A Street Through Time

by Anne Millard, Steve Noon (Illustrations)

Demonstrating the unfolding of history, panoramic views visiting a particular site every few centuries follow the evolution of a Stone Age riverside settlement into a twentieth-century city. A bold title and date with a few sentences describing significant changes appears in the upper-right-hand corner of each broad vertical scene. Added statements wind around the four borders, offering details about daily life of the period and inviting readers to search for significant activities among the many small vignettes in the larger view. Tiny figures busy at daily life offer an engaging chronicle of human experience over time as invaders and disease take their toll or more peaceful times bring prosperity and growth. The hypothetical street is in an unnamed European setting; Romans, Barbarians, Vikings, and the plague alter the fortunes of in-habitants. Some of the historical milestones represented by the fourteen segments are not so far apart, while long stretches of time separate others. It's a very telescopic view, compressing the rich complexities of history into a few glimpses, but there's plenty of human interest in the passing scene to keep readers poring over the shifting yet similar pursuits of people over time. The timeline construct is a useful demonstration for children, and the busy vistas would make a fine springboard for encouraging students to create scenes of local history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens, Historical, Time Travel, Geography

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Anne Millard is a highly respected historian & Egyptologist, the author of numerous history books, many of which are written for children.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an AWESOME book!

Steve Noon's illustrations tell most of the story as author Millard guides you through the changes that occur in one small area of our planet - from 10,000 BC to the present day.


First Farmers (2000 BC)

The words at the borders of the pages tell interesting tidbits about the "street's" current inhabitants, and offer suggestions for things to look for - kind of a historical Where's Waldo? hunt. And though he's not wearing a striped sweater and pompom hat, there's a time traveling museum employee hidden in every picture.


Medieval Village (1200s)

Believe me, you'll find yourself poring over each page.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Noon has created a book that will appeal to adults as much as children. I hesitate to call it a picture book, as it’s a “picture book” only in the same sense that Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood or an illustrated dictionary is one. Each two-page spread illustrates — in every sense of the word — what life was like for conquerors and conquered, royalty and peasantry, rich and poor from the Stone Age in 10,000 BCE through the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages through the Industrial Revolution and beyond our own time and into the future. I learned so much, and I’m 62! It’s a book to read and re-read, as you catch new things each time.

A Street Through Time: A 12,000-Year Journey Along the Same Street includes the mundane as well. Children will giggle as they learn about toilets in each era. They’ll love that items lost in one era are washed up or dug up later on. And Noon’s having sought input from children to imagine this street in the future is the icing on this perfect cake. Highly recommended.

[Kremena Koleva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Много добре илюстрирана книжка, която подробно превежда децата през вековете, за да им разкаже и покаже как са се променяли селищата, градовете и улиците през различните периоди от човешката история. Наблегнато е на някои доста важни моменти и явления за дадена епоха. Самата аз я разгледах и прочетох с голям интерес. Представям си какво впечатление би направила на малките любопитни читатели, които имат толкова много въпроси за задаване!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short insight into a 12,000 year journey Great Britain has been on. It has some nice and short facts that children can read easily, its not too heavily fact based. The big pictures give children a context and there are lots of changes over the years for them to notice.

[Elfo-oscuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es una misma parte de un asentamiento/ciudad a lo largo de las epocas y como va cambiando. Estupendo para disfrutarlo tu solo o con tus peques

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids loved this one! So interactive! A million things going on in each area and the kids were discovering again and again. They loved finding the “guy.”

[Capn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revisiting this rating a year later to leave a review.
"I love this book!" - surprising admission from a kindergarten-aged child.
It's a bit like Where's Wally/Waldo, but educational. But its best feature really is in its detailed simplicity: same view, different settlements and major historical events (wars, invasions, plague). You can very quickly summarize British history, even to those with very limited attention spans.
It's proven perfect as a primer ahead of museum and event visits. Medieval festival? Flip to that page. Romanfest? Easy. Viking Days? Yep, flip to that. Stone-Age flint knapping of arrowheads context needed? Got it covered. Even "today" has become slightly dated, which is similarly useful, for pointing out what mum's childhood days were like, what with Walkmans and phone booths and no touch screens. ;)
Definitely an important reference book to have at home - bookfinder.com is my hot tip for tracking down out of print books online, though it is worth mentioning that Amazon has bought it (and Abebooks.. and Goodreads, for that matter), so shop around (eBay.. WOB... The Children's Book Shop Hay-on-Wye...!).

