E.H. Gomrich's A Little History of the World is a classic work and a great way to introduce kids to history. Read some of it first, though. It's not a hard book to read even for a 10 year-old, but children's reading levels vary pretty dramatically, and I wouldn't want to recommend something inappropriate.

The really awesome thing about the current state of historical studies is that there are competent studies on nearly every perceivable subject. World history is indeed its own distinct historical subfield, but make sure that's what he wants to learn about. If he says, "I want to learn about the world!", follow up by asking what he wants to learn about. If the answer is "Everything!", then world history is a good place to guide him. If he says, "Food!" or "Weapons!" or "Fairy tales!" or "Castles!", then there are more specific books he may like better.

Though fun to read, I would steer clear of books such as How the Scots Saved History or Bill O'Reilly's Killing Jesus. The authors' expertise is superficial and their point of view decidedly biased. The book flap is a good place to look for credentials. Two books I would recommend are The Year 1000: What Life was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger and 1215: The Year of Magna Carta by Danny Danziger and John Gillingham. Danziger is a journalist and Gillingham is one of the most well respected scholars of medieval England. The former provides a journalistic writing style that keeps the audience interested and the latter provides decades of historical expertise to make sure the story is told correctly. The key is to make sure that the author (at least one of them) has the necessary background to potentially write good history. A history professor, librarian, archaeologist, archivist, or at least a PhD. in history are the usual types of things to look for. Journalists or professional writers often write compelling narratives, but lack appropriate training and scholarly rigor to write accurate history.

This is getting a little long-winded, so I will end with a few more recommendations and a brief summation of their use:

(1) Neil MacGregor. A History of the World in 100 Objects with associated BBC Program (2011).

(2) Jerry Brotton. A History of the World in 12 Maps (2012).

These first two are nice because they are compartmentalized and don't have to be read all together to gain a grasp of the material, which is often daunting in world history.

(3) University of Chicago Press Series via Reaktion Books

    [*The Edible Series*](http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/series/RB-EDIBLE.html)

    [*Objeckt*](http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/series/RB-O.html)

    [*Globalities*](http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/series/RB-G.html)

These series are on focused subjects with a focus on a world perspective. Reading level varies by author. The Edible Series is the most fun for me.

(4) Susan Wise Bauer. The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child. 4 volumes.

This series spans all world history. Bauer has been well-recognized for her role in childhood education. A great one for younger children.

(5) Patrick O'Brien. Oxford Atlas of World History (1999).

In my experience, kids like maps. There are a bunch out there, but Oxford is hard to beat.

(6) Daniel Headrick. Technology: A World History (2009).

Title really says it all. I've found that kids like cool tools and objects, this is the book for them, though it is wordy.

PM me if any of this needs more clarification or if you want more suggestions. It's awesome your son is interested in history. If you are in the U.S., he may also be interested in something like National History Day funded nationally by the federal government. You can check the site to see who the coordinator is for your region. It's essentially a science fair for history.

Hope this helps a little. Happy reading!