National Geographic Kids Everything KS2 history books – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Engaging, lively, accessible, comprehensive & detailed.
Children’s book titles: National Geographic Kids Everything Stone Age To Iron Age; Romans in Britain; Anglo-Saxons & Word War II.
Children’s author: Alf Wilkinson.
Genre: KS2 non fiction.
Published by: Collins & National Geographic Kids
ISBN: 9780008444747, 9780008444730, 9780008444754, 9780008444761
Recommended for children aged: 7-11.
First published: Paperback July 2021.
These children’s books are ideal for: KS2 history lessons, cross-curricular topic work, independent learning and extension activity research.
Our review:
National Geographic Kids and Collins have joined forces to produce four superb new non-fiction texts suitable for children in KS2. Covering the Stone Age to the Iron Age period, Romans in Britain, the Anglo Saxons, and World War II, these comprehensive guides include extensive coverage and are ideal for using as textbooks, topic books or to read as high-quality nonfiction texts.
These books are ideal for stretching the more able and encouraging research at a greater depth while remaining bright, engaging and appealing to reluctant readers. Nothing is dumbed down in the explanation and there’s a healthy use of technical terms and glossed language. But, the text is also sufficiently precise and well-written to be accessible to both Year 3 as well as Year 6. It’s a winning combination.
It’s not just political, religious and dynastic history that’s taught. The inclusion of social history, across all four volumes, is refreshing. The role of women is discussed in detail, as is family life, which will encourage historical empathy. Pastimes, culture, homes and possessions are interwoven to provide a colourful and engaging picture of life which children will be able to relate to and compare with their own.
The bright and attractive double-page spreads, and the use of text boxes, captions and headings are replicated across the series. The consistent and familiar layout will appeal to the less able and make it easier for pupils to locate information quickly – something teachers who like to develop their own nonfiction comprehensions will find of particular benefit.
The consistent approach also makes these texts particularly useful for teachers looking to compare and contrast different periods in history.
The high quality of presentation will keep pupils engaged. Clear timelines, maps, factboxes, and illustrations using modern and archival photography help to bring history alive through landmarks, artefacts, events and people. This is augmented by the clever use of artist impressions to unpick current historical thinking. This approach will promote further enquiry and fire pupil’s imaginations.
These books will have a number of uses in school and at home. Perfectly suited for KS2 teaching as a textbook, they are also sufficiently stimulating to stand out in classroom libraries as a nonfiction book, or for use as reference books in a primary school library. Each book will also improve your school’s topic book and resource collections – especially the Stone Age text – and should provide lots of ideas for year group wall displays.
For home learning, the Everything guides have great potential to acts as a springboard for UKS2 pupil’s individual projects and internet research.
The inclusion of interactive glossaries, suggested places to visit, and lists of websites for further research, are nice touches; and ones that home educators and children learning away from school will appreciate.
Our verdict – this new series of history books from National Geographic Kids and Collins is highly recommended for KS2 classes, and we hope the publishers will expand the series to cover even more periods of history taught in years 3-6.
Many thanks to Collins for the review copies.
If you like the new series of National Geographic Kids Everything KS2 history books you might also like: the Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia edited by Christopher Lloyd, The Missing by Michael Rosen, Peter in Peril by Helen Bate, and our collection of history topic books.
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