Superstars of History – the Good, the Bad and the Brainy is a children’s book by Jacob Field with illustrations by Simon Basher. It is broken down in to 4 sections – The Ancient World, The Middle Ages, Revolution and the Enlightenment and The Modern Era. I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy history books geared towards children because they are more fun and I otherwise can’t keep interested in History. This book is great and has a time line for each of the areas with a brief mention of each of the superstars that have a bio to follow. Then there is a page with an illustration of the superstar and a quote from them. The next page has pretty much everything you’d like to know about the person broken down into a cool little flow chart of sorts. Their legacy is in the middle, there is also a time line and other information that changes based on who it is you are reading about.
I absolutely love the layout of the book – the illustrations are wonderful as well. It has all the information broken up in to smaller pieces which I think makes it more fun to read as it breaks things up a bit and you’re not just reading on and on and getting bored. (A problem I often have when reading history material!) Great for a child who is wanting to know more about historical figures or for an adult who just doesn’t seem to “get” history and retain information. (That would be me. But I’m sure there’s others out there!)
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
Discover fun facts about the greatest figures from history through Basher’s fresh and unique illustration style.
History doesn’t just happen; it was created by a crazy crew of characters from way back when. Find out why Archimedes said “Eureka!” in the bathtub, how Henry Ford changed the world, and whether or not Einstein’s brain was bigger than an ordinary guy’s. Discover what Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela did that made them famous for being so good, and what Attila the Hun, Hitler, and Stalin did that made them infamous for being so bad. Learn about great leaders like Charlemagne and George Washington and bold ones like Caesar and William the Conqueror. Superstars of History will feature fun text, loads of facts, and Basher’s cool illustrations to bring history’s greatest characters to life for 8 to12 year olds.