On 2010-01-26 J. Heath, wrote: I am using this book with multiple ages of elementary -level kids in my homeschool. We like it overall, and will continue to use it because it is a unique kind of history book, with alot of information presented in story form rather than dry textbook-style. But this book does have 2 serious flaws.
First, we bought the Wilder edition, which lacks any chapter numbers of any kind. Small typeface, numerous typos, no pictures. This is a wretched edition. I am reading this aloud to my kids, but if they were reading it themselves, I would have rejected this and bought the Yesterday´s Classics edition.
Second, I hoped we wouldn´t but unfortunately we have stumbled upon some anti-Catholic bias. The most glaring so far is the chapter on Edward the Confessor, which presents him almost entirely unlikeable and different from any accurate history of King Edward-- SAINT Edward, may I add, and sainthood is not granted capriciously--that I have read. Sadly, I will have to research the rest of the topics in this book on my own so that I will be armed with facts, and will no longer be able to blindly trust H.E. Marshall´s text. I like aspects of it enough to continue using it, but not without some serious fact-checking first.. And summed up by saying Good overall, but two serious flaws. Currently Our Island Story has an overall rating of 8 over 10.
Our Island Story can also be found in the following searches:
Wilder Publications claimed Our Island Story is the ´history´ of England up to Queen Victoria´s Death. Marshall used these stories to tell her children about their homeland, Great Britain. To add to the excitement, she mixed in a bit of myth as well as a few legends.
Item that are similar to Our Island Story can be found at: