Children's Books on the Ancient World
A Selective Bibliography

This page is maintained by
Diane Arnson Svarlien of Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Mythology and Literature // Aesop // History, Biography // Historical Fiction
Nonfiction, Civilization // Near Eastern // Biblical // Archaeology
Latin // Modern Greece

Mythology and Literature

I. Mythology Collections

Apollo and Daphne: Masterpieces of Mythology, retold by Antonia Barber.
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 1998. ISBN 0-89236-504-8. This gorgeous art book contains brief retellings of 15 stories, illustrated by the paintings of Botticelli, Pollaiuolo, Poussin, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Burne-Jones, and others. Includes a handy index of artists and paintings, table of Greek/Roman names, and family trees of the gods.

D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire.
Doubleday, 1962. ISBN 0-385-01583-6 (Trade), 0-385-15787-8 (Paperback). "A Children's Classic."

D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire.
Audio tape, 4 cassettes, from Airplay. Unabridged. Read by Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, Kathleen Turner, and Matthew Broderick.

Favorite Greek Myths, by Mary Pope Osborne, Illus. Troy Howell.
Scholastic, Inc., 1989. ISBN 0-590-41338-4. Nice pictures, sort of Maxfield Parrish-y in style.

Greek Myths, retold by Geraldine McCaughrean, Illus. Emma Chichester Clark.
Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster), 1992. ISBN 0-689-50583-3. Includes stories from Hesiod, Homer, Ovid.

Greek Myths For Young Children, by Marcia Williams.
Candlewick Press, Cambridge, MA, 1991. ISBN 1-56402-115-7 (hardcover); 1-56402-440-7 (paperback). In comic-strip format. Includes Pandora's Box, Arion & the Dolphins, Orpheus & Eurydice, Heracles, Daedalus & Icarus, Perseus & Medusa, Theseus & the Minotaur, Arachne versus Athena. Williams has also done the Iliad and the Odyssey (see below), King Arthur, Sinbad the Sailor, Robin Hood, and Don Quixote in this format. Adults may find the drawings crude (though pleasantly colorful) and the humor, well, puerile, but six- and seven-year-olds seem to love this stuff.

The Illustrated Book of Myths: Tales and Legends of the World, by Neil Philip, Illus. Nilesh Mistry.
Dorling Kindersley, 1995. ISBN 0789402025.

Orpheus: Myths of the World, by Padraic Colum.
Floris Books. ISBN 0863155197.

Top Ten Greek Legends, by Terry Deary, Illus. with black and white drawings by Michael Tickner.
Scholastic, 1998. ISBN 0-439-08618-3 (paperback). With humor that is truly laugh-out-loud funny to a ten-year-old, this book should have lots of appeal for, say, eight-to-fourteen-year-olds. Presents lots of detail on a variety of myths in a variety of formats, including lists of heroes, gods, and monsters, an epistle from Aphrodite to Zeus, a humorous poem on Orpheus, Perseus' diary, a police report on the death of Jocasta, wanted posters for Sisyphus et al., a section on word origins, a skit on the Trojan war, and a true-or-false quiz on Athenian drama.

II. Individual Stories

The Adventures of Odysseus, Retold by Neil Philip, Illus. Peter Malone.
Orchard Books, New York, 1996. ISBN 0-531-30000-5. A clear, straightforward retelling of the Odyssey. The illustrations in this book rank among my favorites (along with those in Atalanta's Race, Cleopatra, and The Last Quest of Gilgamesh). The high picture-to-text ratio will make this book more appealing to the younger read-aloud crowd than Sutcliff and Connolly, though parents of young children may not welcome the opportunity to explain what Odysseus is doing with Circe "naked in her bed." (Connolly, by contrast, barely mentions Circe and Calypso!) All retellings of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey must include a parental warning about the gory violence.

Arion & the Dolphin, by Vikram Seth, Illus. Jane Ray.
Dutton Children's Books (div. of Penguin USA). ISBN 0-525-45384-9. This is based on the libretto Seth wrote for an opera composed by Alec Roth, which was performed in Plymouth, England in June 1994. Perhaps too sad for most young children (the beloved dolphin dies), unless they have an early taste for tragedy.