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really gets kids to think about the passage of time and how different ages relate to each other. My son focused particularly on the stone circle and was excited to see it appear in different ages and then felt sad when it disappeared.

[Lisa Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cool book, which gives you a closeup look at what a street would look like throughout time.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, educational and absorbing. A great concept of showing one street over the centuries, showing both physical and societal changes. Lots of learning to be had as the reader pores over the detailed pages.

[JMarryott23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cool book that is likely to appeal to adults just as much as it will to kids. It shows the same street through different eras and includes plenty of information on how people lived during each time. There is a lot of detail packed into each picture. And the artwork is beautiful as well. Definitely recommended for those that have kids.

[Erik B.K.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed, but outdated at times, and not the most original depictions. The street "in the future" is cringy. And I didn't like the mishmash of architecture and clothing from different countries. The street switched from English to French to German or perhaps Dutch even though the illustrations clearly are meant to be the same street in different era's.

[Jurij Fedorov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pro:

This or a history book like it is a must own for children. It has detailed images and a clear history progression timeline. Easy to follow and lots of cool illustrations.

Con:

I just wasn't super engaged with it. It's right in my ballpark for sure but I guess such a book may be more powerful for kids than adults and it's hard to judge it as a reader who have read history books and watched hundreds of history documentaries. It felt a bit like I already knew this stuff personally.

I think my main issue with it was just the boring text. I read some Danish books in a similar style and there I was engaged in the culture and engaged in what men, women and children did in such societies. I felt like I could imagine the towns. Here the text are just short concrete facts leaving out pretty much all info about culture and psychology. The text is the bad part for me here even though it works.

There is also an overly focus on rich people and rulers. The town in the 1700 century shows us rooms for rich people and stores for rich people. That's not really what we see in most other time periods even though the focus is always on powerful people. It feels like the book is inspired by movies or some specific history book.

While the drawings are very detailed the minor details are smudged out. So you can't make out smaller stuff. It makes for a unique style that makes it all seem like one big idea. But I'm a much bigger fan of sharp lines in such a case as they allow one to study the past in details. Where's Waldo has illustrations you can actually study in details for tens of minutes. This book is just pretty from a distance. I'm not really sure why sharp lines weren't used but they could have created a masterpiece if used properly.

Then the text felt repetitive and not engaging or informative enough. They are great details but lots of the time it was just on the nose info that no one would find interesting. I get that kids need to search for items in an image but at least create some stories about the items.

I recommend the book for sure. No doubt.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extended review of ‘A Street Through Time’ by Anne Millard

A timeline of British history from the view of a street in a settlement, village, town and then a city. Showing the development of infrastructure and society on one particular street, through key events in the UK’s history.

The book starts with a brief overview of British history explaining how the book functions. If reading with children, it’s definitely worth spending some time reading this page. It gives them background knowledge that will help them access the rest of the book. Plus, there are characters that you have to spot as read through the book which is they will love.

The book is really well illustrated. On each page there is a version of what the street would have looked like in that particular era. With some buildings overlapping it adds a really nice continuity to the history that is displayed in the pictures. Round the landscape image of “the street” and surrounding areas there are smaller zoom-ins of the main picture with captions attached to them. These give context to some of the parts of picture that might not make sense. The also give the reader questions and things to find within the image.

The different eras in this book include
• Stone Age
• Iron Age
• Britain Under Roman Rule
• Viking Invasion
• Medieval Times
• 1500s Black Death/ Plague
• British Civil War
• 1700s
• 1800s -Industrial Revolution
• Modern Day
The variety of different eras represented in this book makes it a really valuable classroom resource. Though not all children will be able to access the text in the book I feel like learners would benefit massively from just looking at the illustrations in this book and trying to interpret what they mean. Each page provides a really nice overview what each era was ‘all about��� I feel like this book would be a really good starting point for any history topic.

