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A Child's History of the World (Calvert School) [1997]
A Child's History of the World (Calvert School) [1997]
625 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1924
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1904 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
September 4, 2014
I have a nice, leather bound edition of this book that has survived being handled by four homeschooled kids. Even though it is written at about a fourth grade level, I'll always keep it on my history bookshelf because Hillyer has a wonderful grasp of the big picture of world history and is able to streamline the telling in clear, understandable language. He uses some child friendly analogies and writes in a conversational tone. I still reach for the book when I want to grasp the main idea of a period in history. As an example, I am embarking on a study of WWII with my teen daughter and we needed to do a quick review of WWI before we dived into the subject. We read Hillyer's chapter on WWI and it summed up the situation perfectly, fixing the main players and conflicts firmly in mind. The only chapter I disregard is the first one, which is really pre-history and does not fit my worldview. The book was written in 1924 and has undergone several revisions. There are many newer reprints available and I highly recommend it as a history resource for homeschoolers.
November 9, 2008
Update 11/09/08
I finished this book some time ago and I still love it, though I'll need to re-read it so I can remember things. As with any overview, the book decribes many events, and moves rather quickly, so by the time you finish one section, you're already 500 years later. I recommend taking notes while reading along, and I think it would make a great read aloud for homeschoolers .
I bought the first version of this book (I think 1911) on line and I LOVE IT. It is a great read. I wanted to have it as a sort of spine book for the kids history. It starts out w/evolution stuff, so we skip through that, but Hillyer gives a very entertaining, story like explanation of events, from the beginning to World War I or so. He gives little interesting tidbits about things, like how we got to call boarding houses and the expression 'room and board' (It came from the days of chivalry, when lords would eat in their castles, on large tables made of long boards hoisted up on supports; then they would take the boards down).. Now I never knew that! This book is loaded w/little facts like that.
I never paid attention in history class in elementary school; history was presented in text books, dry as dust and it was so b-o-r-i-n-g. This book is just the opposite. I only wish the nuns at catholic schools used this book. I might have remembered something! I highly recommend this book for all of you who day dreamed during history class and feel ignorant of past events. It gives a great overview. This is a fun read and enlightening.
I finished this book some time ago and I still love it, though I'll need to re-read it so I can remember things. As with any overview, the book decribes many events, and moves rather quickly, so by the time you finish one section, you're already 500 years later. I recommend taking notes while reading along, and I think it would make a great read aloud for homeschoolers .
I bought the first version of this book (I think 1911) on line and I LOVE IT. It is a great read. I wanted to have it as a sort of spine book for the kids history. It starts out w/evolution stuff, so we skip through that, but Hillyer gives a very entertaining, story like explanation of events, from the beginning to World War I or so. He gives little interesting tidbits about things, like how we got to call boarding houses and the expression 'room and board' (It came from the days of chivalry, when lords would eat in their castles, on large tables made of long boards hoisted up on supports; then they would take the boards down).. Now I never knew that! This book is loaded w/little facts like that.
I never paid attention in history class in elementary school; history was presented in text books, dry as dust and it was so b-o-r-i-n-g. This book is just the opposite. I only wish the nuns at catholic schools used this book. I might have remembered something! I highly recommend this book for all of you who day dreamed during history class and feel ignorant of past events. It gives a great overview. This is a fun read and enlightening.
May 2, 2017
What can I say? One of my oldest homeschooling friends! Finished it today for the umpteenth time.
March 8, 2011
I've heard some say they think this book "talks down" to children. I respectfully disagree! I found the tone gentle and "grandfatherly" and I LOVED this book!! Absolutely brings history to life!!
October 23, 2007
A beautiful history book for young children, and just the thing for parents to use. They still have it on the curriculum at Calvert School in Baltimore I believe...
January 24, 2018
I love the idea of this book. It is a simple, sweeping narrative of the main points of history (and prehistory) up until about the time of Vietnam. As the author says in the preface, his purpose is not to go into detail about events and people; often famous people, places, or events are simply mentioned, with a sentence or two to tell why they are important, and then the narrative sweeps on. This is wonderful, because it helps to place all these people and places and events in their proper place on the timeline of history and gives shape and order to what would otherwise be a chaotic blob of names and events. As the author himself says, other resources can and should be sought out so that children (or adults; why not?) can go more in-depth in learning about history. This book is simply an overview. I loved that about it.
