From Then to Now

May 1, 2011

Gr 7 Up-Capably told and uniquely illustrated, From Then to Now explains how imaginative human cultures have produced an intellectually and socially dynamic world. The work follows the course of human history from hunter-gatherer beginnings, through expansion and contact, to a modern, tightly interconnected global world. Along the way, Moore tackles how humanity, through agricultural and industrial innovations, has shaped and been shaped by environmental obstacles. Full-color spot art appears occasionally, and color sidebars provide information on a number of subjects, including The Great Wall of China, The Drowned City of Helike, and the Cambodian treat, spider fries. Far from a history of conquerors, this exceptional history of humanity is a breath of fresh air.-Brian Odom, Pelham Public Library, AL

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2011
Grades 5-8 Brushed in broad strokes, this picture of our last 50,000 years covers well-scouted ground, but as a compact and relatively coherent narrative, it offers an alternative to more massive tomes. An impartial observer Moore is not, referring to Chinas long humiliation under Mao and so downplaying early human violence that hunter-gatherer society comes off as idyllic. Highlighting selected people or events and underscoring the profound influence of Hammurabis Code, he brings his account up to the end of the Cold War; then, after mentioning some recent technological developments, he closes with a chapter of personal observations that point to the growth of a global, pancultural society. Despite the authors wide-angle focus on major worldwide cultures, a Western, Eurocentric bias occasionally shows through (Mesa Verde was lost until cowboys noticed it a hundred years ago). The illustrations are impressionistic paintings of figures and artifacts rather than photos, and there is no back matter aside from an index. Still, readers in search of a more sober alternative to Terry Dearys Wicked History of the World (2006) will find this useful.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)