Customer Reviews

Junior Chronicle of the 20th Century

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Junior Chronicle of the 20th Century D.K. Publishing inc., 1997 319pgs. Bridget Hopkins & Miranda Smith ISBN:0-7894-2033-3 [...]

"Extra, extra read all about it! The Titanic has crashed into an iceburg!"
From the Titanic to when President John F. Kennedy was shot, this book is filled with information. Information isn't for you huh? Well, this encyclopedia makes information fun and easy to read with its colorful illustrations and pictures and I mean COLORFUL. There are 3,500 pictures and 1,700 news articles in this book.
I love this book, especially for the way the information is presented. Whenever I need an assignment done or just want to learn something new I turn to this book. D.K. publishing publishes great books and this is one of them. So, if you want to know why a teddy bear is called teddy then read the Junior Chronicle of the 20th Century!

Ashley Perez, 12

The often dreary, occasionally glorious, nearly always violent hundred years that were the twentieth century are rounded up and summarized in clever highlighted tidbits, all written for a younger audience. The quality of this book is very high, not only in its production values, but in the actual work that went into making sure this is a volume that will last thru the coming years. This is an encyclopedic chronicle that provides facts on the leading figures in politics, popular culture, the arts, science, military affairs and sports. It's also gorgeously illustrated. My only wish is they'd finish the last four years of the century in a new edition.

The thing that sets this timeline apart from the others is its format-forget those ancient, yellowing volumes with microscopic lines of print and few pictures, this timeline (or "chronicle") has an open, easily read spread, abundant pictures, and clear descriptions of events. Another unique thing is the way events are described-in the form of newspaper articles from that period. Last, but certainly not least, two-page spreads on various issues such as Women's Suffrage, the Spanish Civil War, and Toys of the Fifties go more in-depth with various issues. Altough a well-done book, the utter conciseness of the issues mentioned makes this book slightly "juvenile" for older readers; still, an enjoyable volume for browsing and some research.

I teach second grade and find this book to be an excellent accessory to my curriculum. It's brevity and readability are its best assests. Our teacher of the gifted and talented also uses this book on many different grade levels and finds the same to be true.

My middle school children learned so much with this book! The format is great because of the images that fill each page, but also because it includes historical "tidbits" that kids will gravitate to and remember (the first traffic light, fashions and fads, etc.). This book made 20th century fun for me and my kids and it facilitated learning at the same time. I would recommend it to anyone who has a child who loves history, and even more so for the child who does not.