The Century for Young People by Peter Jennings

[LaughingCat]

I got this out of the library and at first glance I really like the looks of it - lots of pictures, relatively short but seemingly interesting commentary (at a glance) and a personal pieces by different people. I was wondering if anyone had used it as a spine to do rabbit trails off of? Or if anyone had any negative comments on this book?

 

And also is there is anything similar for the earlier part of American History?

[fairy4tmama]

Bumping for you, because it sounds good, and I would like tonhear reviews too. :bigear:

[Lori D.]

We used it as one of several resources to go along with a high school history textbook the year we did high school 20th Century World History. It was important to me to show our DC the major visual images that captured or represented major events, movements, and / or attitudes of the 20th century.

 

No problems here with it, as we used it as a supplement, and the accompanying articles were clearly from specific viewpoints. It is written at about an 8th grade level, but I don't have problems using younger / older materials as part of our curriculum.

 

Don't know of a similar visual resource for early American history, BUT... Just because they covered fascinating, little-known true people and events, we loved these two volumes: American Adventures: True Stories from America's Past Part 1 (1770-1870), and Part 2 (1870 to present). At about a 5th grade level, I'd guess.

 

BEST of luck, whatever you decide on! Warmly, Lori D.

 

 

P.S.

A quick google search turned up these two possibilities: LIFE: America Visual History from Then to Now, and TIME: America an Illustrated History.

[LaughingCat]

Thanks Lori, that actually fits well in what I was thinking this book would do - and those American Adventures books look interesting.

 

I can't really tell what time frame those LIFE and TIME books actually cover but I found " Life: Our Century for Young People" at my library which covers the same era (1900's) and had great pictures but seemed kind of choppy as to how they put it together - lots of very different types of history on one page and included many pictures of various famous people at the time that they died rather than the time frame when they were doing whatever made them famous.

[Lori D.]

I can't really tell what time frame those LIFE and TIME books actually cover but I found " Life: Our Century for Young People" at my library which covers the same era (1900's) and had great pictures but seemed kind of choppy as to how they put it together - lots of very different types of history on one page and included many pictures of various famous people at the time that they died rather than the time frame when they were doing whatever made them famous.

 

 

 

Yes, that's it exactly -- Our Century... more gives a "feel" or "mood" for each decade. Which is cool, because history is about people and their stories, attitudes and culture. But, I wouldn't try and use Our Century... as a spine -- just a nice supplement.