[Albana Bregu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well organised and easy to follow. It is suitable for children ages 10 and above but during my placement I found that it was interesting and informative for younger ages too especially those children who loved history.
‘A Street Through Time’ recounts the history of Western Civilisation starting from the Stone Age to nowadays ‘The street today’. The big size sheets of the book are filled with lots of information that are helpful for planning lessons too. Children can focus on one aspect/object and observe/discuss/compare how it changes through time. Each page illustrates detailed activities of everyday life from each era with explanation for important activities in the margins.
The sentences are not complicated to read and understand but the descriptive phrases embedded within illustrations are a little small to see. However, the book contains prefatory information, contents, timeline, glossary, index, credits that easy the navigation and/or understanding of any unfamiliar words.
Some children might struggle to read certain words but working in pairs and/or when the topic has been already explained in the school they should not find the reading challenging especially since the book it includes a glossary too. In order for children to get the best from the book children should have some knowledge about the eras included in the book however when the book was used as a starter activity most of the children managed to discuss and compare between a topic era known to them and the new one.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first 'Waldo' came out in 1987, and since then we've accumulated several more Search & Find books. But, this book is a favorite because it provides a window into the past. Starting with the stone age, and ending with the present era, there are 15 views of a riverside street. If I were to guess a location, I'd say London. (Maybe a location is mentioned or alluded to in the book; I don't remember.)

It's totally engrossing to watch buildings come and go, bridges get sturdier, castles appear (only to fall to ruin in the future), and the people scurrying to do their various tasks. In the 1500s, the 'Plague Strikes' and that has been a favorite in our family.

This is a wonderful book to share with a child of any age.

[Louis Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to include this book which has
followed me since I was very small, and still draws me in whenever I open it. Quite simply,
this book made me love history. A simple settlement by a river in prehistoric times becomes,
little by little, century by century, a bustling city, with beautifully drawn, detailed
illustrations and lively detail making each scene full of vitality. Features that dominate in
one double page spread become less important and fall into ruin. This book gave me a sense
of the immensity of time and that people in every age are just as much alive and present to
themselves as we are. It is a genuinely pleasing artifact to hold and opening up the wide
pages to read the double spread still gives me a thrill today. Every primary school classroom
should have a copy.

[Jamie Gallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely obsessed with this book as a kid. I would spend hours looking at every page, trying to find all the tiny details. My favourite aspect was finding artefacts from past ages in the modern day setting. Probably contributed to my love of history. Definitely a book you’d want to share with others!

[Grace Wall]

Nicely presented timelines.

The images are of the same street through the ages:
Stone age, First farmers, Iron age, Roman times, The invaders, Viking raiders, Medieval village, Medieval towns, The plague strikes, Under attack, Age of elegance, Grim times, From town to city, The street today.

Interesting facts.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would love to have a copy of this book. It is one of those that you pick up and can't put down. Fascinating, it's wonderful to imagine all that has transpired in a particular site over time. Great to have lying around in the classroom for students to peruse at their leisure.

[Isobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book to teach children about the different periods in history. The book shows a collection of period from different eras such as stone age, First farmers, Iron age, Medieval, Roman, Victorian, Georgian and the street today.

[Mikie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rolig, nostalgisk underhållning!

[Frank Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wie wandelt sich eine Stadt im Laufe der Zeit? Eine sehr spannende Frage, vor allem, wenn die Zeitspanne derart groß gewählt wird wie in diesem Bilderbuch für Kinder ab ca. sechs Jahren. Alles beginnt mit einer Siedlung vor 12.000 Jahren und endet mit einer möglichen Stadt der nahen Zukunft.

Zu Beginn erhält der Leser einen kurzen Abriss davon, was ihm im Buch erwartet. Kurz wird beschrieben, die sich eine Stadt wandelt. Dann beginnen auch schon die großflächigen Bilder, die im großen Querformat ihr ganzes Potential entfalten. Insgesamt 15 solcher Doppelseiten zeigen die Stadtentwicklung. Dabei gibt es immer wieder wichtige Ankerpunkte, die sich vereinzelt durch alle Bilder ziehen. Neben dem allgegenwärtigen Fluss sind das Ruinen von älteren Gebäuden oder Grabstätten, die vor der Stadt errichten wurden. So bekommen die Kinder ein gutes Gefühl davon, wie es dazu kommen konnte, dass zum Beispiel eine Burgruine mitten in der Stadt steht.

