North America

North American history unfolds in this graphic timeline that places US, Canadian and Mexican/Caribbean histories in the context of their continent. And a great context it is! From healers in the Aleutian islands in 10,000 BCE to the first to cultivate corn in 3,000 BCE in Mexico to Canadian scientists studying butterfly migration in 1975. From the Aztecs of the city of Tenochtitlan to the Mississippians who built Cahokia to the Inuit of the arctic and the Taino of the Caribbean. Then there are Spanish, French, English, and other Europeans who invaded in the 1500s, the enslaved Africans forcibly brought to North American shores, and millions more, from all around the world. This is a story of creation and destruction, migration, exploration, conquest, wars, alliances, trade, governments, railroads, mutinies, panning for gold, invention, and art. It includes terrible injustices and amazing movements toward equality and freedom. And so much more. So unfold the book and immerse yourself in the vast tapestry that is North American history.

School Library Journal  North America. 

"Along with the plethora of information, there are many detailed illustrations for readers to explore."

Gr 3-8–Using a large time line format, this unique book tells the history of North America over the past 13,000 years. Notably, this title covers a lot of information. Each spread contains many important historical events from all over the continent. Albee doesn’t glorify Christopher Columbus’s “discovery” and actually describes what truly happened to the Indigenous people when the Europeans started to colonize the continent. Along with the plethora of information, there are many detailed illustrations for readers to explore. The illustrations offer a bit of cohesion by having four different color schemes to represent the different areas of the continent. An important thing to know about this book is that it isn’t really a book. The thick pages are actually one long piece that unfolds into one eight-foot long page. It might be fun to lay it out and let students walk around and read the various bits of information, but it may not last long as a circulating book. The foldout pages make it a bit unwieldy and difficult to hold.

VERDICT A lot of great and updated information may not be enough to warrant spending money on a book that might not hold up to the daily wear and tear of circulation.