Thursday, October 23, 2008

You Wouldn't Want To...miss these books!

Have you realized that some of the best books, websites and TV series are almost always British? The Horrible Books series, Dr Who, BBC News (the only world news channel that really offers world news), Dance Mat typing, BiteSize activities and the various BBC wildlife, prehistory and historical documentaries are all enduring favorites in our home.

So when I recently found out that The You Wouldn't Want To Be series was British I just had to write this post. I am more than a little proud that I was educated in a "neo" British education system :)

Created by David Salariya, these cartoon-style, non-fiction hardbacks are a delightful combination of historical fact, no holes barred gore and rib-tickling humor. Authors differ from title to title but most of the books were illustrated by David Antram.

DS has been reading these books since he was 4.5! Here's a complete (I hope) list I found on Wikipedia. I've further classified them chronologically. If there are any inaccuracies in my classification, I'd appreciate a comment so that I can fix it.





PREHISTORY & ANCIENT/ ASIAN HISTORY

You Wouldn't Want To Be A Mammoth Hunter! (c. 10,000BC)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Sumerian Slave (c. 5000-2000BC)
You Wouldn't Want To Be An Egyptian Mummy! (c. 3000BC)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Pyramid Builder! (c. 2500BC)
You Wouldn't Want To Be An Assyrian Soldier (c. 2000-600BC)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Greek Athlete! (800-700BC?)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Slave In Ancient Greece! (c. 1100 - 150BC)
You Wouldn't Want To Work On The Great Wall of China! (500-200BC)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Roman Soldier! (400BC?)
You Wouldn't Want To Be In Alexander The Great's Army! (336-323BC)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Roman Gladiator! (c. 260BC)
You Wouldn't Want To Be Cleopatra (69-30BC)
You Wouldn't Want To Live In Pompeii! (AD79)
You Wouldn't Want To Be In The Forbidden City! (built 1406-1420)

Ancient History Titles (click on cover to view up-close or purchase)


EARLY TO VICTORIAN EUROPE

You Wouldn't Want To Be A Viking Explorer! (c. 1000)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Crusader! (1095-1099)
You Wouldn't Want To Live In A Medieval Castle! (c. 1200s?)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Medieval Knight! (c. 1200s?)
You Wouldn't Want To Be In A Medieval Dungeon! (c. 1200s?)
You Wouldn't Want To Be Married To Henry VIII! (1491 - 1547)
You Wouldn't Want To Be Ill In The 16th Century/ Tudor Times! (1500s)
You Wouldn't Want To Explore With Sir Francis Drake (1500s)
You Wouldn't Want To Be Mary, Queen Of Scots! (1542-1587)
You Wouldn't Want To Sail In The Spanish Armada! (1588)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Pirate's Prisoner! (1660s?)
You Wouldn't Want To Be An 18th-Century British Convict!
You Wouldn't Want To Travel With Captain Cook! (1766?)
You Wouldn't Want To Be An Aristocrat In The French
Revolution! (1789-1799)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A 19th-Century Coal Miner in England!
You Wouldn't Want To Sail On An Irish Famine Ship! (19th Century)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Suffragist! (19th Century)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Victorian Schoolchild! (1880s)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Victorian Miner! (1880s)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Victorian Servant! (1880s)
You Wouldn't Want to Be A Victorian Mill Worker! (1880s)

Early to Victorian Europe Titles (click on cover to view up-close or purchase)


THE AMERICAS

You Wouldn't Want To Be A Mayan Soothsayer! (AD250-900)
You Wouldn't Want To Be An Aztec Sacrifice! (c. 1200s)
You Wouldn't Want To Be An Inca Mummy! (c. 1450)
You Wouldn't Want Sail With Christopher Columbus! (1492)
You Wouldn't Want To Be An American Colonist! (1585)
You Wouldn't Want To Sail On The Mayflower! (1620)
You Wouldn't Want To Be At The Boston Tea Party! (1773)
You Wouldn't Want To Be An American Pioneer (18th Century)
You Wouldn't Want To Be In The First Submarine! (1800?)
You Wouldn't Want Sail On A 19th-Century Whaling Ship!
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Civil War Soldier! (1861-1865)
You Wouldn't Want To Work On The Railroads! (1860s)
You Wouldn't Want To Live In A Wild West Town!
(c. mid 19th Century)
You Wouldn’t Want To Be A Worker On The Statue
Of Liberty! (1876-1886)
You Wouldn't Want To Sail On The Titanic! (April 1912)
You Wouldn't Want To Be A Polar Explorer!
(Ernest Shackleton: 1914-1917)
You Wouldn't Want To Be On Apollo 13! (April 1970)

The Americas Titles (click on cover to view up-close or purchase)

2 comments:

  1. My kids love these books! This is the most complete list and I love that they are in order! Thanks for the hard work! You just made my day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm so glad it was helpful :) You are most welcome.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are moderated and I will approve your comment as soon as I can. Thanks for taking the time to write a note!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...