Gombrich, the late author of the beloved Story of Art, wrote this world history for children in 1936 in Vienna. He began translating it into English shortly before his death in 2001. It's a wise book for kids, which has been brought up to speed with an epilogue covering the 20th century. He manages to relate, in 40 short chapters, the history of our species from the stone age to the atomic bomb. With the original woodcut illustrations.  (REF12, $29.95)