Reviews
A Day in the Life of a Caveman, a Queen and Everything In Between by Jess Bradley, Mike Barfield
stephbookshine's review
5.0
*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the authors, Buster Books and Kelly Lacey of Love Books Tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
In comic book style, with bright pictures and dialogue bubbles, this history book is perfect for kids to learn without even realising that their entertainment is educational!
The ‘day in the life of’ hook is a clever one that isn’t only restricted to people (a caveman, a queen, an astronomer) but also features animals, plants and inanimate objects (an Egyptian cat, a dead sheep, a tulip, a bacteria, a wheel, a flask of soup, the letter ‘v’). We all loved the clever way that certain items were used to illustrate big moment in history for a different and interesting historical perspective, for example, ‘A night in the life of a star’ leads to information about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.
The information is organised chronologically, rather than geographically, and spans the entire globe. We found it quite exciting to leap about from Russia to China, to Italy and back again within the space of a few ‘days’ and the map at the front of the book proved an invaluable resource for placing ourselves as we travelled about.
The book starts with homo erectus and the neanderthals in Ancient History, and wends its way through the Middle Ages and Modern Times, to end with smart phones, carbon atoms and a glimpse into the future. Finally, there is a handy glossary of terms at the end, for reference as you’re reading.
I was reminded somewhat of the Horrible Histories series, in terms of the fun factor and presentation, but the contents are less… well… horrible! Which suits Minishine better, as she is a bit of a delicate soul.
Minishine’s thoughts (aged 8): This book has funny pictures and funny, historical words. It tells you all about what happened in the past, but only the interesting bits. I like the parts that have animals in, because I love animals and like learning more about them. I think you should buy it if you like learning about history and all kinds of different stuff. I never knew that Catherine the Great’s real name wasn’t even Catherine at all!
Babybows’ thoughts (aged 5): I liked it when the caveman hit his thumb with the axe – that was funny! The pictures are really good, ‘cos all of their belly buttons are crosses. I want to know more about how Calico Jack got captured, so me and Mummy are going to look it up. I want to look up all the cool fighty-fighty stuff!
Every school needs a load of copies of this book – they are ideal for school project resources, or just for some entertaining private reading for 8+ year olds. Home educators – or youngsters who just have a general interest in history and the world around us – will find it invaluable too!
'If you’ve ever wanted to know how the first wheel was invented, what life was like for a house in Pompeii and what a Galápagos tortoise thought of Charles Darwin, then look no further.'
– Mike Barfield & Jess Bradley, A Day in the Life of a Caveman, a Queen and Everything In Between
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2021/09/29/blog-tour-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-caveman-a-queen-and-everything-in-between-mike-barfield-and-jess-bradley/
In comic book style, with bright pictures and dialogue bubbles, this history book is perfect for kids to learn without even realising that their entertainment is educational!
The ‘day in the life of’ hook is a clever one that isn’t only restricted to people (a caveman, a queen, an astronomer) but also features animals, plants and inanimate objects (an Egyptian cat, a dead sheep, a tulip, a bacteria, a wheel, a flask of soup, the letter ‘v’). We all loved the clever way that certain items were used to illustrate big moment in history for a different and interesting historical perspective, for example, ‘A night in the life of a star’ leads to information about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.
The information is organised chronologically, rather than geographically, and spans the entire globe. We found it quite exciting to leap about from Russia to China, to Italy and back again within the space of a few ‘days’ and the map at the front of the book proved an invaluable resource for placing ourselves as we travelled about.
The book starts with homo erectus and the neanderthals in Ancient History, and wends its way through the Middle Ages and Modern Times, to end with smart phones, carbon atoms and a glimpse into the future. Finally, there is a handy glossary of terms at the end, for reference as you’re reading.
I was reminded somewhat of the Horrible Histories series, in terms of the fun factor and presentation, but the contents are less… well… horrible! Which suits Minishine better, as she is a bit of a delicate soul.
Minishine’s thoughts (aged 8): This book has funny pictures and funny, historical words. It tells you all about what happened in the past, but only the interesting bits. I like the parts that have animals in, because I love animals and like learning more about them. I think you should buy it if you like learning about history and all kinds of different stuff. I never knew that Catherine the Great’s real name wasn’t even Catherine at all!
Babybows’ thoughts (aged 5): I liked it when the caveman hit his thumb with the axe – that was funny! The pictures are really good, ‘cos all of their belly buttons are crosses. I want to know more about how Calico Jack got captured, so me and Mummy are going to look it up. I want to look up all the cool fighty-fighty stuff!
Every school needs a load of copies of this book – they are ideal for school project resources, or just for some entertaining private reading for 8+ year olds. Home educators – or youngsters who just have a general interest in history and the world around us – will find it invaluable too!
'If you’ve ever wanted to know how the first wheel was invented, what life was like for a house in Pompeii and what a Galápagos tortoise thought of Charles Darwin, then look no further.'
– Mike Barfield & Jess Bradley, A Day in the Life of a Caveman, a Queen and Everything In Between
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2021/09/29/blog-tour-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-caveman-a-queen-and-everything-in-between-mike-barfield-and-jess-bradley/
netsreadsbooks's review
5.0
This book is the epitome of doing what it says on the tin... The strap line says "History as you've never seen it before" and it's certainly true for me.
It's a colourful, bright, fun way to look through history and learn things in a way you won't have in school. It's not a book I could read cover to cover but I have really enjoyed dipping in and out and finding new things to find out and news ways to look at things.
The illustrations are fantastic and really blend well with the way it is written. It's a book I will be putting away for my kids for when they are older and learning these things through THEIR school lives
It's a colourful, bright, fun way to look through history and learn things in a way you won't have in school. It's not a book I could read cover to cover but I have really enjoyed dipping in and out and finding new things to find out and news ways to look at things.
The illustrations are fantastic and really blend well with the way it is written. It's a book I will be putting away for my kids for when they are older and learning these things through THEIR school lives
areadersalley's review
4.0
This is a beautiful history book for children, and even adults alike. The illustrations make it such an interesting read, especially for kids.
The book doesn't only talk about a Caveman (homo eructus and our ancient history) and a queen, but it also talks about other historical events as well, like Mona Lisa's painting, animals, cultures and literally everything in between.
We start from the ancient history, and move slowly towards the events of middle timeline, and then move on towards the modern times. I love how organised the information was.
Not ashamed to say I learnt a few things myself. It's been a long time since we read all this and this book was a great reminder of all the historic facts.
There are loads of maps and diagrams that help teach your little one the geographical areas as well. The way the information is passed on, isn't limited to just simple illustrations, but it also has a funny edge to it which makes it much more fun to read.
I'd say its a perfect book for children (and even adults) and has an entertaining way of learning to it.
The book doesn't only talk about a Caveman (homo eructus and our ancient history) and a queen, but it also talks about other historical events as well, like Mona Lisa's painting, animals, cultures and literally everything in between.
We start from the ancient history, and move slowly towards the events of middle timeline, and then move on towards the modern times. I love how organised the information was.
Not ashamed to say I learnt a few things myself. It's been a long time since we read all this and this book was a great reminder of all the historic facts.
There are loads of maps and diagrams that help teach your little one the geographical areas as well. The way the information is passed on, isn't limited to just simple illustrations, but it also has a funny edge to it which makes it much more fun to read.
I'd say its a perfect book for children (and even adults) and has an entertaining way of learning to it.
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