Atalanta's Race: A Greek Myth. Retold by Shirley Climo, Illus. Alexander Koshkin.
Clarion Books, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-395-67322-4. Well-told, beautiful illustrations.

Black ships before Troy : the story of the Iliad, by Rosemary Sutcliff, Illus. Alan Lee.
Delacorte Press, New York 1993. ISBN 0-385-31069-2. 127 pages, includes pronunciation guide. Ages 8 and up.

The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy, by Padraic Colum, Illus. Willy Pogany.
Reprint. Aladin Paperbacks, 1982. ISBN 002045201. For young adult readers. Bruce McMenomy praises Colum's versions and Pogany's "art nouveau-ish" line drawings. See above and below for other titles in print by Colum: Orpheus: Myths of the World, The Golden Fleece and the Heroes who Lived Before Achilles, and The Trojan War and Adventures of Odysseus.

A Coloring Book of the Trojan War: The Iliad Vols. 1-2, by John K. Anderson, Illus. Nancy Conkle after Greek vase paintings, with excerpts from Greek texts gleaned by Apostolos Athanassakis.
Bellerophon Books, 1995. School age to adult. ("send a 3-stamped long envelope for our gorgeous catalog": Bellerophon Books, 122 Helena Avenue, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101).

Cupid and Psyche, as told by M. Charlotte Craft, Illus. K. Y. Craft.
Morrow Junior Books, 1996. ISBN 0-688-13163-8.

The Deadly Power of Medusa, by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne, Illus. Steve Sullivan.
Scholastic, Inc./Apple Paperbacks, 1988. ISBN 0-590-45580-X. The Adventures of Perseus. For older elementary grades, and middle school.

Demeter and Persephone, translated and adapted by Penelope Proddow, Illus. Barbara Cooney.
Doubleday, 1972. A version of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter.

Dionysus and the Pirates, by Penelope Proddow, Illus. Barbara Cooney.
Doubleday, 1970. A translation of the Homeric Hymn to Dionysus. Appealing illustrations.

An Elementary Odyssey: Teaching Ancient Civilization through Story, by David H. Millstone.
Heinemann. Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1995. ISBN 0-435-08841-6. An excellent guide for teachers, describing in lucid detail a full curriculum for fifth-graders based on Homer's Odyssey. There is also a chapter on "Odysseus in First Grade," and an up-to-date, thoughtfully annotated bibliography.

The Goatherd and the Shepherdess, retold by Lenny Hart, Illus. with acrylic paintings by Lloyd Bloom.
Dial Books for Young Readers. New York, 1995. ISBN 0-8037-1352-5 (cloth); 0-8037-1353-3 (library binding). The story of Daphnis and Chloe.

The Golden Fleece and the Heroes who Lived Before Achilles, by Padraic Colum, Illus. Willy Pogany.
Reprint. Aladin Paperbacks, 1983. ISBN 0020422601. See above, The Children's Homer, on Colum.

Hercules: The Man, the Myth, the Hero, by Kathryn Lasky, Illus. Mark Hess.
Hyperion Books for Children. New York, 1997. ISBN 0-7868-0329-0. A first-person narration of Hercules' adventures from babyhood to apotheosis. For ages 5-9, according to the cover; this sounds right for the picture-to-text ratio, but be warned that the episode of Hercules' killing his children is included.

Hermes, Lord of Robbers, by Penelope Proddow, Illus. Barbara Cooney.
Doubleday, 1971. Currently out of print. A version of the Homeric Hymn to Hermes; see also Demeter and Persephone and Dionysus and the Pirates, above.

Iliad of Homer, by Barbara Leonie Picard.
Oxford University Press. ISBN 019-2741470.

Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, by Barbara Leonie Picard.
Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0671-081551.

The Iliad, retold by Ian Strachen, Illus. Victor Ambrus.
Kingfisher. New York, 1997. ISBN 0-7534-5107-7. Ninety-seven pages; includes a prounouncing guide. There is a picture or decoration on almost every page.

The Iliad and The Odyssey, Retold & Illus. by Marcia Williams.
Candlewick Press, Cambridge, MA, 1996. ISBN 0-7636-0053-9 (hardcover). See above on Williams' Greek Myths For Young Children. This volume contains, along with the Homeric stories, a fair amount of material from the Cyclic Epics: The Judgment of Paris, Odysseus' and Achilles' attempts at draft-dodging, the Trojan Horse, etc.

