nerd teacher [books] reviewed Villainous Victorians by Terry Deary (Horrible Histories)
Would be useful if done differently.
2 stars
I like that these books help make history accessible to younger readers. The comics help make things memorable, which is part of why I love seeing humour used in educational resources. I also like the "famous vs forgotten" parts of the book, showing people who were ironically made famous by their horrible actions but people who were forgotten for doing things well.
There are some things I'm not fond of, however. I'm not fond of including jokes about different demographics (fat jokes, for example) in educational resources for children; as a teacher, I already struggle enough with teaching my students that it's inappropriate (and beyond rude) because of lessons in the media. I hate having access to what could be a good resource that includes these things. (It does provide teachable moments, but I wish they were fewer and farther between.)
I also don't like the false stories and the …
I like that these books help make history accessible to younger readers. The comics help make things memorable, which is part of why I love seeing humour used in educational resources. I also like the "famous vs forgotten" parts of the book, showing people who were ironically made famous by their horrible actions but people who were forgotten for doing things well.
There are some things I'm not fond of, however. I'm not fond of including jokes about different demographics (fat jokes, for example) in educational resources for children; as a teacher, I already struggle enough with teaching my students that it's inappropriate (and beyond rude) because of lessons in the media. I hate having access to what could be a good resource that includes these things. (It does provide teachable moments, but I wish they were fewer and farther between.)
I also don't like the false stories and the "Guess Which is False" games. For short quizzes, it's fine; they do a lot of making up stories, and I've seen that confuse students entirely. For any kids who take things seriously, that's not helpful by any means; it makes the books less accessible.