The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2: The Middle Ages [Hardcover]

S. Wise Bauer (Author), Susan Wise Bauer (Author)

Book Description

This read-aloud series is designed for parents to share with elementary-school children. Enjoy it together and introduce your child to the marvelous story of the world's civilizations.

Now more than ever, other cultures are affecting our everyday lievs—and our children need to learn about the other countries of the world and their history. Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of other lands. Written in an engaging, straightforward manner, The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2: The Middle Ages weaves world history into a story book format. Who discovered chocolate? What happened to the giant Fovor of the Mighty Blows? Why did the Ottoman Turks drg their war ships across dry land?

The Story of the World covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. Designed as a read-aloud project for parents and children to share together, The Story of the World includes each continent and major people group. Volume 2: The Middle Ages. Is the second of a four-volume series and covers the major historical events in the years 400 to 1600 CE, as well as including maps, illustrations, and tales from each culture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This may well be the best multi-age read aloud narrative of world history yet to have been written.” (Homeschooling in Japan )

“This works wonderfully as a family read-aloud... There's plenty of dialogue and enough detail to keep adults interested.” (Cafi Cohen, author of Homeschooling The Teen Years ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Susan Wise Bauer is a novelist and educator. With her mother, Hessie Wise, she co-authored The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, a book which has rapidly become an educational standard. Susan teaches at The College of William and Mary. She lives in Virginia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 424 pages
• Publisher: Peace Hill Pr (November 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971412987
• ISBN-13: 978-0971412989
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,534,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan was born in 1968, grew up in Virginia, and was educated at home by pioneering parents, back when home education was still unheard of. She worked as a professional musician, wore a costume at Colonial Williamsburg, toured with a travelling drama group, galloped racehorses at a Virginia racetrack, taught horseback riding, worked in radio and newspaper ad sales, learned enough Korean to teach a Korean four-year-old Sunday school, and served as librarian and reading tutor for the Rita Welsh Adult Literacy Center in Williamsburg, Virginia.

In her less haphazard adult life, she earned an M.A., M.Div., and Ph.D. She has taught at the College of William & Mary in Virginia for the last sixteen years. Susan is married and the mother of four.

Susan's most recent book for Norton, The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade (2010), is the second in a four-volume series providing a narrative world history. Look for the first volume, The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome, as well!

Her previous book, The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had (2003), is a guide to reading the classic works of fiction, poetry, history, autobiography, and drama. Norton also published The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (with co-author Jessie Wise); originally published in 1999, this bestselling guide to education in the classical tradition was revised and updated in 2004 and again in 2009.

For Peace Hill Press, Susan has written a four-volume world history series for children, The Story of the World, for Peace Hill Press. Volume 1, Ancient Times, was published in 2002 (revised edition 2006); Volume 2, The Middle Ages, in 2003 (revised edition 2007); and Volume 3, Early Modern Times, in 2004. The final volume, The Modern Age, was published in 2006. She has also written a best-selling elementary writing program, Writing With Ease.

Susan is also the author of The Art of the Public Grovel (Princeton University Press) and many articles and reviews. Visit her blog at http://www.susanwisebauer.com/blog.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

113 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good history survey for young children., August 5, 2003

By 

Kathleen Funk (Austin, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2: The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance (Paperback)

Our children (ages 7 & 9) are very much enjoying their study of the Middle Ages using Volume 2 of Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World: History for the Classical Child.

Because it is written very simply and aimed at children from 1st through 4th grade, I had been supplementing this book with Greenleaf's Guide to Famous Men of the Middle Ages. However, if we study each of the "Famous Men" (which is confined to Europe and surrounding areas) in addition to all the topics in Story of the World, Volume 2 (which includes history from Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australia)-- well, we'd NEVER finish! For that reason, we decided to lay aside the Greenleaf Guides until their middle school years.

Susan Wise Bauer writes in a very engaging manner for young students. She writes as though she were speaking directly to them. My children just love the stories in this book! My son would read it all up in a day or two if I would allow him to.

This is the main book we use as our history spine. We supplement it with many library books that correspond to the chapter of SOTW that we are studying. I would not recommend using this book as your ONLY source of history. It is not intended to be used as such, and it simply cannot meet all your history needs.

To be honest, I am somewhat disappointed in the many spelling errors I have found in this book. Perhaps it was rushed to press because so many homeschoolers were eagerly awaiting the sequel to Volume 1. My son delights in finding the errors, and together we correct them in the text.

All in all, if you are looking for an easy way to introduce world history to your child, I recommend using this book as your entry point. When you reach a chapter that particularly interests your child, find LOTS of library books about that topic.

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars European history--but MUCH more, September 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2: The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance (Paperback)

I bought this book as a follow up to Ancient Times, the first volume in the series. That book was great--but this one is better. It covers a very complicated time of history in a simple, straightforward way that helps students makes connections between events all over the world--not just in Europe, but in the Americas before colonialism, in Africa, in Asia, in Australia. The author also talks about great works of literature and even retells some of them to give readers a little more insight into the times. We loved the story of Beowulf told in rhyming couplets! For the first time I have a good grasp of the order of events leading from the MIddle Ages into the Renaissance and Reformation--and my children are EXCITED about the study of history. Highly recommended. Can't wait for Volume Three.

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great history book for young children, February 19, 2004

By 

Henry Cate III (CA. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2: The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance (Paperback)

Susan Wise Bauer has done it again. This book is a quick read for adults, but it is packed with information. The target audience is young children, after all it is "The Story of the World" and it doesn't bore young children. Our children often would rather hear the next chapter than go play. And sometimes I'll catch my oldest reading it on her own.

The book does a good job of providing a balanced look at the major events during the Middle Ages. The book will focus on one area of the world, going over the major events, who was in charge, and who accomplished some of the important things, like discovering America. Then the book will move on to another part of the world for a couple chapters.

Susan Wise Bauer did an excellent job of weaving in various parts of history. For example in talking about a culture the book might go into a major myth or story of the group. The variety in pacing flows nicely from history, to what it might have been like to live at the time in a given culture, to some of these myths, and then back again. This helps keep the children interested.

The book is just right for young children. When they are young they don't need another 1000 pages of details most of us forget anyways. This book is written in such away that young children really want to listen, they want to know what happened, and then what will happen next. They can develop a love for history such that they'll go back and read in more detail about the parts of history they found interesting.

If you are looking for a good book for young children covering the major events of world history during the Middle Ages, this is the best I've found.