And yet, and yet, and yet! There were so many tiny, jarring notes throughout the book! Most of these have to do with religion, because even though the author considered himself (herself?) a Christian (they use the word "we" when speaking of the Christian religion or Christian countries), nevertheless the book begins with the first couple of chapters on the Big Bang and evolution (presented as simple fact, not even as theory) and at various other points during the book, the author's worldview intruded itself on history in that same abrasive way.
If you are Christian, this book is definitely one to be read *with* your children, or even *to* your children, so that you can discuss all these jarring notes with them. I wouldn't let my children read it themselves, not if they were very young, because the author's simple, matter-of-fact language makes it too easy for a child to simply swallow everything he says as truth, when some of it is opinion masquerading as fact.
And yet for all that, I would probably read it with my children. It is the perfect bird's eye view of history that will help all other history and stories and dates fall into place easily later on. It certainly helped me, and I'm a grown woman!
And yet, and yet, and yet! There were so many tiny, jarring notes throughout the book! Most of these have to do with religion, because even though the author considered himself (herself?) a Christian (they use the word "we" when speaking of the Christian religion or Christian countries), nevertheless the book begins with the first couple of chapters on the Big Bang and evolution (presented as simple fact, not even as theory) and at various other points during the book, the author's worldview intruded itself on history in that same abrasive way.
If you are Christian, this book is definitely one to be read *with* your children, or even *to* your children, so that you can discuss all these jarring notes with them. I wouldn't let my children read it themselves, not if they were very young, because the author's simple, matter-of-fact language makes it too easy for a child to simply swallow everything he says as truth, when some of it is opinion masquerading as fact.
And yet for all that, I would probably read it with my children. It is the perfect bird's eye view of history that will help all other history and stories and dates fall into place easily later on. It certainly helped me, and I'm a grown woman!
June 8, 2022
We only read the chapters assigned on our Ambleside schedule, so we didn’t read this one cover to cover, but we enjoyed the chapters we did read!
March 7, 2018
This was a pretty easy and pleasant read, but dang was it long! After a month of coming back to it bit by bit I finally finished it. I ADORE this book. This would make an awesome bed time read aloud to elementary school kids who like history (or just a good and witty story!). As an adult, I enjoyed getting the broad history of the entire world from beginning to finish in relaxed, unassuming, whimsical writing. What a fun read it was. Will read again someday and would use with children/students in the future. 5 stars! :)
April 19, 2020
I suppose in it’s day it was “a good read”, but for me, there far too many references of casual racism. Thankfully society has evolved since when this was written.
July 22, 2025
I speed-listened to this book over the last couple of weeks, in my attempt to read the books my kids are reading (or have read) for school. Wow! I was blown away by this one. Like the title states, it covers the history of the world from creation until a little while after the end of WWII (communism, the Soviet Union, etc.) It is easy-to-understand, concise, and utterly engaging. I learned so much. Did you know that we get the word “just” (as in the root of ‘justice’) from a man named Justin, who lived sometime in Ancient History? We get the word “thermo” from a place called Thermopylae, which has hot sulfur springs? Buddha was an actual man, renamed and worshipped. Many of our days of the week have roots in Norse mythology - Woden (Wednesday - it’s why there is a ‘d’ in the word!), Thor (Thursday), Freya (Friday). I could go on! My mind and perspective was enlarged, and it was really helpful to listen to a brief but concise history of the entire world. The book was excellent at taking a massive subject and chiseling it down without dumbing it down. Highly recommend!
