History Text

This review over at love2learn caught my attention.  I am forever looking at history texts, books, videos or just some review of something that I can use for older girl.  Anyway, I am lucky enough that our library carries this book and now it waits patiently in my book bag to be read...by me.  Here is the summary of the review from love2learn: 

Ms. Ana Braga-Heneby M.A gave this book rave reviews and compared it to another favorite of hers:  A Child's History of the World by Virgil Hillyer.  Now, I picked up a copy of A Child's History of the World at last years Catholic Homeschool Conference but I wasn't impressed with it and ended up giving it away.  Once I read this review I kind of regretted that move until I got to the section on how both these books dealt with specific events in history involving the Catholic Church.  Virgil's book is stated as being more Anti-Catholic when addressing events like the Inquisions.  Thus, the parent/teacher would need to discuss these topics with their children/students prior to reading them.  On the other hand, Gombrich's book includes actual accounts of the Reformation Period and includes an entire chapter on the Counter-Reformation.  This author's tone with Christainity's influence through out history is supposedly both factual and respectful in tone.  I don't have great issues on the anti-Catholic stuff in history books because I can use this as a teaching tool for my own kids.  Teaching them how some of the world warps facts and bases views on Catholism on lies and myths.  That said though, one does need to be careful over the material chosen to use when teaching their kids something like history.

Ms. Braga-Heneby also suggested using Van Loon's Story of Mankind alongside/complementing it with  A Little History of the World.  She states using the above mentioned books would make up a great World History curriculum for elementary school aged kids.  I haven't read Story of Mankind to do any kind of comparison.  Once I do I'll post my own review of the above mentioned text.