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.