September 8, 2023
Now our ambleside curriculum does not begin at the beginning of this book, but this was a favorite of all my kids and myself. I am almost finishing it again with my last student. I didn’t always love his tone, but overall the stories and world history emphasis were just fascinating and brought so much history to life. Really, a great children’s history, far better for the younger years I think than Story of the World (which I do like for modern history for middle school, but this one just seems to have more life to it.) (Full disclosure , I only have experience with Story of the World for Volume 4)
August 27, 2017
I enjoyed the tone of the author thru-out. It felt easy to relay to very young listeners and covered enough factual information without over burdening their attention spans. However, this is marketed to be more in line with conservative view points and it starts off with the first three chapters being written with a decidedly progressive theology. Then it continues from there with factual errors thru-out. My husband and I are history buffs and this was very disturbing to see from a highly recommended source. There are books we read specifically to get a very well rounded view of the what the world has to offer. But this was to be a spine book... its not something we will be using.
July 5, 2020
We started reading this this past year as home schoolers. It sounds like the “conversational tone” of the book is one that people tend to love or hate, and we were more on the hate side. I thought it was quite annoying to read, and my first grader thought the book was so boring that he would literally groan upon seeing it (and this kid usually LOVES books). There also were some perspectives regarding the ways things were interpreted that I wasn’t a huge fan of. We petered out on reading this after a while.
I love the idea of an all-in-one volume for world history but I think I’m going to keep looking.
I love the idea of an all-in-one volume for world history but I think I’m going to keep looking.
September 5, 2020
To review this book is a complex matter. I read this as a child and was fascinated by it. Rereading it now, I continue to be impressed at the scope of what the author undertook back in1924, as well as amazed to think of all that has happened in 100 years or so which Hillyer could never have anticipated... and sad that in reading the book now one would have to disavow so many of his statements about races, nations, and religions. I couldn't give this book to a child in 2020 without having to sit by their side and say, "No, that's not true... That's nonsense." And yet... I learned about Constantine, the Hundred Years War, and the fascination of history at the age of ten.
September 19, 2009
We have the 1924 version, and it's the same one I read as a kid and am now reading aloud to my daughters. It holds their interest and they actually remember what we've read afterwards. My husband is one of those people who remembers every bit of random knowledge or trivia he's ever heard and is very adept at history, but even he was learning things from hearing me read aloud from this book. Make's history fun and charming and very basic.
September 16, 2025
To be honest, I'm BAFFLED that this is so beloved by Christian homeschool families. One reviewer said it well when they noted, "It's like it was written by both a Christian and an atheist."
Of course, I must address that this book comes in many editions. It was originally written in 1923, and was subsequently updated and revised up until my edition from (I believe) 1994, printed in 2006. As far as I know, the Introduction is the only chapter original to the First Edition. I would KILL to have a first edition to which I could compare this one.
PROS: I adore Hillyer's idea of painting a history timeline (visualized as ascending steps-per-century) on the wall of a child's bedroom. I would have benefited so much from this as a kid, and will certainly be using this idea for my own kids.
I love how he described the Greek and Roman gods as "fairytales." This maintains the supremacy of Christian truth without alienating children from this important realm of history & culture.
The overall tone of the book is quite charming and easy to follow. The encouragements for children to judge their own virtue or lack thereof in comparison to figures like Socrates and Nero is capital stuff. However, he designates the book as best for 9-year-olds, whereas I would read this to a much younger child, probably 6 or 7.
CONS: This book is not a Christian book. I would say it is "pro-Christian," in that it supports Christian culture and values (for the most part). It tells a secular beginning of the universe and mankind. I was on board with the narrative throughout antiquity, but once it got to Jesus, it started to fall apart. When speaking about Jesus, it did not mention that Christians believe he is God, or that He resurrected after He was killed. It has nothing negative to say about Muhammad or Islam.
Its characterization of the medieval era in Europe as dark and ignorant is egregious and misleading. For example, it compared King Alfred's time-telling candle unfavorably to the "striking clock" of Harun Al-Rashid (which implies the sophisticated mechanisms of modern striking clocks, but this was really just a water clock), as if water clocks had not been in use from Greek antiquity, and as if candle clocks were not used by the Chinese and Arabs for centuries after Harun Al-Rashid.
As it heads into the 12th century, it becomes increasingly obvious that its method of simplification for a young audience is too simple to accurately portray historical events, and then it tries to apply improper Christian ethics to those oversimplifications. For example, the first crusade occurred when Christians attacked, unprovoked, all the Muslims in Jerusalem, eVeN tHoUgH the Bible says "He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword." Holy pseudohistory, Batman!
