Simple History Books on the Middle Ages

Children’s Information Books

Introduction

One of my personal interests is history, and for this paper I selected two children’s history books—one on Renaissance history and another on Medieval history. The books are written by Rob Shearer and are meant to be companion pieces or continuation pieces to the “Famous Men of…” series. Thus, the Medieval history book is a “Famous Men of the Middle Ages,” and the Renaissance book is “Famous Men of the Renaissance and Reformation.” Both books are very interesting because I learned a lot from them about people I had only heard mention. So while these were children’s books, they actually contained a lot of information for an adult who knew nothing about the people described in them. This showed me that a children’s book can be very informational for a novice or amateur historian like me. In this paper, I will discuss what I noticed in exploring these books, what new perspective I gained, what insight I obtained, and what questions I developed. I will make the argument that well-written and researched children’s books are really not just for kids but can also be a great entry point for adults looking to obtain new information on a subject they know little about.

What I Noticed

What I noticed first off on the books by Shearer was that the author came across as very knowledgeable of his subject. The author did not complicate the subject, however; he conveyed interesting details and stories about famous people from these time periods, and connected different people to one another based on geography and time period. For instance, in a chapter on Lorenzo Valla, Shearer writes, “About the time Donatello was studying the ruins of ancient Rome, Lorenzo Valla was born there. He was quickly recognized as a prodigy” (Shearer 19). This kind of straight-forward but informative approach really got my attention and helped me to appreciate both the time and the subject matter more thoroughly. The books were simple without coming across as simplistic.

New Perspective

One new perspective I obtained from this endeavor was a finer appreciation for some of the Reformers and also for the drama of the Middle Ages. What an intense time for many different people! Wars, religious fervor, kings and nobles carving out a path forward for their people, and ideas and men coming into conflict—all while artists and thinkers and great statesmen came upon the stage. I had never realized the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and Reformation time periods were so exciting! I am used to studying modern history and immersing myself in the 20th century—but these children’s books got me very interested in older times and opened up a whole new window on a world from long ago for me. My new perspective on history is now that all it takes is a good author and historian to give a creative and thoughtful and simple account of things and it will bring events of the past right to life before your very eyes. I was very impressed with these books and now I want to know more about these old worlds and how they helped to shape our modern world.

Valuable Insight

The valuable insight I obtained was that the Middle Ages were really not boring at all—but actually they were filled with great turmoil and also with a lot of faith and wonder. For instance, the story of Charlemagne is fascinating: he basically helped to establish Europe by conquering the barbarian tribes and bringing the people together under his rule. He helped to spread the Christian faith—but he also used the sword when he felt he needed to. Then to thank him for defending Rome from barbarian invasion, the pope crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor in 800 AD (Shearer). I thought that was a great story and it gave me a better understanding of how Europe came into existence after the fall of Rome left a great power vacuum in the realm.

These books also gave me the insight that children’s books can help adults to appreciate a subject that they don’t know a lot about. Sometimes I have put off picking up a book on an unfamiliar subject because the author took such a cerebral or “academic” approach to the subject that it made it seem inaccessible for someone unfamiliar with it. What was great about picking up a children’s book was that it was totally accessible and without any ostentation or pretension. The author was not trying to put on airs, or argue a new theory on history or anything like that: he was simply relaying information in a creative, informative, and interesting and engaging manner. I was completely hooked and felt like now I could wade a little further into these time periods without feeling so afraid or overwhelmed. In fact, I have picked up Bede’s “Ecclesiastical History of the English People” and think this will be more accessible for me now. At the same time, it is a Penguin Classics publication and it has that look of being something scholarly or that only serious students of history would ever read. I like to read for pleasure and enlightenment, and there are no pictures in this book like there are in the Shearer books. Yet, opening it up I feel like I can do it—just because I feel like I have some understanding of the time period thanks to the children’s books.

Questions for Further Research

One question I have for further research is this: why aren’t children’s books used more frequently in teaching adults? They can actually be very informative and easy to use as an introductory level text. I think schools should consider this, especially in adult-learning, so long as there are good texts available like these Shearer books.

Another question I have that pertains to the history subject is how the churches of the Middle Ages managed to keep it together in these uncertain times—but completely lost control in the Reformation time period? It is a great question I have and I hope the Bede book can at least give me a little more insight into this question.