Revolution!: 12 Seismic Shifts that Changed the World!

About this book

What does it mean to change the world? Is it toppling unfair systems and finding new ways to govern, challenging long-held beliefs, or coming up with new inventions that transform our everyday lives? 

In this brilliant and thought-provoking book, Dr Joan Lennon presents 12 revolutionary movements, events, and technologies that have changed the world, from the Gay Liberation Movement and the French Revolution to the inventions of plastic and bicycles and the Civil Rights Movement. 

Each topic occupies four colourful, information-rich pages, giving readers a good understanding of the historical context, what actually happened, and how that revolution, event, or invention changed the world. 

Lennon makes the excellent point that life isn’t “just how it is” and that young people – who are our future – should not necessarily believe that the status quo is unchangeable. By educating children on what’s come before – and who fought for their existing freedoms – Lennon reminds readers that change is always possible. 

This would be a great book for upper primary or lower secondary readers, giving a reasonably detailed introduction to larger topics. Teo Georgiev’s illustration style is colourful and cool, with a more grown-up feel for older children.