Ich persönlich finde es zudem sehr eindrucksvoll, wenn man sieht, wie weit entwickelt die Bevölkerung im Römischen Reich war und wie sehr sich die Städte im „finsteren“ Mittelalter regelrecht zurückentwickelt haben. Aus bombastischen und hochentwickelten Städten wurde wieder eine Matschgrube. Was mir in diesem Zusammenhang allerdings ein wenig fehlt, ist die Darstellung, wie es sein kann, dass man in einer Stadt auf Überreste einer römischen Stadt stoßen kann, wenn man ein paar Meter in den Boden gräbt.

Dieser Eindruck der Stadtentwicklung wird durch die Farbgebung massiv unterstrichen. Ist die römische Stadt hell und farbenfroh, versinkt die Stadt der Industrialisierung im Grau und Schwarz der Fabriken. Das Wesen des Bilderbuchs bleibt aber dennoch gleich. Als großes Wimmelbild werden die markanten Erscheinungsbilder einer Stadt (bzw. eines Dorf) gezeigt und dabei die wichtigsten Instanzen der Stadt gezeigt. Auch dies wandelt sich im Laufe der Zeit.
Im Vergleich zu vorherigen Ausgabe wurde in dieser Neuauflage das Bild einer Stadt der Zukunft gezeigt. In dieses Bild wurden die möglichen Stadtentwicklungen integriert, wie sie heutzutage diskutiert und teils auch schon integriert wurden bzw. werden.

🌟 Fazit 🌟

Ein Wimmelbuch mal anders. Es wird gezeigt, wie sich eine Stadt und mit ihr die Zivilisation (der westlichen Welt) entwickelt hat. Eine sehr spannende Zeitreise, mit der Kinder erfahren können, wie sich der Mensch im Laufe der Zeit vor- aber auch zurückentwickelt hat. Ein Geschichtsunterricht für die Kleinen.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieses Buch hat mich als geschichtsaffine Mama besonders angesprochen. Nichts mag ich mehr, als mit meinen Kindern in die Geschichte einzutauchen und mit ihnen in vergangene Welten einzutauchen. Genau das kann man mit diesem Buch tun.
Beginnend mit der Steinzeit wird auf je einer Doppelseite eine Epoche erklärt. Wobei über die Zeit selvst gat nicht so viel steht, sondern hauptsächlich die Bilder für sich sprechen und erklärt werden. Links oben findet man immer einen kleinen Absatz über die Zeit, die Menschen damals und ihre Lebensgewohnheiten. Dann kann man in dem wimmeligen Bild ganz viele Details aus dieser Zeit erkennen und mithilfe von Zahlen und Fußnoten bekommt man auch einiges erklärt. Dabei werden auch immer wieder Fremdwörter aufgenommen (Kastell, Amphitheater, Druckerpresse, Sänfte,...) und kurz erklärt, sodass man in die Zeit total eintauchen kann. Ich habe schon immer wieder noch mehr dazuerklärt, weil einfach wenig Text ist, was ich in diesem Fall aber auch gut fand. Denn die Bilder selbst erzählen schon so viel. Wir haben gemeinsam die Bilder entdeckt und darüber gesprochen, was wir so sehen, was sich verändert hat. Ich werde das Buch auch in der Schule einsetzen, weil die Bilder so anschaulich sind. Besonders gut gefallen haben mir auch die bilder zu Zeiten, die sonst lieber verschwiegen oder ausgelassen werden. So gibt es auch eine Seite um 17. Jahrhundert oder auch zur Pest, zur industriellen Revolution und dem Städtewachstum. Die Ideen der Zukunft fand ich auch spannend, hier könnte man auch die Schüler:innen selbst entwickeln lassen. Jedenfalls ist es echt ein total spannendes Buch, dass uns total überzeugt hat. Die wimmeligen Bilder sind vielfältig und inklusiv, und dabei gleichzeitig historisch korrekt und genau recherchiert. Wirklich gelungen!

