The World Wars

by Paul Dowswell, Ruth Brocklehurst, Henry Brook

The two world wars of 1941-1918 and 1939-1945 cast a malevolent shadow over the entire 20th century. This book takes you through the story of both conflicts - from the soldiers' terrifying experiences of the trenches in the First War, to the huge battles and bombing of cities in the Second. Stunningly illustrated with dramatic contemporary photographs, paintings, posters and maps, this is an accessible and thought-provoking introduction to the two most devastating wars the world has ever known.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens, World War II, Historical, School, World History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2007

About the author

Paul Dowswell is a British writer of nonfiction and young adult novels who has written over 70 books for British publishers. He was a senior editor at Usborne Publishing, then went freelance in 1999.

Reviews

[Jessica Kirsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a textbook, this was engaging and well-written. The pictures are great. My 11/12 year old got a lot out of it.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous!

This book, produced by Usborne (publisher) is a comprehensive treatment of all things associated with World Wars I & II. The book is arranged chronologically. Included, is information about specific events that led up to the war, occurred during or after the war. There are brief essays -- laid out in an easy-to-read and an even easier-to-understand format. There are also color illustrations, color and b&w photographs, quotes, map, and more. For most entries, there is also a box that provides an "Internet Link," for "links to websites where you can read illustrated accounts of the wars and how they affected people and places around the world."

The first half of the 20th century was dominated by worldwide conflict. At stake was mastery of the world. Surprisingly, the results were never as expected. In seeking to defend or even increase their power, Britain, France, and Germany lost their dominant position to the United States and Soviet Russia.

At the end of the book is a "Fact File." This includes an annotated list of "Wars on Film & TV," a "Who's Who," people who played a vital role in the events of the two World Wars, a Glossary, an Index, Internet Links, and Acknowledgements.

Excellent

[Traeden Varley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book “The World Wars” by Paul Dowswell. I would give this book a five-star rating because this book really tells you the whole story of the two nastiest wars in our American history and how they went down. I liked this book because I’ve always found wars from our history very interesting. The stories that are said in this book are entertaining because they give you some background knowledge on everything that happened during each battle, what supplies were used, what weapons were used, and how all the soldiers' battle plans went down. The author did a great job at explaining each historical event and writing the timelines of each event. I would say that this book would be for kids at least 14 or older, because there is some content in there that either young children wouldn’t understand or aren’t meant for young children. The types of readers who would enjoy this would be a reader who’s looking for a book that's long and challenging and who’s interested in learning more about our war history and catching some new things that they didn’t get before.

[Vincent Darlage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is a school book my person is using for her kids' history. This is one of the best overviews of both wars I have ever read. Absolutely amazing. Succinct and truthful. Doesn't sugarcoat hard truths, and tells the tale pretty well (as an overview). Best description of why WWI started that I think I've ever read.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

We used this as an elementary textbook, for which I felt it provided an in-depth look at the World Wars. Good visuals and easy format made taking in a lot of info easier. In truth, I think there was more info about the World Wars in this book than high school world history textbooks, so this book could span quite a range of ages.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great history book on the Great Wars. It is presented well. The pictures are not gruesome but show what went on. I read this with my 7th grade son. He has a better understanding of the wars than I did in high school. Very educational and interesting if you like reading about history.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-researched book, but I find it interesting, in my old age, to see how writers of history books let their own biases shine through. Or perhaps the publishing company pushes a particular narrative that forces the writers to edit their work.

[Jackman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book👍

[Renee Haug · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my daughter. Fantastic and highly recommended.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource

[Indy Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Mandee Karp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read-out-loud school book for my 5th grader. Very informative, I learned new things!

[Kelli Terzian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with my son. We both liked the links provided and felt they added to our knowledge.

[Leslie Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ev loved this book! The girls and I could have done with less detail about weapons and specific battles but that was obviously a big part of what made WWI and WWII what they were.

[Lisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to the World Wars; I read it with my upper elementary-aged students. The visuals on each page are helpful/intense at times. It does a fairly decent job of critiquing both sides (the Allies did some questionable things that need to be talked about, too). Some of the topics (genocide, internment/concentration camps, the Holocaust, the bombings of Japan, etc) are difficult to read about - I'd advise reading this with your child (rather than leaving them to read it for themselves) and keeping an open conversation.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one the best books about the World Wars. There's tons of photographs and maps. It's very dense but in small bites that are great for kids. It's truly comprehensive for kids and a great introduction or overview for adults.

The only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars was because of some age appropriateness. It says that it is for middle school ages. There were a couple of mentions of rape by soldiers (such as during the fall of Berlin) that I don't think some people would want to explain to sixth graders. I also think that the age recommendation should be in a more obvious place, I was using this book for my 8 and 9 year old, and it was a great level of information for them (they're really good readers) for everything except the discussion of rape.

[Mike Knox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good illustrated primer on both world wars. Pitched for younger readers, but also good for parents who lack basic familiarity with the 20th century’s total wars. The book features lots of pictures and maps, and it progresses in two-page units, making it the perfect book to set down on your coffee table—-and pick up again.

[Sticky Note Book Recs Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great overview and perfect introduction to the study of the World Wars. The pictures make this book interesting and captivating. If you have a child interested in learning more about these wars, I highly recommend this book. I loved the list of movies and documentaries at the end of the book for further study.

[JoAnne Styger · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this as part of our American history curriculum. This book is outstanding, the perfect introduction to the World Wars for children. The timeline, organization, pictures, and content are excellent.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great 'encyclopedia' of the World Wars in chronological order. Worked through it with my 4th grader and the leveling was just right and didn't leave out the nasty stuff but dealt with it at an appropriate level.
Reread with my son for 4th grade and he also got a lot out of it.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of the subject.

[Horace Mann Family Reading Challenge · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 20th Century had World Wars 1 and 2. M.W.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource and very interesting. Organized chronologically and topically. Made for lots of discussion. Highly recommend for upper grade school/ middle school level.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We used this as part of our home school curriculum, and my son loved it! He even reads it on his own during his free time. Wonderful photographs and illustrations.