King Midas, Retold by Neil Philip, Illus. Isabelle Brent.
Little, Brown and Company, 1994. ISBN 0-316-70521-7. A strikingly attractive book; each page has wide decorative Greek-pottery-inspired borders, and the illustrations and borders flash with gold. The elegant retelling is based on Ovid's version of the story, with details from other sources. Ca. age 5 and up.

The Legend of Odysseus, by Peter Connolly.
Oxford University Press, 917065-7. Ages 9-14. "What Connolly has chosen to do is to retell in vivid, sinewy prose Homer's great story ... interspersing the narrative sequences with all kinds of historical materials in order to ground the legends in a particular time and place. If this book does not make classical scholars or archaeologists out of your kids, nothing will."--The Washington Post Book World, quoted by OUP. This book covers all of the Iliad as well as the Odyssey.

Max and Ruby's First Greek Myth: Pandora's Box, by Rosemary Wells.
Dial Books for Young Readers, 1993. ISBN 0-8037-1524-2. Cute. Very freely retold for young children.

The Midas Touch, by Jan Mark, Illus. Juan Wijngaard.
Candlewick Press, 1999. ISBN 0-7636-0488-7. Well-told, with exceptionally beautiful illustrations and clever design; a good read-aloud. See also Esther¹s Story (under Biblical) for Wijngaard¹s gorgeous work.

Odyssey of Homer, by Barbara Leonie Picard.
Oxford University Press. ISBN 019-2741462.

Odysseus. Een Man van Verhalen, by Imme Dros.
Amsterdam : Em. Querido's Uitgeverij B.V., 1994. Italian traslation: Firenze, Salani, 1996. 198 pages; no illustrations. A retelling, in Dutch, of the Odyssey, for 10 to 13- year-olds. Telemachus, inquiring about his father, interviews different characters, who tell the story from their own points of view.

The Odyssey: An Epic Telling, by Odds Bodkin (audio cassette).
Rivertree Productions, Inc., 1998. ISBN 1882412176. I have not heard this myself, but it gets a rave review from the Chinaberry book catalog (2780 Via Orange Way, Suite B, Spring Valley, CA 91978; tel. 619-670-5200, toll-free 800-776-2242), which is usually a good guide. The Chinaberry description reads in part: "[Bodkin's] harp, twelve-string guitar, imagination, and spell-binding voice are all that are needed to captivate his audience. Here are over three hours of listening magic. Some of it is violent; much of it is suspenseful; some of it is sheer loveliness; parts of it are gory; all of it is superb." Also available in cd form. Both cassette and cd come with a map/poster.

Odysseus and the Cyclops, retold and illustrated by Warwick Hutton.
Margaret K. MacElderry Books (Simon & Schuster). New York, 1995. ISBN 0-689-80036-3. Clear, lively, and accurate retelling, with pen and watercolor illustrations. By the same author: Theseus and the Minotaur, The Trojan Horse, Perseus, and Persephone.

Pegasus, by Krystyna Turska.
New York, 1970. ISBN 531-01857-1. The story of Bellerophon and Pegasus.

Persephone & the Pomegranate, by Kris Waldherr.
Dial Books for Young Readers, 1993. ISBN 0-8037-1191-3.

The Trojan War and the Adventures of Odysseus, by Padraic Colum, Illus. Barry Moser.
Books of Wonder. Reprint. William Morrow & Co., 1997. ISBN 0688145884.

The Wanderings of Odysseus: The Story of the Odyssey, by Rosemary Sutcliff, Illus. Alan Lee.
Delacorte, 1996. "Homer's epic, recast in spellbinding narrative by Britain's master storyteller, accompanied by splendid watercolors: for older children, and for their parents, a masterpiece." (blurb from Smithsonian Magazine: "Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children, 1996," November 1996 issue.) ISBN 0-385-32205-4.

Wings, by Jane Yolen, Illus. Dennis Nolan.
Harcourt Brace, ISBN 0-15-297850-X. The Daedalus & Icarus story. Nice illustrations, well-told despite somewhat overdone portentousness; sad ending.

