What do you think?
Rate this book
20th Century American History for Kids: The Major Events that Shaped the Past and Present
Help kids ages 8 to 12 discover the most historic events of 20th century America
Foster and further an interest in history with this exciting exploration of what was happening in America from 1901 to 2000. This book of American history for kids explores the most influential moments of the 20th century, including World War I, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Liberation Movement, the Cold War, and more.
20th Century American History for Kids
30 Major events―Give kids an in-depth, age-appropriate look at some of the most important and impactful events of the 20th century and how they helped shape modern America.Historical context―Each section in this book of American history for kids begins with a brief overview of the era, helping kids better understand what was happening around each event.Biographies and more―Keep young historians engaged and interested with tons of additional content, like discussions of important figures and fun facts about life at the time.
Go on an awesome adventure through America’s epic past with 20th Century American History for Kids.
Foster and further an interest in history with this exciting exploration of what was happening in America from 1901 to 2000. This book of American history for kids explores the most influential moments of the 20th century, including World War I, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Liberation Movement, the Cold War, and more.
20th Century American History for Kids
30 Major events―Give kids an in-depth, age-appropriate look at some of the most important and impactful events of the 20th century and how they helped shape modern America.Historical context―Each section in this book of American history for kids begins with a brief overview of the era, helping kids better understand what was happening around each event.Biographies and more―Keep young historians engaged and interested with tons of additional content, like discussions of important figures and fun facts about life at the time.
Go on an awesome adventure through America’s epic past with 20th Century American History for Kids.
122 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 29, 2020
56 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 10, 2023
This book introduces kids to major events from American history in the twentieth century, covering a wide variety of topics and notable people. The book has clear subject headings and has an in-depth table of contents, so kids can read this in chronological order or jump around to areas of interest. There are photographs throughout that add interest and help kids visualize the past, and there are sidebars with extra information about some things.
I liked this book overall. There were some things that I thought were oversimplified to the point of inaccuracy, but this was a good introduction to lots of different historic events, the course of technological progress, and various social issues. However, I find it genuinely strange that the author didn't cover JFK's presidency or assassination. Because of the book's limited scope, the author couldn't cover everything I thought it was important to include, but that was a VERY major event in 20th century American history.
Someone might think that the author was just trying to sanitize this for kids, but she includes other heavy topics, and even touches on 9/11 at the end. This section is very brief and doesn't provide much context, but she briefly addresses terrorist events at the end of the book. Since 9/11 happened at the very beginning of the 21st century, I think that the author should have left it out and stopped with the 90s if she wasn't going to adequately explain this horrific event in context and give a sense of its full gravity and consequences for years to come.
The publisher is marketing this book and the others in the series for ages 8-12, but I would encourage parents to read this with younger kids in the age bracket. These books have complex vocabulary that many younger kids in that range won't be familiar with, and they often reference events without providing enough context for someone who knows genuinely nothing about them. Kids will gain more from these books if they're reading them with a parent or grandparent who can answer questions, provide missing context, and share stories from their own experiences in the past.
I received a free copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.
I liked this book overall. There were some things that I thought were oversimplified to the point of inaccuracy, but this was a good introduction to lots of different historic events, the course of technological progress, and various social issues. However, I find it genuinely strange that the author didn't cover JFK's presidency or assassination. Because of the book's limited scope, the author couldn't cover everything I thought it was important to include, but that was a VERY major event in 20th century American history.
Someone might think that the author was just trying to sanitize this for kids, but she includes other heavy topics, and even touches on 9/11 at the end. This section is very brief and doesn't provide much context, but she briefly addresses terrorist events at the end of the book. Since 9/11 happened at the very beginning of the 21st century, I think that the author should have left it out and stopped with the 90s if she wasn't going to adequately explain this horrific event in context and give a sense of its full gravity and consequences for years to come.
The publisher is marketing this book and the others in the series for ages 8-12, but I would encourage parents to read this with younger kids in the age bracket. These books have complex vocabulary that many younger kids in that range won't be familiar with, and they often reference events without providing enough context for someone who knows genuinely nothing about them. Kids will gain more from these books if they're reading them with a parent or grandparent who can answer questions, provide missing context, and share stories from their own experiences in the past.
I received a free copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.
December 28, 2020
I ordered 20th Century American History for Kids by Andrea Bentley to supplement our homeschool social studies curriculum. I am very pleased with this book. It covers many events of the twentieth century: women’s suffrage, all the wars, the Space Race, the rise of the personal computer and the internet, and much more. The only thing I wish had not been included was the very last entry about unrest at home and abroad. That selection is basically about bombing and homegrown terrorism. While those things did happen and need to be talked about at some point, I know both my 5YO and 8YO would be uncomfortable reading those.
One thing I appreciated about 20th Century American History for Kids was that it lacked any political agenda. The facts were presented. If an issue (example: gun control) was mentioned, the text briefly stated both sides of the issue and then moved on without interjecting the author’s opinion.
I am pleased with 20th Century American History for Kids by Andrea Bentley. I think it will be an asset to our homeschool curriculum. I even relearned some things that I had forgotten!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product via the Amazon Vine program. All opinions in this review are my own.
One thing I appreciated about 20th Century American History for Kids was that it lacked any political agenda. The facts were presented. If an issue (example: gun control) was mentioned, the text briefly stated both sides of the issue and then moved on without interjecting the author’s opinion.
I am pleased with 20th Century American History for Kids by Andrea Bentley. I think it will be an asset to our homeschool curriculum. I even relearned some things that I had forgotten!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product via the Amazon Vine program. All opinions in this review are my own.
October 3, 2022
History in bite size chunks... through 2000
I'll never forget hearing a historian say "it takes about 20 years for history and historians to be able to look back and write about events" at the time I was still "growing" and didn't fully appreciate what he was saying, but it was in keeping with "history is written by the victors." When events are fresh/raw, the perspective on them is different than when the world has had 20 years to calm and reflect... and get caught up in other "more current" events.
With that in mind, I totally get why this cuts off before its intended readers were born... but my first thought was, I'm giving this to kids who won't find a single event from their life in here.
This takes major events and periods in history, and explains them in just a few pages, meaning kids can read about just one event at a time, or read about several. I prefer that to a book that has a 30 or 40-page chapter on a century at a time. It is easy to flip through this book and find things like the space race, or other major events, that, in combination with a good table of contents at the front, means kids have the option of reading it in "chronological" order, or bouncing straight to events they are curious about "in the moment".
I'll never forget hearing a historian say "it takes about 20 years for history and historians to be able to look back and write about events" at the time I was still "growing" and didn't fully appreciate what he was saying, but it was in keeping with "history is written by the victors." When events are fresh/raw, the perspective on them is different than when the world has had 20 years to calm and reflect... and get caught up in other "more current" events.
With that in mind, I totally get why this cuts off before its intended readers were born... but my first thought was, I'm giving this to kids who won't find a single event from their life in here.
This takes major events and periods in history, and explains them in just a few pages, meaning kids can read about just one event at a time, or read about several. I prefer that to a book that has a 30 or 40-page chapter on a century at a time. It is easy to flip through this book and find things like the space race, or other major events, that, in combination with a good table of contents at the front, means kids have the option of reading it in "chronological" order, or bouncing straight to events they are curious about "in the moment".
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews