Chronological History

Sometimes we speak of world history as though it belongs to people. It doesn't—it belongs to God, and though people play prominently within the historical narrative, it always remains under God's auspices and control. The problem with losing the right perspective isn't that we'll get the facts wrong, it's that we'll fail to understand what they mean, what the purpose of past events is, and what we can look forward to.

Human history began all at once in the same place: the Garden of Eden, where God made Adam and Eve as the crown of all Creation. He told them to fill the earth and take dominion of it, and He also told them not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They ate the fruit anyway, and mankind was removed from paradise and introduced to tension, pain, and resistance.

The story of the world is in many ways simply the story of adversity. For the enemies of God, it's adversity in the form of the failure and futility of purely human endeavor; for God's people, it's the story of fighting for the truth against secular philosophies, fighting for holiness despite the pervasiveness of sin, and fighting for the Gospel in the face of persecution and death.

Jesus Christ is our only hope. He is the Prince of Peace, the defeater of Death, and the King of the Universe, the saver of souls and the punisher of wickedness. His kingdom is the restoration and glorious fulfillment of the paradise from which Adam and Eve were removed, and we work, wait, hope and pray for the quick fulfillment of His will in all things.

This is our framework for history. While it's important to study things like the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the ancient Near East, it's only important when investigated through the lens of God's ultimate sovereignty and plan. The story of mankind is the story of redemption, and only when we analyze battles, kings, treaties, and catastrophes from God's perspective can we truly make sense of them.

Otherwise, it's all fairly irrelevant and useless. Sure, there's Napoleon's dictum that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it, but a quick survey of the past will show that each successive generation does repeat the sins of their fathers, and that without Christ's real physical life on Earth as a centering point, there's no real cause for optimism or hope of any kind.

Christ's love not only makes the trajectory of history cause for hope; it reveals the truly great moments of the past, events that to the secular eye seem insignificant or even pernicious. We're speaking of the progress of the true Church, of course, and of each soul that God calls and makes His own through the agency of His Holy Spirit. These are the milestones we look for and celebrate.