Witch Princess, by Dorothy M. Johnson, Illus. Carolyn Cather.
Houghton Mifflin, 1967. 216 pp. Jason's encounter with Medea and the Golden Fleece, told from the point of view of one of Medea's handmaidens. Out of print now, but available in libraries.

III. Aesop's Fables

Aesop's Fables: A Classic Illustrated Edition, compiled by Russell Ash and Bernard Higton.
Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1990. ISBN 0-87701-780-8. Collected illustrations by famous artists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with introduction on the history of Aesop illustrations from the middle ages to the 1930s.

Aesop's Fables, Illus. Charles Santore.
JellyBean Press, a division of dilithium Press, New York, 1988.

(see also: Esopus Hodie: Aesop Today, listed under Latin for Kids)

IV. History, Biography

The Cartoon History of the Universe, Volumes 1-7: From the Big Bang to Alexander the Great, by Larry Gonick.
Doubleday, 1990. ISBN 0-385-26520-4.

The Cartoon History of the Universe, Volumes 8-13: From the Springtime of China to the Fall of Rome, by Larry Gonick.
Doubleday, 1990. ISBN 0-385-42093-5.

Cleopatra by Diane Stanley, Illus. Peter Vennema.
Morrow Junior Books, 1994. ISBN 0-688-10414-2. Well-researched, well-written, beautiful illustrations.

The Librarian Who Measured the Earth, by Kathryn Lasky, Illus. Kevin Hawkes.
Little, Brown, and Company, 1994. ISBN 0-316-51526-4. An absorbing, well-illustrated picture-book biography of the Hellenistic polymath Eratosthenes, focusing on his amazingly accurate calculation of the Earth's circumference, and containing many interesting details about life and science in the ancient Greek world. Includes an Author's Note, Afterword, and Author's and Illustrator's Bibliographies. Ages 6 and up.

Wise Guy: The Life and Philosophy of Socrates by M. D. Usher, Illus. William Bramhall.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005. ISBN 0374312494.

V. Historical Fiction

I am the Mummy Heb-Nefert, by Eve Bunting, Illus. David Christiana.
Harcourt Brace, 1997. Ages 9-12. ISBN 0152004793.

The Magic Tree House series, by Mary Pope Osborne, Illus. Sal Murdocca.
Published by Random House. These are designated as reading level 2.2-3 (second- third grade), and are much beloved by preschool through younger elementary age children, either as a read-aloud or easy reader. There are pleasant black and white illustrations every few pages. The protagonists, Jack and Annie, travel through time and space with the help of a magic treehouse. Titles covering the ancient world are #3, Mummies in the Morning (1993; ISBN 0-590-62984-0); #13, Vacation Under the Volcano (1998; ISBN 0-679-99050), and #16, Hour of the Olympics (1998; ISBN 0679890629) The series has a web site, http://www.randomhouse.com/magictreehouse/.

A Place in the Sun, by Jill Rubalcaba.
Clarion Books, 1997. ISBN 0395826454. Ages 9-12. Set in Ancient Egypt.

The Prince and the Golden Axe: A Minoan Tale, by Deborah Nourse Lattimore.
Harper & Row, 1988. ISBN 0-06-023715-5. "Summary: A proud Minoan prince challenges the goddess Diktynna, who first offers him rewards for his courage but then threatens to destroy Thera, his homeland, when his boasting angers her." Minoan fresco-inspired illustrations.

The Roman Mysteries, by Caroline Lawrence.
Orion Children's Books, London.
My fifth-grade son read the first book of this series, The Thieves of Ostia, and enjoyed it greatly. The setting is the port of Rome in AD 79. Four kids work together to solve the mystery: Flavia Gemina, the daughter of a sea-captain; Jonathan, a Jewish boy who is secretly a Christian; Nubia, an African slave girl; and Lupus, a homeless boy who is mysteriously mute. Thieves of Ostia is scheduled to be published in the US in February 2002 (ISBN 0761326022); the first two books of the series are currently available in the UK, and the first five books should be available by the end of 2002. Each will be published in the US with a lag of about a year.
Book two: The Secrets of Vesuvius
Flavia and her friends sail to spend August near Pompeii. As they help admiral Pliny solve a riddle, tremors shake the ground: Mount Vesuvius is about to erupt!
Book three: The Pirates of Pompeii
Children begin to go missing from a camp full of refugees from the eruption of Vesuvius. As Flavia and her friends investigate, the trail of danger leads them to Sorrento.
Book four: The Assassins of Rome
This mystery takes the four friends to Rome where they visit the Circus Maximus, the Palatine Hill and the Golden House of Nero, and face a deadly assassin. They also learn the terrible story of the destruction of Jerusalem ten years before.
Book five: The Dolphins of Laurentum
At the opulent marine villa of Pliny the Younger, Flavia and her friends dive for sunken treasure, swim with dolphins and learn the terrible truth of Lupus's past.
Book six: The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
When a Roman widow begins to show interest in Captain Geminus during the Saturnalia, his daughter Flavia and her friends have to find out if she is just after his money. And there is a lion on the loose!
The series has a web site with more information and activities: http://www.romanmysteries.com/.

The Winged Cat: A Tale of Ancient Egypt, by Deborah Nourse Lattimore.
Harper Trophy, 1995. ISBN 0064434249.

VI. Nonfiction, Civilization

Ancient Greece, illus. Peter Connolly; text by Andrew Solway.
Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0199108102.

Ancient Greece, written by Anne Pearson.
Eyewitness Books. Knopf, 1992. ISBN 0-679-81682-8.

Ancient Rome, illus. Peter Connolly; text by Andrew Solway.
Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0199108099.

Ancient Rome, by Simon James.
1992. ISBN 0-679-80741-1. Hardcover, 48 pages (includes see-through pages). Ages 8 and up. (Available from the AIA's "Eureka" catalog.)

The Cavalryman (ISBN 0199104247) and The Legionary (ISBN 0199104255), by Peter Connolly.
Oxford University Press Childrens Books, 1998. The Roman World Series. Ages 9-12.
Peter Connolly has reconstructed the life of a Roman soldier, Tiberius Claudius Maximus, by using a vast array of archaeological material, including tombstones and Roman documents written on papyrus. The Legionary and its sequel The Cavalryman trace Maximus's career from the day he entered the Seventh Legion on the Danube frontier to the day he retired as a cavalry officer in Mesopotamia some 30 years later. These are two of many books by Peter Connolly on the ancient world for both children and adults. All are beautifully illustrated with painstaking detail.

The Children's Picture World History (Usborne). Series Editor: Jenny Tyler.
vol. I: The First Civilizations (10,000 BC - 1500 BC. Stone Age settlers, the world's oldest cities, Sumerians, Babylon, Egypt, Indus Valley civilization, Cretans, ).
vol. II: Warriors and Seafarers (1500 BC - 500 BC. Egypt, Hittites and Assyrians, Babylon, Myceneans, Old Testament peoples).
vol. III: Empires and Barbarians (500 BC - AD 600. Ancient China, Mongols, Celts, Persians, Greeks and Romans), by Patricia Vanags, Illus. Joseph McEwan. ISBN 0-86020-142-2.

City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction, by David Macaulay.
HarperCollins, 1974. ISBN 0 00 192151 7 (HB), 0 00192157 6 (PB). Part of a well-received series of architectural picture books (other titles are Cathedral, Pyramid, and Castle). Fully illustrated with clear line drawings.

Count Your Way Through Greece, by Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson, Illus. Janice Lee Porter.
Carolrhoda Books, Minneapolis, 1996. ISBN 0-87614-875-5 (lib. bdg.), 0-87614-973-5 (pbk.). Introduction to Greek culture, using the numbers one through ten in Modern Greek, which are written in Greek characters (not without typos!) with pronunciation help. Nice balance between ancient and modern material. For school-age kids.

The Kingfisher Book of the Ancient World by Hazel Mary Martell
Kingfisher Books, Paperback Reprint edition, 1997. Ages 9-12. ISBN: 0753450097.

Life in Ancient Rome: How Children Lived in Rome 2,000 Years Ago, by William Crouch, Illus. Robin Lawrie.
Derrydale Books, 1990. Pictures of the Past. ISBN 0-517-03555-3.

