If you've never read a Genevieve Foster book, then you're in for a treat. This books are really amazing. Foster has this unique approach of teaching history horizontally - not just focusing on one character in one location, but looking at all the events and characters of a particular time period all over the world, and examining how they are all interconnected. So, when studying Christopher Columbus, Foster weaves a story of the world around her central character; including stories of scientific discovery and invention, music, literature, art, and religion. She has a for telling stories that will especially delight and amuse her youthful audience. In "The World of William Penn," Foster explores the world from the 1660's to the early 1700's - a world reaching from the Sun King in France to the Great Wall of China and beyond to Colonial America. Penn's contemporaries included Louis XIV, Peter the Great, Sir Issac Newton, Shah Jahan ( who built the Taj Mahal), and the several great explorers. Penn's life also spans a fascinating age of exploration and discovery. His Quaker beliefs greatly influenced his relationships with the Pennsylvanian native tribes. Foster's detailed pen and ink drawings are fresh and appealing, and her illustrated timelines give a clear sense of chronology, enriching the engaging text. We are not allowed to discount these books. This book is an excellent resource for any study of the Renaissance and the Reformation, early American history, or Pennsylvania state history. Written for grades 4-8, but with appeal to a wide age range.