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Thursday, October 13, 2022

History's BIGGEST Show-offs (Hardcover), by Andy Seed (author), Sam Caldwell )illustrations)

 

Publication Oct. 24, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60382795-history-s-biggest-show-offs

This book is just plain fun and should appeal across a wide-range of ages. True, younger children will need an adult/parent to read for them but that would also allow for lots of discussion and teaching moments. I particularly liked that the "Show-offs" were of not just both sexes but from a wide range of cultures and settings. While most were names I've heard, some were new to me or attached an unfamiliar name to a particular setting, such as the designer of the Taj Mahal. 

In other words, there's something for everyone, all illustrated with a personable batch of illustrations that while seeming realistic, also manage to evoke a human emotion from the depictions. Heck, even Henry VIII's cod piece gets a mention, so it definitely covers a wide variety of topics. The "Show-offs", I will note, weren't necessarily good or bad, just memorable. I won't mention all the names but they begin with Egypt's Hatsheput and range from there to Shakespeare, Hedy Lamarr, Tesla, Tarabai, Ada Lovelace, Michelangelo, and Capability Browne, a new name to me who won my prize for favorite name. He was a landscape designer, btw, and designed the gardens of Hampton Court Palace for King James III. There's a timeline as well as glossary and index at the end as well as fun quizzes such throughout.

There are more, so prepare to revisit old friends and make new ones, all with a smile. This one is a winner. Thanks #NetGalley and #QuartoPublishingGroup - #FrancesLincolnChildren'sBooks -#HappyYak for introducing me to some people I'd never heard of, barely heard about, and thought I knew. Fun!

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