[Bart · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is beautifully illustrated, and the idea itself is brilliant in its simplicity and graphic design, but... what a waste of potential. Most of the dates in the calendar are meaningless, and many of them are of little significance in world history. I don't know what criteria were used to select them. For example, Cleopatra is mentioned, but there is nothing about Jesus Christ. On various pages of the book, we can see bare buttocks and people relieving themselves. Really, why make such a wink to, as I understand it, the youngest readers and their toilet humour? Another thing is the mention of how peasants were allegedly oppressed in the Middle Ages, and on the page with the greatest conflagration of war, the mention that such a war was caused by religion. So a kid might start to think that religion is the cause of all problems, and not wounded human nature. On the page about the 20th century, we have a message about windmills and ecology, as if that were the defining feature of the last 100 years. And well, the page about the future in the new edition shows a vision, as if according to the WEF and the progressive left, in which we will eat bugs, two men will raise a daughter, we will practise yoga with a mind free of common sense, and the flag of "the only correct" movement of all the letters of the alphabet will fly above us. And supposedly these are children's ideas, selected in some competition. I do not want such a future, and I do not accept such a narrative about the past.

[Meiliana Kan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku ilustrasi ini memberi garis besar tentang sejarah perkembangan peradaban manusia yang dilihat dari bangunan-bangunannya. Mulai manusia-manusia di zaman batu yang masih tinggal di hutan-hutan dengan tenda-tenda kecil, lalu berkembang ke zaman besi yang rumah-rumahnya sudah lebih kokoh, lalu berkembang ke zaman viking yang terkenal barbar, lalu zaman Kekaisaran Roma yang terkesan glamor, berkembang lagi ke zaman revolusi industri yang memungkinkan manusia untuk memproduksi apa pun dengan lebih cepat dan efisien (lengkap dengan gambar langit yang mulai menghitam), lalu berkembang ke masa sekarang di mana ada banyak gedung tinggi yang menjulang ke angkasa, dan ada juga penggambaran bagaimana penampakan dunia masa depan yang didominasi oleh robot dan teknologi.

Aku menemukan buku ini di Perpustakaan Jakarta yang ada di TIM, bersanding dengan buku-buku non fiksi tebal yang membahas tentang politik dan sejarah dunia. Tapi, karena buku ini sangat ringan dan penuh ilustrasi, kurasa akan cocok juga jika dibaca oleh anak-anak (tapi anak-anak mana yang akan main-main ke rak yang isinya buku-buku tebal yang genrenya sama sekali tidak mereka pahami 😂😂)

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Now, I want to go back and just stare at the pictures and think about it all .
It just blew my mind that over 10,000 years so much has changed and how much as stayed the same.
I know a lot of the pictures and words are fictionalized, but I would love to know if this book is a real real river, (Like the Thames In England) and where they got their information.

I also didn't know that Romans had some elaborate communities in what is now the UK. I knew they were there, I knew this was an important part of history, and Hadrian's walls built to keep the Scottish (Picts) out but I was hard to think that they had basically a vibrant town (Not just a camp or shacks) and then they high end temples are in ruins. I guess I need to do more research about the Romans in the UK.

I really like this book but as a librarian the size is odd and hard to fit on a library shelf.

[The Library Mouse Tales · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really good book for kids who are interested in history and geography. It allows you to see how a street looks at 14 different times in the last 12,000 years. Such as 10,000 B.C.E, Roman times, or in Victorian England.
There are detailed double-page illustrations showing buildings or bridges going up and being pulled down or being rebuild in stronger materials. It also teaches you how people lived during those times and how technology developed. You will see the tools they used, what they wore, what they ate and what they did.
This is a book that children will enjoy exploring but I think adults will like it too!

[Emma Dickinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been lucky enough to find myself a copy of this amazing book which I will be using in my Year 3 class next term. It offers an insight into the changing landscape from 10,000 bc through to modern(ish) times. The attention to detail is mind blowing and it is the type of book you will always notice something new every time you read it. Munchkin (5) was fascinated to spot bare bottoms as people went about their ablutions and was shocked that people didn't have a bath in their homes. This is a must for any stage in ks2 history curriculum as it offers a real insight into how people lived, but also the impact each stage in our history had on the next.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fantastic book shows you a street through time from the Stone Age all the way through to the street today. I really like the detailed illustrations. My favourite page is Under Attack! (1600s) because I like seeing the horses and there is a lot happening. I like seeing how in the Stone Age this street was tiny and just tents and then it changes to First Farmers who have huts. The buildings get bigger and they are more complicated as the street becomes more modern. There is an interesting Timeline at the back of the book.