At the end of the book, it engages in some heavy war-alarmism AND war-utopianism. On the one hand, wars might get so bad that the entire world will be destroyed by bombs! On the other hand, someone might invent something that eliminates war forever! It also seems to posit that, despite admitting beforehand the United Nations cannot prevent war, the United Nations is still key in preventing war. There were several such contradictory statements throughout the book.
In conclusion, I would never read this to my kids or any kids in my care. But I would preserve its charming, whimsical skeleton and write flesh for it of a higher quality. And that historical timeline wall IS happening. Maybe in my own room.
Of course, I must address that this book comes in many editions. It was originally written in 1923, and was subsequently updated and revised up until my edition from (I believe) 1994, printed in 2006. As far as I know, the Introduction is the only chapter original to the First Edition. I would KILL to have a first edition to which I could compare this one.
PROS: I adore Hillyer's idea of painting a history timeline (visualized as ascending steps-per-century) on the wall of a child's bedroom. I would have benefited so much from this as a kid, and will certainly be using this idea for my own kids.
I love how he described the Greek and Roman gods as "fairytales." This maintains the supremacy of Christian truth without alienating children from this important realm of history & culture.
The overall tone of the book is quite charming and easy to follow. The encouragements for children to judge their own virtue or lack thereof in comparison to figures like Socrates and Nero is capital stuff. However, he designates the book as best for 9-year-olds, whereas I would read this to a much younger child, probably 6 or 7.
CONS: This book is not a Christian book. I would say it is "pro-Christian," in that it supports Christian culture and values (for the most part). It tells a secular beginning of the universe and mankind. I was on board with the narrative throughout antiquity, but once it got to Jesus, it started to fall apart. When speaking about Jesus, it did not mention that Christians believe he is God, or that He resurrected after He was killed. It has nothing negative to say about Muhammad or Islam.
Its characterization of the medieval era in Europe as dark and ignorant is egregious and misleading. For example, it compared King Alfred's time-telling candle unfavorably to the "striking clock" of Harun Al-Rashid (which implies the sophisticated mechanisms of modern striking clocks, but this was really just a water clock), as if water clocks had not been in use from Greek antiquity, and as if candle clocks were not used by the Chinese and Arabs for centuries after Harun Al-Rashid.
As it heads into the 12th century, it becomes increasingly obvious that its method of simplification for a young audience is too simple to accurately portray historical events, and then it tries to apply improper Christian ethics to those oversimplifications. For example, the first crusade occurred when Christians attacked, unprovoked, all the Muslims in Jerusalem, eVeN tHoUgH the Bible says "He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword." Holy pseudohistory, Batman!
At the end of the book, it engages in some heavy war-alarmism AND war-utopianism. On the one hand, wars might get so bad that the entire world will be destroyed by bombs! On the other hand, someone might invent something that eliminates war forever! It also seems to posit that, despite admitting beforehand the United Nations cannot prevent war, the United Nations is still key in preventing war. There were several such contradictory statements throughout the book.
In conclusion, I would never read this to my kids or any kids in my care. But I would preserve its charming, whimsical skeleton and write flesh for it of a higher quality. And that historical timeline wall IS happening. Maybe in my own room.
April 30, 2020
It was nice to read these short chapters over two years of school (1st and 2nd grade for us, but it could be used for older kids). While it's a lot of information, I found it was mostly kept at a child's level, and didn't go into too many details about war and killing. I learned a few things myself about different Greek figures and other civilizations of the past that don't get as much attention as the Greeks. As with any historical account that aims to be conversational, the opinions of the author are more likely to come through, and different parents and teachers may not always agree with Hillyer on some statements or perspectives (for example, he simply assumes that the reader is a member of Christendom). I personally didn't care for the hero worship of Columbus, so we ended up skipping that chapter. But overall, despite an occasional dated feel, I liked this and would use it again. I thought it ended on a good note especially, spurring the reader to ponder what our role will be to help the world's future have more peace than war.
