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The First Americans, Third Edition: Prehistory-1600 (A History of US, Book 1)
Books: Travel: American Samoa: Item 4
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The First Americans, Third Edition: Prehistory-1600 (A History of US, Book 1)by Joy Hakim
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: All kids' books should be this good., July 2, 2004 Reviewer:Keith Cumpston (Poughkeepsie, NY USA) - I thought my 4-year-old was only half listening as I read "The First Americans" to her sister (age 6). But the other evening at story time, her face lit up and she begged for "history"! I can give it no higher praise. This volume covers the first 12,000 years--give or take a few millennia--of human life on our continent. Hakim strikes a good balance between outlining the broad sweep of the period, and focusing in on interesting stories, people, and trivia ("fun facts" in my girls' lingo). She doesn't gloss over difficult subjects, such as the massacre of the Aztecs by the Spaniards under Corts. But she relates these events with balance and sympathy, helping her young readers to understand them from different points of view (in this case the Aztecs; their neighbors who were victims of cruel Aztec rituals; and the Spaniards who wanted Aztec gold, but also were abhorred by Aztec viciousness towards their neighbors). What's more, Hakim openly invites them to think about and even reject her own judgements. She has sparked many good conversations in our household. For instance, she used the example of Corts to illustrate some tough ethical questions that philosophers debate to this day. I talked about these questions with my daughters, and helped them to express and refine their own thoughts. Then I invited them to think up some other tough questions. My younger one took the cake with "what is 'is'?". She had offered it in jest, but to her surprise I pulled out "Being and Time", one of several big books on my shelf devoted to that very question. She was amused, but quite pleased. No doubt you will find something to disagree with in this, as in any good history. When that happens, do what the author suggests: use it as an opportunity to debate her conclusions with your kids, and sharpen their critical skills. For the rest of it, enjoy a great story well-told. I can hardly imagine a better history for this age group.
David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of John Adams
"A big breath of fresh air and the best possible news for the youngsters who get to read them." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Dr. Sonya Friedman, CNN
"An incredible look at who we were when this country began." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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