Weekly book shelf 1/20

We've spent a lot of time lately talking first about human evolution, then about human migration. This was my approach to starting history—to start from the true beginning in order to put human civilizations into the real context of relationship. I think that's important groundwork to lay before we, eventually, get into the remeeting of these civilizations and the destructiveness of their failure to realize their relationship to one another.

With that in mind, this is a book that I picked up at our library sale. It goes well with the videos we've been watching lately that lay out some of the more recent theories about human migration into the Americas, which date their arrival here much earlier than previously thought. This is a National Geographic book and is not strictly speaking a children's book, but it is well illustrated and lined with photographs and good descriptions. Calvin loves it.

This is a fun book that is less about the Mayas and their hieroglyphs than it is about the Europeans and their struggle to discipher them. It has a few listed activities that walk kids through making some Mayan heiroglyphs as well.

Every two page spread in this book shows the same spot on the same river over thousands of years. It has been a good companion to our study of human migration and the development of civilaztions. Great illustrations with fun details that keep each page interesting.

Weekly book shelf 1/13

Happy Friday the thirteenth!

Reading to himself:

This is another book that I bought at a used book shop. It has a beautiful, heavy feel to it, and is sprinkled with eerily pretty illustrations. Calvin has read and reread it several times this week.

Reading together:

We've been reviewing some human evolution,s o we're revisiting the A Day With series by Fiorenzo Facchini (Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Neanderthal Man, and Homo sapiens). It's out of print, but I still highly recommend this series if you can find it. Many times when copies become available they're pretty high priced, so I just kept stalking ebay and Amazon until I found them, one at a time, offered by more reasonable sellers. I got all four at prices between $12 and $18 each, and I'm very glad to have them all on our shelves.