Through Time: London [Hardcover]

Richard Platt (Author), Manuela Cappon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 9, 2009 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Through Time

From a Neolithic camp to the host of the 2012 Summer Olympics, very few cities have seen as much history, innovation, and bloodshed as London. In this beautiful book, readers take an historical, geographical, and anthropological journey through London’s past through amazing artwork and detailed cross sections. From the earliest habitations to the Roman and Viking invasions, the Plague, Shakespeare, The Great Fire, right up to the Industrial Revolution, the Blitz, and more, readers will uncover layer after layer of London’s magnificent history and learn about the people who have called the city home.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–6—The history and culture of London from 3500 BC to today are presented via cross-sections, busy illustrations, and a lot of text. There is some carryover among the eras, and by the final spread, which shows London preparing for the 2012 Olympics, readers can refer to earlier scenes and compare how the city has or hasn't changed. The early part of the book works best, showing London as still no more than a contained encampment on the banks of the River Thames. But as the city grows, so does the detail and information packed into the pages. While the geographic perspective stays the same throughout, and readers can indeed see development through wars, epidemics, and industrialization, the activity within the pages becomes increasingly difficult to follow. Spreads such as the one illustrating a "Georgian London: AD 1783" street scene are crammed full of unclear images. There is an extensive glossary, although British words like "omnibus" and "gherkin" are not included. The thorough index makes revisiting the various eras almost more rewarding than the initial perusal, as readers can follow specific locations and landmarks through the years. While the initial impression is that this is a browsing book, it is in reality more of a research tool, reliant on text to explain the famous city's metamorphosis.—Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

School Library Journal

While the initial impression is that this is a browsing book, it is in reality more of a research tool, reliant on text to explain the famous city’s metamorphosis.

 

Booklist

[T]his colorful, large-format volume offers a rich visual experience. . . .Laid out as though seen from an airplane, the large, detailed pictures are bolstered by smaller circular pictures and inset maps of the broader area, as well as labels, captions, and a few informative paragraphs of text. [An] . . . attractive resource.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Kingfisher; First Edition edition (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753462559
• ISBN-13: 978-0753462553
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Children's Books > History > Europe

More About the Author

Richard Platt has been writing for children since 1992. One of his books, Castle Diary, was shortlisted for the Kate Maschler Award, The Times Education Supplement award, and a History Today prize. His Pirate Diary won the Kate Greenaway Medal 2002, the Silver Smarties Award 2002, and won the 'Best Book With Facts' prize in the Blue Peter Book Awards 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an extremely fascinating written and visual imagery of the history of London from prehistoric to modern times!, December 22, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Through Time: London (Hardcover)

People had been roaming the banks of the Thames for more than 200,000 years, but it wasn't until 3500 B.C. that some actually stopped roaming and began to clear a wooded area in preparation to build a permanent village. This village was built of wood framed huts with thatched roofs made of the local vegetation. This was the beginning of the city we now know as London. More and more people began to settle in the area. In A.D. 43 the Romans, who were intent on conquering Europe, crossed the river to begin their conquest of England and Wales. Eventually "solid houses replace[d] the Celtic huts on the riverbank." The "Romans of `Londinium'" felt safe, but they too would face the wrath of conquerors.

Boudicca destroyed the city in A.D. 60, but by A.D. 225 the city was bustling with activity and, though lessons learned, had a "high wall with 40 towers and strong gate houses." Londinium would proper and would be protected. It was now an established city and would gradually evolve into modern day London. It this book you will not only read about these changes, you will also be able to see amazing recreations of these changes. You will see it when the Vikings swoop into the area, when William the Conqueror had his clutches on the city, you'll see the city when Peter de Colechurch introduced masonry to the city, you'll see its citizens burying their dead during the plague of 1348 and more!

This is an extremely fascinating written and visual imagery of the history of London from prehistoric times to today's Olympic city. I loved the way this book was set up. I alternated from reading to text to poring over the detailed, captioned illustrations of each era being discussed. For example, during the Great Fire of 1666, people on Pudding Lane were labeled . . . "people drag their belongings to the river, hoping to save them in a boat." Glancing above the conflagration shows a family crawling across the top of a roof . . . "the baker and his family escape across the roofs." This is a marvelous pictorial "biography" of London that young and old alike, including those who don't care for history, will be mesmerized by!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Olympics here we come, July 25, 2011

By 

JAS - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Through Time: London (Hardcover)

Woo hoo! My grandson can use this book to prepare for his first trip to the Olympics. We can't wait. London Through Time provides the historical background that will allow us to appreciate London for more than just being the Olympics host.