March 1, 2022
I try to have a history audiobook going during Morning Time, but it can be hard to find good options. A Child's History of the World is a text my mom used with me when I was in elementary school. There's no way to cover the entire history of the world in 600 pages, but Hillyer does a good job giving an overview of western history, hitting the biggest events in an age-appropriate way that reads like a story rather than a dry textbook full of dates. It has served as a good supplement to our history curriculum, and the girls enjoyed listening.
May 4, 2022
(with Ben & Mabry)
June 3, 2022
We read this aloud as part of our history curriculum in our homeschool. It's an interesting and engaging overview of world history.
December 28, 2023
My boys and I read this book together at night and we loved it! It covers the history of the world in a way that children can understand! It was well thought out and well executed!
May 30, 2025
Valuable homeschooling resource.
Personal note: Read with parent 8+ or independently 10+ due to content
Personal note: Read with parent 8+ or independently 10+ due to content
August 30, 2018
We spent the last 18 months going through this book in little bites during our Morning Time and I absolutely loved it. It opened up great conversation and it helped my boys become a little more interested in history.
May 17, 2024
I think this marks my 4th time through this book in our homeschool. It's still delightful.
February 17, 2009
We used this for the ancient world and are still using it for the middle ages. The stories are short and well-written. Much more engaging than The Story of the World. However, the author does have a 'chatty' manner in some of the chapters that really bugs. Some people list that as one of the benefits; I hate it.
We don't read this straight through. I use those chapters pertaining to a certain geographical area (we study history by continent).
I think this is a great read-aloud for the elementary years, but by middle school they could read it on their own. This is a very general overview of history and by the later years they really should be digging deeper than this book (although this would make a good review).
As of February 2009 we're shelving this book to focus on American history. We'll pick this up again in a few months.
We don't read this straight through. I use those chapters pertaining to a certain geographical area (we study history by continent).
I think this is a great read-aloud for the elementary years, but by middle school they could read it on their own. This is a very general overview of history and by the later years they really should be digging deeper than this book (although this would make a good review).
As of February 2009 we're shelving this book to focus on American history. We'll pick this up again in a few months.
November 20, 2009
My kids and I have really enjoyed this history book. It takes you from the creation to modern history. This book creates the perfect forum for parents to discuss world history with their kids. Each chapter is short, and it always grabs their attention from the get-go. It takes the tone of a friendly grandpa telling a story to a kid on his knee. My kids aged 6 to 11 all equally enjoy it. They beg me for "Just one more chapter! PLEEEEASE!"
This book is an essential part of our homeschool curriculum, and I feel an essential one to my library. We will read it again and again!
This book is an essential part of our homeschool curriculum, and I feel an essential one to my library. We will read it again and again!
June 2, 2022
This year we did an overview of world history, and this (along with Usborne Encyclopedia of World History was the main text for our 5th grader. This book was originally published in 1924 so it doesn’t have much in it beyond the Vietnam War and the breakup of the USSR, but that can be filled in. (We have a more recently re-published version that has updated language.) This is my favorite world history text for mid-late elementary age! It is written in a way that is appealing and interesting to children, and does a fantastic job at drawing connections in history.
November 4, 2022
After floundering around in the wide world of childrens' history spines, this is the book we landed on using for years 1-3. It's interesting, conversational, and my eight year old can now read and narrate it independently. A great intro to world history for all of us!
2nd read: Read a chapter at suppertimes with the family and had some really good discussions during the meal (with people ages 43, 42, 9, 6, and 2 :)).
2nd read: Read a chapter at suppertimes with the family and had some really good discussions during the meal (with people ages 43, 42, 9, 6, and 2 :)).
August 29, 2008
The conversational style of this book draws in children when you read it aloud; it covers world history from prehistory to the present. Written originally in 1924, the book has been revised several times, but keeps its old-time charm. I would not depend on this book for an inclusive history of the world, but it is an inviting introduction to the subject for children.
April 24, 2009
The original publish date was 1924. If you can get past this author's racism - this is a surprisingly entertaining book! He thoroughly and whimsically covers just that - the history of the world - at such a level that children of almost all ages can enjoy! I recommend it as a read-aloud for children 6-12 years old, or for an independent read for 10 and up.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews