If you ever wanted to get excited about history, Diana Waring is just the woman to call. Her enthusiasm for her subject is contagious and boy is it interesting! One of their nicest compilations is a chronological overview from Creation to Christ in four CDs. You may think that covers a lot of history. Well, you would be right! It does cover a lot! Each CD is more than an hour long and filled with history, stories, and people who come alive.

The first CD will welcome you to world history with Creation, Early Man, and the Flood. What does God's word have to say? What does archeology have to say? The two do not have to be at odds and Diana shares it with you. From there the first CD turns to the Rise of Civilizations with the descendents of Noah, Sources and Evidences (some of the most interesting parts to me) and the Oldest Cities. She then takes you to Egypt and the Exodus and discusses the Historical Chronology. All this is on only the first CD!

The second will finish with Egypt and the Exodus, discuss Egyptian History, and launches us into the Children of Israel. Abraham through Moses, Joshua through David, Solomon through Jeroboam, and we join Jonah in Ninevah. What I like so much about Diana Waring's work is that she weaves the stories of God's people with those of history that we do not know of through Scripture. Not only does she share who they were in an understandable manner, but she really gets you excited about it!

The third CD will conclude the Mesopotamian Conquerors with Assyria and Babylon and then introduces us to Cyrus the Great, The Persian Empire, Xerxes (Esther's royal King), and then we join her in Greece. Daniel's Vision, Athens and Sparta, and Alexander the Great are all covered here. We are swiftly, but comprehensively covering early history, and honestly really enjoying ourselves.

The fourth and final CD brings you through the rest of Hellenist history, the Rise of Rome, The Punic Wars, Julius Caeser, Octavian vs. Marc Antony and brings us to the climax and reason for history at all; the birth of Christ. This portion of the CD is entitled, In the Perfect Moment of Time. It was the perfect moment! There was no better time. She then goes on to talk about The Promised One and The Life of Jesus. What a better way to end your walk through Ancient History!

When I was in college I almost changed my major to history based solely on the enthusiasm and personal knowledge of individual people's stories that one of my professors had. His passion was contagious and he loved his subject. He made us love it in turn. I also had a history teacher that dulled the love for what once was because his fire for it was out. Diana is in the former category! If you struggle with history or it has become a chore to you, invest your history dollars in this product and kindle (or rekindle) the excitement for what once was, again. You too *can* enjoy Ancient History with Diana Waring!

-- Product Review by: Kate Kessler, Product Reviews Manager, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC

And another reviewer's opinion...

Diana Waring's What in the World's Going on Here?

Part 1: From Creation to Christ
www.dianawaring.com

Diana Waring is well known as an incredible historian and speaker among homeschool circles. I was so excited to receive the 4-CD set to review as we spend much of our time in the car and listening to CDs. Diana has a wonderful way of drawing mind pictures with her words and keeping both kids and adults interested in the historical stories she shares on these discs. My set, Part 1: From Creation to Christ, covered such biblical topics as creation, descendants of Noah, Egypt and the Exodus, Israel, Mesopotamian conquerors, the Persians and Medes, Greece, the rise of Rome, and Jesus Christ. Each CD is broken down into ?chapters? that cover specific topics ranging in length from 4 to 15 minutes. The discs are clearly labeled with the chapter topics and lengths. I would offer one suggestion for future CDs in this series--that a track listing be including on the case itself for easy reference when listening.

I have recommended and will continue to recommend this set to homeschoolers who find it difficult to ?fit it all in? and seem to be constantly on the run. These CDs are wonderful to pop into the CD player in the car, or even to play at home during quiet time. My 6-year-old son loved to listen to these as he played with blocks on the living room floor, and my 12-year-old daughter enjoyed Diana's humor and the facts she used to dispute the lies perpetuated by evolutionary historians. I look forward to future volumes in this series!

Product review by Jessica Harvey, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, August 2006