The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child : Ancient Times from the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor by S. Wise Bauer and Susan Wise Bauer (2002, Paperback)

This is the first of a four book series. I highly recommend all of them.

These books teach history in story form. The story format really helps children retain the facts and details. (For example:) We studied Book 1 (Ancient History) three years ago. A character in a movie we recently watched referred to Attilla the Hun. My ten year old (who was only 7 when we read the story) says, 'Hey, I know him. He's the barbarian who died from a nose bleed."

The stories are in chronological order starting with ancient history. Religion is included, but it should not be offensive to any religious group. It teaches about many important world religions (Chistian, Jewish, Buddhism, Islam, etc.)... it teaches a little about their beliefs, how they started, their role in the world and in history. The stories are short and make excellent bedtime stories. If you are just using the books for bedtime stories the reader is all you will need. If you want a complete learning experience buy the activity book to go along with it. For each story the activity book gives you ideas for fun and educational activities, art projects, games, coloring pages, recipes, lists of books you can check out of the library, and even a list of questions to ask (with the correct answers). It is the most comprehensive history program I have found for elementary school age children.

This is a great home schooling tool. It would work great in public school as well, but some of the religious teachings may need to be left out. It's also just a fun way for families to spend time together. Stories are written in easy language, with the exception of some names and places most third graders could read them independently.

This book was designed to be used with elementary students--to be read aloud to younger students or to be read by older students on their own. It is world history told in story fashion. It is NOT a textbook with questions at the end of sections nor tests to give. (Though there is a separate activity book that can be purchased that lists fun activities as well as review questions and such that can be used with the book to help reinforce what is read.)

It was written by homeschoolers and many homeschoolers love it. Though it could easily be used by other parents or teachers, too.

This is a great book for those who want to introduce their children to history. It begins with a discussion of what history and historians are. Then it takes off with early known civilizations and goes on through to the time of Jesus. (Other volumes, 2-4, in the series continue history on through to modern times.)

Some notes: It uses both BC/AD and BCE/CE time designations. It is not written to clearly advocate a certain religious viewpoint, but it doesn't ignore religious history either, and seems to present a very balanced viewpoint.

I am using this book (and the accompanying workbook) as a homeschool 1st grade curriculum and my son loves it. Important points are related through well-written short stories that are read to the child. The workbook provides a test at the end of each chapter as well as additional reading lists, suggested activities or projects and activities such as maps, coloring pages, word find, etc. My son enjoys the stories so much, he sometimes requests that I read some of the stories over and over. I have found many of the additional reading books at my local library. I would highly recommend 'The Story of the World' to anyone looking for a World History program that children will really enjoy.

This is an excellent resource for ancient history. From a mom that's not a big history buff, this book is set in a story format as it provides historical facts as it relates to the life of someone during that era. It's a very easy flowing book and cuts out any need for further research to get clearly understanding of the topic on hand. My children absolutely enjoys each session we have together studying the historical facts. They walk away with a wealth of information after each chapter that we study (and so do I). Each chapter is short, yet informative and flows well into the next historical lesson. We highly recommend this book.

This curriculum is excellent for systematically instructing your children in history, culture and some science in a linear fashion. With four time periods in the series you can be assured that your child will have a solid understanding of the unfolding of history. It is excellent for students of all ages. My preschooler and elementary children can be taught together and be challenged with activities that are appropriate for their ages through the accompanying Activity book. Truely a blessing for homeschool families.