included. I liked looking at early American history by making George Washington the focal point; lots of major events were covered, but made so much more interesting with the biographical focus.

This is the first of Genevieve Foster's World of... books, where the author not only recounts the life of a famous person, but also takes a look at what was happening around the world during their lifetime. In this case we get a peek into the world between the years of 1732 and 1799. It's an engaging book. Ms. Foster presents the information in a nice, storytelling style. I also enjoyed the illustrations, though they vaguely reminded me of the early Wonder Woman comics. The one odd thing about the copy I read is that it had been "expanded" in 1997 by Genevieve's daughter, Joanna. While the extra information, adding the contribution of non-white guys, makes for a richer book, you can sort of see the "seams" of the expansion. The flow between those sections and the older material doesn't always go smoothly. I think it becomes especially notable when slavery is mentioned. In some parts, a person's slaves are mentioned as a matter of course, in others, the notion of slavery is roundly condemned. But that's a small blemish in an otherwise excellent book. Whether it's for your kids or yourself, take time to check it out.

We have now read several of Genevieve Foster's "horizontal histories," featuring a detailed biography of a pivotal historical figure (in this case, George Washington) and then telling you what historical events were happening at the same time in their lives (like events in China and India and various counties in Europe at the same time Washington was leading the Continental Army or serving as the first POTUS). It's an excellent approach, and it fit neatly with the history we were studying in our homeschool history curriculum (The Story of the World, part 3, for anyone who is interested). Highly recommended, even though the book is rather dated, now . . .

I think the author accomplished nicely her goal, which was to give a general overview of the people and events in George Washington's lifetime for children.

A short and easy biography of George Washington. I thought this was a real page-turner. I enjoyed reading about his childhood and learning more about the early life of our country's first president.

I have now twice read this volume cover-to-cover for 8-year-old students going through the first of three passes on the time period. For the most part it is very useful in covering the important world events, but sometimes Foster seems to go on for too long on particular topics. The organization is excellent, dividing Washington's life into when he was a boy, a soldier, a farmer, the commander of the Continental Army, when he was "just a citizen," and then when he was president. We constantly return to Washington, and since he was such an important figure, it does not seem contrived to do this. The stories of others are mostly memorable, getting the names and places into the heads of young students. Specific years aren't overly stressed, but the juxtaposition of events helps keep track of when things were happening. I'll note that we supplement this text with many other books, videos, music, and art. Foster is just the jumping-off point for so much exploration.

There are two indexes included, one for people and one for places, nations, and events. I can't say I have ever used either of these. I could wish for bibliographies both for further reading and for listing what sources were consulted. There are occasionally rough maps found throughout the book, but it would be nice to have an appendix with the world, Europe, the Americas, and Asia at least in reasonable detail. If you don't happen to have a map or globe or an atlas handy, you are sure to find yourself flipping through trying to locate something to make do.

Speaking of maps, it will forever bother me that the copy that I own (first edition?) has the incorrect map of the 13 colonies (p.4), indicating Maine instead of New Hampshire. I mean, come on! This was corrected in subsequent printings. I have to think it was Alice Dalgliesh, children's book editor at Scribner's, who dropped the ball on catching this error. But it was 1941 - maybe we should just be grateful that we got anything. People had other things on their minds. It wasn't until 1944 that the next volume appeared.

I know there are others who still use and love this series. We use the worlds of Columbus, John Smith, William Penn, and Abe Lincoln as well as her Horseless Carriage and Flying Machine books. (Never done ancient history using her Augustus Caesar one, mostly because it is so isolated.) I really wish some ambitious and talented person would write "The World of Winston Churchill" in the same scope and style to cover world history from 1874 to 1965. Then it would be trivial to cover the post-Lincoln, pre-Churchill decade with a short work along the lines of Foster's The Year Of The Horseless Carriage, 1801 (it covers 1801 to 1821). I've had to cobble together a curriculum for the twentieth century, and I miss having an age-appropriate narrative spine for that era.

I have several historians that I like, but Genevieve Foster is one of my favorites. I love how her history book series ________'s world tells you not only what happened in the life of that person (for example George Washington), but it also introduces you to the other great people in the world at that time and let's you know the great events of the period. I feel like this gives us a more complete picture of history.

Our children read this series of book in their middle grade years for their history. Unlike most students, they love history. I think it has to do with the fact that for the most part they read real books instead of textbooks in their study of history.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Parts of it are very well written and had my kids on the edge of their seats. But the way it is laid out, jumping between character and scenarios all through the book, is quite confusing. My kids had a hard time keeping the more obscure characters straight and even I was lost at several points. Still glad we read it, but it could use some improvements.

There is a whole series of books like this. The books talk about all the events taking place in the world during the time period of the person. Really great for kids and adults wanting to learn more about history on an easy-to-read, fun level.

This book is a fantastic look at what is going on in USA during the American Revolution but also all around the world. We really enjoyed it. It also made me want to read a biography about almost all of the people in the book!

Read the full review here: http://newberyandbeyond.com/newbery-r...

This book offers information on the leaders and events around the world during the 1700s. Although you might think from the title that this book focuses mainly on American history, that’s not the case. Each chapter focuses on a different character from history, from Catherine the Great to George III to John and Abigail Adams. Although the Revolutionary War is the main event, the French Revolution, the Seven Years War, and other events and leaders from Russia to China to Australia to Africa are also included. The book is full of great drawings, maps, and musical snippets, so there’s a lot of visual interest (important in a history book of this length!).

At first I was put off by the cheery way most events and people are talked about (war, slavery, colonization, etc.), but later I started to appreciate the subtlety–none of the people discussed were wholly bad or good, and the author doesn’t shy away from mentioning the less savory aspects of our forefathers’ lives, even if she doesn’t dwell on them. The other thing I love about this book is that it was updated by the author’s daughter to add diversity. This book does a better job of discussing the roles of women, Native Americans, and African-Americans during this time period than you would expect, and I really appreciated that.

We loved this book from the moment we read the first paragraph. There are two ways to approach history, the chronological and topical. Ms. Foster's work is a welcome contribution to the topical approach.

While people unfamiliar with her format may assume the entire book is about Washington, it is really more about "his world". The introduction, which uses Washington's birth year, 1732 as a starting point, describes Washington's birth and family. From here, the book is divided into 5 sections. Each section features biography of Washington, but also chapters on the various people and events shaping the world in his time. This assists the student in contemplating what the world looked like *to a person living in that time*. Really masterful work.

People used to the topical approach may be frustrated by not having the entire story of Washington or Catherine the Great or John Adams told topically. But for the chronological study, this approach is a gold mind that highlights to even very young students that people's lives develop over time. The waiting to hear about a favorite character again is motivating to the student, while also causing them to contemplate the passage of years between stories (as well as cultivate patience!).

The line drawings are a nice enhancement and we have photocopied some for coloring while reading. The maps have been particularly useful as they seem to cover multiple sections. While they are, perhaps, not engaging enough for a child to sit beside the reader, they do make a nice complement to the text.

I highly recommend this book, and look forward to buying and utilizing other works by Genevieve Foster.

Please note: The bottom bar on this book says "Expanded Edition by Joanna Foster", so I am assuming additional chapters have been added beyond the initial publication.