Pandora's Box: A Three-Dimensional Celebration of Greek Mythology, by Christos Kondeatis and Sara Maitland.
Bulfinch Press. ISBN 0-8212-2204-X. Attractive and fun, this book takes the pop-up book medium to new heights with every variety of pop-up, pull-out,fold-out, and activity. The material includes e.g. architecture and history as well as mythology.

The Roman Colosseum, by Elizabeth Mann
Mikaya Press, 1998. A Wonders of the World Book. ISBN 0-9650493-3-7 (hardcover). Ages 8 and up. A wealth of clearly presented information on the history of the Colosseum and its spectacles, including a great deal of general Roman historical background. There is a large, colorful illustration (either a painting or a photograph) facing every page; a map, a timeline, a glossary, an index, and a box of "Facts" giving the amphitheater's dimensions. Very attractive! Also in this series, by the same author: The Great Pyramid, the Great Wall, The Panama Canal, The Brooklyn Bridge.

Rome Antics, by David Macaulay.
Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, 1997. ISBN 0-395-82289-3. Line drawings show the flight of a homing pigeon through Rome and its monuments, which are explained individually in an appendix in the back.

Spotlights Series
Oxford University Press. "Each 46 page book is heavily illustrated in full color throughout with detailed drawings of people and activities, artifacts, and cutaway views of architecture. Times gone by come alive as young people (grades 3-5) read about and see how families lived É 'Spotlights' in the text alert young readers to objects that can often be found in museums. Includes a glossary and index." List price

Treasure Chests: Ancient Rome, by Lynn Brittney.
Quarto Children's Books, 1998. ISBN 0-7624-0351-9. Attractively designed folding and locking book-shaped chest, with an illustrated booklet on ancient Rome and lots of fun activities: make your own laurel wreath; unroll a scroll for toga-wrapping instructions; write on wax tablets with a stylus (this one I found a little disappointing, but maybe my expectations were too high); build a paper model of a Roman villa, and more! Approx. ages 8 and up.

The Ultimate Greece & Rome Sticker Book.
Dorling Kindersley, Ltd., London, 1994. ISBN 1-56458-716-9. Peel-off stickers, and brief descriptions of objects, art, and artifacts.

The Usborne Book of the Ancient World. Designed by Iain Ashman, Radhi Parekh, and Robert Walster. Illus. Robert Walster, Peter Dennis, Richard Draper, Louise Nixon, and Gerald Wood. History Consultant: George Hart.
London, 1991. ISBN 0-7460-1233-0. Contains: Early Civilization; the Greeks; the Romans; Index.

VII. Near Eastern, Egyptian, & Indian

The Adventures of Rama, by Milo Cleveland Beach, with illustrations from a sixteenth-century Mughal manuscript.
Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1983. Excellent, engaging, and beautifully presented adaptation of the Sanskrit epic the Ramayana.

Gilgamesh the King, retold & illus. Ludmila Zeman. (First in trilogy).
Tundra Books.

The Revenge of Ishtar, retold & illus. Ludmila Zeman. (Second in trilogy).
Tundra Books, 1993. ISBN 0-88776-315-4. Cool illustrations.

The Last Quest of Gilgamesh, retold & illus. Ludmila Zeman. (Third in a trilogy).
Wonderful illustrations, influenced by Gustave Dore's illustrations to The Divine Comedy. Tundra Books, 1995. ISBN 0-88776-328-6.

Gods and Pharaohs from Egyptian Mythology, by Geraldine Harris, Illus. David O'Connor.
The World Mythology Series. Peter Bedrick Books. New York, 1981. ISBN 0-87226-907-8 (cloth); 0-87226-908-6 (pb). Dramatic, colorful illustrations. Ages 8 and up.

Ishtar and Tammuz: A Babylonian Myth of the Seasons, adapted and retold by Christopher Moore, Illus. Christina Balit.
Kingfisher, 1996. ISBN 0-7534-5012-7.

Life in Ancient Egypt: How Children Lived in Egypt 3,000 Years Ago, by William Crouch, Illus. Robin Lawrie.
Derrydale Books, 1990. Pictures of the Past. ISBN 0-517-03554-5.

Mummies Made in Egypt, by Aliki.
Harper Trophy, 1979. ISBN 0-690-03858-5. Very well presented.

