Wicked History

A decidedly happy benefit of being a part of the dad blogger universe is when some of them decide to send me things.

One such care package arrived a few months back from the north of England. Dan, proprietor of All That Comes With It, sent a few little anglocentric gifts for each member of the family. It was a fun box to open, and we really appreciate Dan's thoughtfulness.

Included for my son was an entertaining, but rather gruesome, book of history called The Wicked History of the World, by British authors Terry Deary and Martin Brown, and published by Scholastic. We've all been enjoying it, so I thought I'd write a mini-review.

And here it is.

Geared toward the ages of 9 to 12, this is not a book for sensitive young children. Although the illustrations are cartoony, the text is history in all its gory glory. Bloody battles, barbarians, human sacrifices, slavery. Not the best place to start your kids off learning about history.

The authors do not spare the details in showing that people could be cruel toward each other throughout the years. They shine a bright light on villains like Cortes, Robespierre, Tamerlane, and Hitler, and all their cruel misdeeds.

And why do they think it's important for kids to learn about this stuff? So that future generations continue to reject the horrible side of history until the day comes when this kind of behavior is no longer tolerated. A heady task, but we are getting there.

It's a fascinating book, filled with plenty of disgusting trivia for kids to recite during family dinners. Again, not for the squeamish, and not for a newcomer to the negative aspects of history. My son and I had already spoken at length about topics ranging from the Spanish Conquistadors to The Holocaust, so he was not disturbed in the least.

In fact, just as the authors had hoped, my son was newly outraged at man's inhumanity to man. There is definitely hope for the future!

Buy the book at Amazon.com