I cannot do too much to stress the importance of context in learning history, especially looking in retrospect at my own education. I learned a lot of dates and names and places by rote, but if you were to ask me to find the places on the globe, or relate two famous historical contemporaries, I might be at a loss. At least, I might have been at a loss before beginning our homeschool journey. I feel as if I'm gaining the education I never had, alongside my children.

In our studies, we use a globe and maps and a poster-sized timeline. You can't get much on the timeline; you have to write small and be brief, but it's mainly a reminder of the people we've read about in "living books" written by great storytellers who were excited about their subject and wished to convey that excitement to their readers. While I could have my students simply memorize the simple names and dates that appear on the timeline - at least with the timeline they could have a little sense of context - I prefer that they learn about these people as if they were real, living, breathing people. Come to think of it, that's what they were.

Genevieve Foster's books have served as mighty weapons in the battle of establishing context. Not only is she a vivid storyteller, but in her histories of what was going on during the lives of Augustus Caesar, Christopher Columbus, Captain John Smith, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington she establishes that sense of context that was missing from my education. In reading her books, I have suffered more than one shock of recognition. Oh! So she was living at the same time! Oh! So that book was published in his lifetime!

And so, reading about Captain John Smith, we discovered that the power struggle between Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth, and the "Spanish Armada" happened at the time John Smith was a small boy. How did that escape me before? Because I learned about them as unrelated facts, that's how.

The World of Capt. John Smith showcases events that took place around the world during the lifespan of the title. The book spans the timeframe from 1580 to 1631 A.D.

The book is broken into four parts, each detailing historical figures and events that happened around the world during specific parts of John Smith's lifespan:

When Queen Elizabeth Ruled in England and John Smith was a Boy
When Akbar Ruled India and John Smith Fought the Turks
When Powhatan Ruled in Virginia and John Smith in Jamestown
When the Pilgrims Landed in New England and John Smith Was Writing History

Each section begins with a two-page spread of people who were living, and some events that took place, during the time covered in that section. Pen and ink illustrations and a brief description accompany each, such as "El Greco was the great painter of Spain" and "The first violin was made and the first grand opera performed" and many more, all while John Smith was a soldier. Events all over the world are touched upon. I never realized before, for example, that the first Englishman entered Japan and was honored by the Shogun at this time, though somehow I did know that Shakespeare was writing plays. I never associated the time of the Bard with the time of John Smith, however! They were unconnected bits and pieces, and so far as I knew, unrelated! At least, until we started using a timeline. But still, the connection was made clearer in reading The World of Capt. John Smith.

Though my older students could easily read this to themselves, we use this book as a read-aloud, and it is enjoyed from youngest to oldest. I read a few pages, and my listeners vie to be the first to narrate. This enthusiasm, coupled with the vivid narrations I get from my students, is a sign that Genevieve Foster is a wonderful storyteller, well able to bring history to life. The author infuses scenes with her imagining of the figures' thoughts and emotions, woven in and around the narration of known historical fact. Mere names suddenly "make sense" as they fall into the story. Frances Bacon. King James I. The Ming Emperor. The Spanish Armada.

We hear about historical events, about culture, about the evolution of the modern calendar and the colonization of the New World. Battles are fought, rulers plot and scheme, explorers sail, scientists make exciting discoveries, while writers and artists create the masterpieces that will live long beyond them.

One caution is that because the author is trying to show history through the eyes of the characters presented, varying systems of belief are shown without comment or judgment. The Chinese faith in the teachings of Confucius bear the same weight as the Jesuit who brings Roman Catholic teachings of Christ. This is one of the things we focus on in our discussions, comparing the beliefs presented here with the truths we read every day in the Scriptures.

Illustrations, maps, chronologies, and timelines add life, interest, and understanding to the pages, and the book is rounded out with two indexes, one of people and the second of events, places, books, maps and topics.

This is a wonderful tool for bringing history to life in the imagination of your students, and for putting the people and events of John Smith's day into proper context. Highly recommended!