We carry a lot of world history products. Because it's the story of God's work in the world and our human responses, we believe it's important to know and understand. Not everything we carry is Christian; there are plenty of secular resources here. We encourage you to use whichever ones work best for your situation, but that you do so with a view to understanding the will and work of the One who made history in the first place.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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Albert Einstein: Young Thinker
by Marie Hammontree
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
by Jean Fritz & Margot Tomes
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Arrow Over the Door
by Joseph Bruchac
from Puffin Books
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Ballad of Lucy Whipple
by Karen Cushman
from HarperCollins
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Ben and Me
by Robert Lawson
from Little, Brown & Company
Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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Benjamin Franklin: Young Printer
by Augusta Stevenson
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Blazing West: The Journal of Augustus Pelletier
by Kathryn Lasky
from Scholastic Inc.
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$3.50 (1 in stock)
Bravest Dog Ever
Step Into Reading Level 3
by Natalie Standiford
from Random House
Animal Stories for 1st-3rd grade
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Buffalo Bill: Frontier Daredevil
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Meryl Stevenson
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
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By the Great Horn Spoon!
by Sid Fleischman
from Little, Brown & Company
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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Caleb's Story
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
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Columbus and the Renaissance Explorers
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-7th grade
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$3.00 (3 in stock)
Concise Illustrated History of the American Revolution
from Eastern Acorn Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Courage of Sarah Noble
by Alice Dalgliesh
Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-6th grade
1955 Newbery Honor Book
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Crispus Attucks: Black Leader of Colonial Patriots
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Dharathula H. Millender
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Daniel Boone: Young Hunter and Tracker
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Augusta Stevenson
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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Days of Knights & Damsels
by Laurie Carlson
from Chicago Review Press
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Fireflies in the Dark
by Susan Goldman Rubin
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$2.50 (2 in stock)
George Washington's Breakfast
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 1st-4th grade
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George Washington's Breakfast
by Jean Fritz
from Coward McCann
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George Washington, Spymaster
by Thomas B. Allen
from National Geographic
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in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Harry Houdini: Master of Magic
by Robert Kraske
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
House on Walenska Street
by Charlotte Herman
from Avyx, Inc.
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941
by Lauren Tarshis
from Scholastic Inc.
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
by Bette Bao Lord
from HarperCollins
Immigration for 2nd-6th grade
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In Their Own Words: Abraham Lincoln
In Their Own Words
by George Sullivan
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 3rd-4th grade
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$3.00 (2 in stock)
Ivan and the Informer
by Myrna Grant
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
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$3.50 (1 in stock)
Ivan and the Secret in the Suitcase
by Myrna Grant
from Christian Focus Publications
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in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Jimmy Spoon and the Pony Express
by Kristiana Gregory
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Josefina Story Quilt
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Eleanor Coerr
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
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Journey to America
Journey to America Saga #1
by Sonia Levitin
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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Kidnapped Prince
by Olaudah Equiano
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Letters from Rifka
by Karen Hesse
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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$3.50 (1 in stock)
Lights In Lisuland
CF4Kids Trail Blazers
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
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Little Farm in the Ozarks
Rocky Ridge Years Book 2
by Roger Lea MacBride
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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Long Way to a New Land
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Joan Sandin
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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Long Way Westward
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Joan Sandin
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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Magic Tree House #16 - Research Guide / Fact Tracker
by Mary Pope Osborne
from Random House
for 2nd-5th grade
in Magic Tree House (Location: SER-MTH)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Magic Tree House #38 (Merlin Mission #10) - Fact Tracker
companion to Merlin Mission #10 - Monday with a Mad Genius
by Mary Pope Osborne, Natalie Pope Boyce
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 2nd-6th grade
in Magic Tree House (Location: SER-MTH)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Magic Tree House #44 (Merlin Mission #16) - Fact Tracker
Magic Tree House
by Mary Pope Osborne & Natalie Pope Boyce
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Magic Tree House (Location: SER-MTH)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Matchlock Gun
by Walter Edmonds
from PaperStar Books
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
1942 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
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Meet Christopher Columbus
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
by James de Kay
from Random House
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Meet George Washington
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
by Joan Heilbroner
from Random House
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Meet George Washington
by Joan Heilbroner
First Scholastic Printing 2001 from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
Molly Pitcher: Young Patriot
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Augusta Stevenson
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Molly's Pilgrim
A Bantam First Skylark
by Barbara Cohen, illustrated by Daniel Mark Duffy
from HarperTrophy
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (5 in stock)
One Thousand Paper Cranes
by Takayuki Ishii
2001 Printing from Laurel-Leaf Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Pocahontas and the Strangers
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from Scholastic Inc.
Biographies for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Pompeii
Step Into Reading Level 4
by Edith Kunhardt & Michael Eagle
from Random House
Non-Fiction for 2nd-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$4.99 $3.00 (3 in stock)
Road to Agra
by Aimee Sommerfelt, illustrated by Ulf Aas
from Scholastic Book Services
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Sam the Minuteman
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Nathaniel Benchley & Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Sarah Morton's Day
by Kate Waters
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-fiction for Nursery-3rd grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$7.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlan
30th Anniversary from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
1986 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
September 11
by Mary Englar
from Compass Point Books
for 3rd-5th grade
in 21st Century (Location: HISW-21)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Serpent Never Sleeps
by Scott O'Dell
from Fawcett Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Shark Lady
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
Squanto
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Harriet Tubman
Dell Yearling Biography
by Kate McMullan
from Yearling
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Three-Minute Speech
by Jennifer Armstrong, Illustrated by Albert Lorenz
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Toliver's Secret
by Esther Brady
from Yearling
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
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Turn Homeward, Hannalee
by Patricia Beatty
from Beech Tree Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
Tut's Mummy
Step Into Reading Level 4
by Judy Donnelly & James Watling
from Random House
Non-fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$4.99 $2.50 (2 in stock)
Understanding the U.S. Constitution
by Sally Senzell Isaacs
from Crabtree Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Wagon Wheels
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Barbara Brenner
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99 $2.50 (2 in stock)
What Was the March on Washington?
What Was?
by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Tim Tomkinson
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) (Location: HISA-20CIV)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Where is Antarctica?
by Sarah Fabiny, illustrated by Jerry Hoare
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in International Landmarks & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANINT)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Where is the Parthenon?
by Roberta Edwards, illustrated by John Hinderliter
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in International Landmarks & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANINT)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Who Is Malala Yousafzai?
Who Was?...Series
by Dinah Brown, illustrated by Andrew Thomson
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 3rd-4th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Who Was Christopher Columbus?
Who Was?...Series
by Barbara Bader, illustrated by Nancy Harrison
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 3rd-5th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Wilbur and Orville Wright: Young Fliers
by Augusta Stevenson
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?
by Jean Fritz
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Wright Brothers At Kitty Hawk
by Donald J. Sobol
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.00 (1 in stock)