The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer (2003, Paperback)

Once again Susan Wise Bauer achieves outstanding excellence with Story of the World Vol.2! This volume is just as amazing as the first, if not more so! I am always impressed at how much even I learn, and yet it's written in a way that is both engaging and easy to understand for young children. This volume covers everything from the Celts, Medieval India, Islam, China, Japan, Austrailia, Russia, Vikings, Genghis Khan, Marco Polo, African Kingdoms, the Reformation, Elizabeth, Shakespeare, the discovery of both Canada & America, and everything in between! It's amazing to learn so many things that weren't even taught in all my years of schooling just in one year of (elementary)history! What I love most about the Story of the World, is that it keeps history chronological! It wasn't taught that way when I was in school (nor do many other curriculums do so). I always had such a difficult time trying to order events in my mind because I was taught U.S history first, then South American ancient cultures, the U.S. history again, then world history. I believe that SOTW gives a much better picture of history as a whole.
I also really enjoy the way that each chapter is broken up into sub-chapters. This is perfect even for the child with a short attention span. One day you could read the first section (history), and perhaps the next day work on the next part which may be a story from the time, or a biography, or a greater detail from that time in history.
I highly recommend getting the work book if you plan on using this text...it is soooo much more than your typical "workbook" pages. There are further reading resources, recipes, crafts, games, models, maps and so much more that truly make learning fun.
History has become our favorite subject here thanks to SOTW!