Timeline: A Visual History of Our World

The Children’s Spot

A snapshot review of a book related to the Non-fiction Feature


Also in this Monthly Bulletin:
The Non-fiction Feature: Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
The Product Spot: A History of the World in 100 Objects (podcast)

The Pithy Take

“Timeline” is a beautifully illustrated, quick re-telling of our world’s history, from the beginning of life (“Stromatolites are Earth’s oldest fossils…formed by blue algae, a kind of primitive bacteria.”) to the 2010s.

It covers dinosaurs, farming, Mesopotamia, the Huns, the Aztecs, the Byzantine Empire, and so much more. It’s a fun book for children and adults, and includes mentions of important events, discoveries, and people.


The First Settlements – For a long time people lived a nomadic existence, but eventually they stopped roving and settled in one place. Instead of hunting, people turned to farm.

While these first farmers moved on a soon as the soil in a field was exhausted, they later discovered how to fertilize the soil, replenishing its nutrients so that fresh crops could grow. It was no longer necessary to move on. Today we call a large farm, a group of houses, or a small town a “settlement.”


Timeline: A Visual History of Our World

Author: Peter Goes
Publisher: Gecko Press
80 pages | 2016
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