World Made New, The: Why the Age of Exploration Happened and How It Changed the World (National Geographic Timelines)

The age of exploration of the western world affected every one on earth. In 1491 no one in Italy had seen a tomato and there was not a potato in Ireland. In a few years trade routes develop around the world. Cows and pigs were brought to the Americas and turkeys and pumpkins were brought to Europe. The Aztecs gave the old world chocolate. Sir Francis Drake started as a pirate. Balboa was the first European to see the Pacific, but was killed by a rival. Emigration from country to country was widespread. Some found gold and some starved.

In our Social Studies curriculum we talk about exporers and how they came to the New World. We talk about the Columbian Exchange where the old and new worlds share their products culture! The kids loved this book!

Given the current demonization of Christopher Columbus the Left is engaging in was looking for a vaccine for my 9 year old from this simplistic, bigoted anti-European anti-white and anti-Christian thinking spreading so quickly and uncritically in our culture. This book not only felt short in terms of depth but also approaches the events from this left wing standpoint that pretends all cultures are equal and all cultures are equally advanced, without truth a society will perish.

Informative picture book....engaging. Glad I purchased it.

Thanks

Develops the Age of Exploration through the famous Europeans, plus Leif Erickson (briefly) and Zheng He (VERY briefly). Presents the problem with Venetian-Muslim control of the spice and silk route and explains (briefly) the Reconquista, which freed up adventurous European armies to go a-conquering New Worlds.Presents migration and culture contact, and in a thoughtful way shows the negative results as well as the positive -- for the Europeans as well as the people they encountered/enslaved. Very interesting perspective.Wonderful timelines and great illustrations, photographs, and maps.This book is a keeper.For some PROJECTS, try Explorers of the New World by Carla Mooney.  Explorers of the New World: Discover the Golden Age of Exploration with 22 Projects (Build It Yourself series)

I bought this to use as an addition to history. It is the same thing found in all our books so far with nothing new.

We really liked the way that all of the information in this book was organized and presented. Excellent spring-board type book for a study on early exploration. Great read aloud for the whole family with plenty of pictures. I, as well as the kids really learned a lot!