A World Full of Journeys and Migrations

A fascinating illustrated reference of migration throughout history around the world. It's full of so much information and context about each country/culture and journey. I really liked the illustrations and found the book fascinating. This would be perfect for upper elementary school aged children.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars
I requested the ARC of this book after reading a friend’s review. As the title says, the book is about human migrations, journeys, invasions, from the past and present. The book does a good job of trying to cover all continents, though the major focus is on America.
I appreciate that the book doesn’t shy away from talking of invasions, slavery, torture, and racism. Not all invasions are covered (understandable considering the target audience) but at least it doesn’t say invasions were peaceful.
From African plundering to Australian penal colonies and the Underground Railroad to help the Native Americans, the world has had more than its share of racism and torture. The book is a good place to start with an outline of world history and then read books about each invasion and migration.
Belonging to a country that has been invaded multiple times, I can’t help but feel a little sad that there isn’t much about it in the book. Sure, it talks of the British colonization of India (here, I’d like to add that the freedom struggle took millions of lives, and Gandhi wasn’t the only one responsible for freeing India). A mention of the Islamic, Portuguese, Dutch, and French invasions would have been nice. Even a couple of lines would give kids the necessary nudge to know more.
(The same applies to other countries too. I know it’s a lot to cover, but a line of tiny text could make a lot of difference in a world where records are everything. It’s so easy for a modern-day person to ignore someone’s generational trauma because they haven’t read about it.)
The illustrations are beautiful. I love the technique used to create characters. It’s almost caveman-ish and raw and fits right into the theme of the book.
Overall, the book is a worthy attempt at not whitewashing invasions and colonization. Thank you for not saying the colonizers did us a favor by plundering our lands.
I received an ARC from NetGalley, Frances Lincoln Children's Books, and Quarto Publishing Group and am voluntarily leaving a review.
#AWorldFullofJourneysandMigrations #NetGalley
P.S: There's another version of Ashoka's story. It might be good to check it out.

This is an excellent enrichment book for middle grades! The broad concept of human migration is explored in sections loosely organized by region. Beginning with the walk out of Africa and continuing through today's concerns of climate change, pandemic, and extraterrestrial exploration, complicated topics are explained in student-friendly language. The book does not shy away from the dark sides of human migration, including slavery, displacement, and resource depletion, but the matter-of-fact tone makes for a good introduction to these difficult subjects.

The bright, cartoonish illustrations help engage students with the topics discussed and work well to hold attention. Most of the writing is broken into fairly short sections, so there aren't many intimidating "walls of text" for readers to contend with. This can easily be read in short sections and revisited when needed, so it's a good resource for readers who are still working on decoding and comprehension. This would be a great addition to school and classroom libraries for elementary and middle school!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

I picked up this book after reading reviews of a couple of friends. This covers the movement of humans (and to a lesser extent – animals & goods) since the early years across countries & continents.

The illustrations are very good and as the tone is very mature, it is completely appropriate for kids. For instance, it is brave enough to include movements & events which were violent (such as the result of the Nazi discrimination of Jews), and yet it does in a matter-of-fact manner appropriate for young minds. I would not call this a comprehensive list of all movements and at times the coverage is inconsistent (eg: In the case of India, Emperor Ashoka’s rule but omits much of the cultural context before that and also subsequent invasions), but overall, it is well-structured to stimulate curious minds.

There is some coverage at the end of pressing issues including other life forms facing extinction and climate change. I liked the progressive tone of how allowing movement encourages positive change mostly.

An interesting read for kids for sure.

My rating: 4.5 / 5.