The Phoenicians, by Pamela Odijk.
Silver Burdett Press, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1989. First published by the Macmillan Company of Australia, 1989. ISBN 0-382-09891-9.

VIII. Biblical

Esther's Story, by Diane Wolkstein, Illus. Juan Wijngaard.
Morrow Junior Books, 1996. ISBN 0-688-12127-6. Excellent retelling of the Purim story as an unfolding first-person narration by Esther. Beautiful illustrations.

Noah's Ark. Words from the book of Genesis, King James Version, Illus. Jane Ray.
Dutton Children's Books. New York, 1990. ISBN 0-525-44653-2.

The Story of Jonah (Die Geschichte von Jona), retold by Kurt Baumann, trans. Jock Curle, Illus. Allison Reed.
North-South Books, an imprint of Rada Matija AG, Staefa, Switzerland, 1987. (Nord-Süd Verlag, Mönchaltorf, Switzerland.) ISBN 0-8050-0233-2 (US); 0-200-72903-9 (UK); 0-88894-788-7 (Canada); 0-949447-44-7 (Australia and New Zealand). I love the illustrations in this book. The retelling is nice, too.

IX. Archaeology for Kids

Dig.
A fun and informative archaeology magazine for children, created by the Archaeological Instutute of America and published by the Cricket Magazine Group. To subscribe, call 1-866-CALL-DIG, or visit their web site, http://www.digonsite.com

Digging up the Past: Pompeii and Herculaneum, by Peter Hicks.
Thomson Learning, New York, 1996 (US); Wayland Publishers Ltd., 1995 (UK).ISBN 1-56847-398-2. The "Digging up the Past" series also includes: Biblical Sites, Bodies from the Past, The Search for Dinosaurs, Troy and Knossos, The Valley of the Kings

I can be an Archaeologist, by R. Pickering.
Children's Press. ISBN 0516419099.

The Sandal, a story by Tony Bradman, Illus. Philippe Dupasquier.
Viking Kestrel (Penguin), 1989. ISBN 0-670-82992-7. Brief story about a lost sandal, set in the present day, is linked to the past and the future with detailed drawings that follow the sandal motif through Rome in 77 B.C., a contemporary city, and an imagined city of the future (A.D. 2250).

Stories on Stone, written and illus. by Jennifer Owings Dewey.
Little, Brown, 1996. "A lyrical and informative introduction to rock art, the handwork of the ancients and "maps of the human heart, mind, and imagination," from an artist whose reverence for petroglyphs grows out of her childhood travels in New Mexico." (blurb from Smithsonian Magazine: "Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children, 1996," November 1996 issue.)

X. Latin for Kids

Cattus Petasatus, by Dr. Seuss, Translated into Latin by Jennifer and Terence Tunberg.
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc., 2000. ISBN 0-86516-471-1 (hard cover), 0-86516-472-X (paperback). A tour de force; rhyme and meter give this translation the lively appeal of the original. A Latin-to-English glossary and a note on the verse form are included. A sample: "Cur sedetis?" inquit ille, / "Ludos vobis dabo mille! / Cattus, etsi sol non lucet, / Ludos vobis huc adducet!"

Esopus Hodie: Aesop Today. A Reader Workbook for Latin Students. Latin and English texts, by Dorothy Maclaren, poetry by Constance Carrier.
The American Classical League, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, 1985.

Fabula de Petro Cuniculo (Peter Rabbit), by Beatrix Potter, Trans. into Latin by E. Peroto Walker.
Frederick Warne & Co., Ltd., London and New York. (probably out of print)

Ferdinandus Taurus (Ferdinand), by Munro Leaf, Illus. Robert Lawson, Trans. into Latin by Elizabeth Hadas.
Hamish Hamilton, London, 1962.

Latin for Beginners, by Angela Wilkes, Illus. John Shackell.
Passport's Language Guides, Passport Books. ISBN 0-8442-8632-X. Uses cartoons to teach Latin conversation and rudimentary grammar.

