New York City History for Kids: From New Amsterdam to the Big Apple with 21 Activities (44)

For Kids

by Richard Panchyk

In this lively 400-year history, kids will read about Peter Stuyvesant and the enterprising Dutch colonists, follow the spirited patriots as they rebel against the British during the American Revolution, learn about the crimes of the infamous Tweed Ring, journey through the notorious Five Points slum with its tenements and street vendors, and soar to new heights with the Empire State Building and New York City’s other amazing skyscrapers. Along the way, they’ll stop at Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and many other prominent New York landmarks. With informative and fun activities, such as painting a Dutch fireplace tile or playing a game of stickball, this valuable resource includes a time line of significant events, a list of historic sites to visit or explore online, and web resources for further study, helping young learners gain a better understanding of the Big Apple’s culture, politics, and geography.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Richard Panchyk is the author or editor of 14 books on a diverse range of topics, including children's nonfiction (science, history, art, politics/government) and adult nonfiction (history and folklore). His works have been translated into four languages.

Among his books are the award-winning and bestselling World War II for Kids, which is available at bookstores and museum gift shops across the nation. This book is considered as one of the top books ever published for teaching kids ages 9 and up about the war, and is used in schools and by homeschoolers from New York to Alaska. It features a foreword from the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, John McCain.

He is also the author of the lavishly illustrated Galileo for Kids, featuring a foreword by the astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

To order autographed copies of any of his books, or for more information, you may contact the author at panchyk@yahoo.com.

Richard Panchyk's latest books are German New York City, published as part of the famous Images of America series by Arcadia and 101 Glimpses of Long Island's North Shore, published by The History Press.

German New York City is the first-ever major book to cover the story German population in one of the world's biggest cities. It features nearly 200 historic photographs.

101 Glimpses is a pocket-sized book offering a snapshot of different beautiful locales along the historic North Shore, and features a foreword by Thomas Suozzi.

Coming in 2009 - The Keys to American History, featuring more than 60 of America's most important documents and speeches.

Reviews

[Mariℓina]

3,5 Stars!!!

This was a nice book, but in my opinion not really suitable for kids, mostly because it has too many historical facts told in a very tedious way.


The lay out consists of informative chapters, photos and activities in cronological order..
The activities are smart, inspiring and fun the photos are not something special and the writing is adept and skilful..


The Verdict : It's a good book but full of monotonous details that may not excite every kid or adult out there.. The second half flows better but after 1910 it feels like the author had enough writing this book and decided to wrap it up quicly with no fuzz..


THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK

- The book recounts many attributes and stories of the city through time such as: The Statue of Liberty, Restaurants, Millionaires and their Mansions, Broadway, the bridges and a ton of very important buildings e.t.c.
- It describes the "bad" side of New York also.
- It contains many interesting stories..



The photos are not from the book.

[Zach Schiff]

I really enjoyed this condensed version of the history of NYC. Yes, it's a kids book, but it's an honest and true account, and heavily researched. An adult non-fiction book of the same subject would be about 500 pages, so this was a great decision.

[Kristen Mulvihill]

Parents -- get ready for your summer travels and buy or borrow this book for your children soon! Printed in softcover on shiny, magazine style paper, this history/activity book about New York City is going to entertain the whole family.New York City History for Kids: From New Amsterdam to the Big Apple with 21 Activities follows evolution of NYC "from New Amsterdam to the Big Apple." Each chapter covers a chapter in New York City history, while also offering great suggestions for activities for the kids. My favorite activity so far is on page 45, where the authors explain how the family can work together to map out all or part of the neighborhood where they live. This gives the children a chance to learn more about their neighborhood and gain a sense of history in their hometown while learning about the history of New York City. The authors even suggest interviewing neighbors about their memories of the neighborhood in previous decades. This is a great resource that will inspire your children to be excited about living history and its ties to traditional, written history. Happy Reading!

[Britt]

Yea, my grownup ass read this kid's book. In my defense,I was looking for an ebook on the history of NYC thru my library and this was all they had online. I thought this would be really childish and a quick browse, but I actually don't know how many kids would be into this book. It's pretty long and there are so many historical facts. It read more like a young adult/teenager book to me. Sometimes I also felt like it was geared towards kids living in NYC. It's a pretty good overview of the city's history from before the Native Americans to present day, but this is best for a parent to go thru with their kid and pick certain activities and topics of interest out. I particularly like the activity of making a walking tour map of your neighboorhood that involves doing some research.

[Deb Carter]

I learned so many new facts about New York City. This book would be a great reference book or used just for fun!!

[Delta]

I'm not sure if this is marketed correctly. While the language and topics are, for the most part, kid-friendly, it's really dense in information. This is a great book for any school-aged child doing a report or needing to research New York, but man is it going to be tedious and boring for them. At least the activities seemed interesting.