Learning Latin Through Mythology, by Jayne I. Hanlin and Beverly E. Lichtenstein.
Cambridge University Press, 1991. ISBN 0-521-39779-0. Especially suited for fourth through seventh grade students. The book retells thirteen of Ovid's myths, first in English, then in simpler Latin with guiding illustrations,followed by exercises and activities suited to this age level. Although no knowledge of Latin is assumed, the scope and linguistic sequence relate to the CAMBRIDGE LATIN COURSE UNIT 1 in order to provide teachers with a framework. The stories of the following myths are included: Diana and Actaeon; Perseus and Andromeda; Atalanta and Hippomenes; Baucis and Philemon; Cephalus and Procris; Daedalus and Icarus; Daphne and Apollo; Echo and Narcissus; Io and Jupiter; King Midas; Pegasus and Bellerophon;Perseus and Medusa; Phaethon. To help pupils with the pronunciation of the Latin, a cassette of the stories is available separately.

Mater Anserina: Poems in Latin for Children, with audio CD, by Terence Tunberg and Milena Minkova
Focus Publishing/R. Pullins Co., 2006. ISBN 1585101931 (hard cover). Mother Goose in Latin.

Minimus: Starting Out in Latin, by Barbara Bell and the Joint Association of Classical Teachers.
Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521-659604 (Student's Book), 0521-397790 (Teacher's Resource Book). "A lively introduction to Latin and the nature of language for 7-11 year olds, richly illustrated and containing an entertaining variety of stories, myths, cultural information, grammar explanations, and exercises."

Piper Salve: Cursus Vivae Latinitas by Robert Maier, Mechtild Hofmann, Klaus Sallman, Sabine Mahr, Sascha Trageser, Domenika Rauscher, Thomas Gölzhäuser.
ISBN 88-8148-346-7. European Language Institute, Casella Postale 6, Recanati, Italia. FAX +39/071/977851. A course in living Latin, written in Latin. The title character is a pepper grinder.

Quomodo Invidiosulus Nomine GRINCHUS Christi Natalem Abrogaverit, a Doctore Seuss, in sermonem Latinum a Guenevera Tunberg (iuvante Terentio Tunberg) conversus.
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers., Inc., 1998. ISBN 0-86516-419-3 (hardcover); 0-86516-420-7 (paperback). Dr. Seuss' beloved How the Grinch Stole Christmas, translated into elegant and lively Latin by Jennifer Morrish Tunberg, with Terence O. Tunberg.

Salvete (A First Course in Latin), by Ed Phinney and Mary Catherine Phinney (Book One), Ed Phinney and Stan Farrow (Book Two).
Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521-40683-8 (Book 1), 0521-406846 (Book 2), 0521-405823 (Teacher's Manual), 0521-557445 (Cassette), 0521-659612 (Student's Book), 0521-659612 (Teacher's Resource Book). "A highly illustrated introductory course in Latin desgned for students in Grades 5-6"

Tres Ursi (Goldilocks and the Three Bears), Adapted by Hanna Hutchinson, Illus. Edward Nofziger, Trans. into Latin by LeaAnn A. Osburn.
Another Language Press, Cincinnati, 1995. Easy to follow, good for young children.

Virent Ova! Viret Perna!! (Green Eggs and Ham in Latin), by Dr. Seuss, Translatated into Latin by Jennifer and Terence Tunberg.
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc., 2003. ISBN 0865165556 (hard cover). If you liked Cattus Petastaus, you will love this one.

Winnie Ille Pu (Winnie The Pooh), by A. A. Milne, Trans. into Latin by Alexander Lenard.
E. P. Dutton & Co., 1960, repr. 1961.

XI. Modern Greece and Modern Greek

O Kadmos, e skulitsa tou kai to pheggari, by Khristos Boulotis, Illus. Photeine Stephanide.
ISBN: 960-03-1567-1. Available from: Ekdotike Kastaniote, Zaloggou 11, GR 106-78 Athens, GREECE. FAX 384.34.31 Athens. "It is about the dog who lives in the courtyard at the Thebes musem. It is whimsical and beautifully written and has many exquisite illustrations. Prehistorian iconographers will particularly love the illustrations of the room with the larnakes, psi and phi figurines, ktl, with Kadmos pondering a dog carved in relief on a stele. Wonderful for reading Greek to your two-year-old dog-lover, but good for lovers of Greece of all ages." (description contributed by Thomas G. Palaima).

 

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