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Find out moreChildren enjoy thinking about people of the past, and especially enjoy all the bits that are gory, nasty or just plain mad (that’s why Horrible Histories is so popular)! Whether it's the Great Fire of London, The Stone Age, or WW2 here are a selection of books for every lover of history.
August 2020 Book of the Month | Aspiring witches 9 years and older will find this an invaluable and empowering guide, filled with authentic detail and strikingly illustrated. With the supernatural wisdom of modern-day witches Elsa Whyte and Julie Legere and Laura Perez's rich artwork, step into your dark sisterhood and discover the Secrets of the Witch.
An inspirational history of the LGBTQ+ movement | With activist and founder of LGBT History Month and Schools OUT UK, Susan Sanders, as consultant, you can be confident that the information in this essential resource is reliable as well as being engaging and highly readable. The foreword by celebrity actor Layton Williams and the Why I Have Pride vignettes interspersed throughout the book, featuring young people from across the whole spectrum of the LBGTQ+ community, will ensure a high level of interest from young people and provide empowering messages for them to read. Starting from the evidence of acceptance in ancient history through the growth of persecution as Christianity flourishes in Europe, the brutality of the Inquisition, the recurrence of the death penalty for homosexuality around the world and the disaster of the Aids epidemic, this book does not hide the darker side of the history of the LGBTQ+ movement, but the emphasis is very much on the brave people who took on the fight against discrimination, prejudice and injustice. So, although agonising setbacks occurred, the overall progress has been upwards and the overall impact of the book is to inspire and celebrate. Helped, no doubt, by the rainbow coloured cover and vibrant illustrations. The timeline of milestones, comprehensive index and glossary and guide to sources of further information add value as a reference tool, but this is very much a book that will be read with pleasure and I hope with pride!
Hear all about Ancient Egypt from the great teller of tales, Rami the cat - history like it's never been told before! Join Marcia Williams on a journey to Ancient Egypt. Explore the myths and wonders of this ancient civilization, meet Ra the creator, the cursed boy-king Tutankhamen and Cleopatra, the last pharaoh in these stories of mystery and adventure. Packed with jokes, comic illustrations and fascinating facts, this hugely entertaining fictional biography will make you look at the Ancient Egyptians in a whole new light!
Hear all about the Tudors from the great scribe Arthur Inkbott - history like it's never been told before! Join Marcia Williams on a journey through Tudor times with Arthur Inkblott, Queen Elizbeth I's favourite scribe and his pet ferret, Smudge. Meet Henry VIII and his six wives, fight the Spanish Armada, see Shakespeare's plays performed for the very first time and sail around the world with Christopher Columbus! Packed with jokes, comic illustrations and fascinating facts, this hugely entertaining fictional biography will make you look at the Tudors in a whole new light!
Shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2020 | Written for and about “the swift and sweet ones/who hurdled history and opened a world of possible”, for those who “survived America by any means necessary. And the ones who didn’t,” this is an inspiring ode to the author’s forebears and to the world-changing feats of unforgettable Black American figures. Author Kwame Alexander’s initial inspiration for this book came in the year his second daughter was born, the same year Barack Obama became the first African American president of the USA. As a result, Alexander wanted his daughters “to know how we got to this historic moment”, which is exactly what this stirring book does. The chained slaves who kept faith, the elite Olympians, the innovative musicians, the seminal scientists, the courageous activists - people from all walks of life are celebrated in Alexander’s poetically poised words, and gloriously illustrated by Kadir Nelson, with much for young children to ponder and ask questions about. As well as being a wonderful way for parents to explore Black American history with their little ones on a one-to-one basis, this will also work well with older children in a classroom context. Indeed, this is one of those rare and wonderful picture books that defies age boundaries - a radiant, resonant unforgettable tour de force, as befits its theme.
February 2020 Book of the Month | Charlie Tanner’s dog Jasper thinks he’s descended from Viking dogs and is determined to find out more. This sparks a series of very funny letters from Charlie to the curator at the local Viking museum, in which Charlie poses questions from Jasper. In fact, questions and answers tell us lots about Viking life and the unusual and ingenious presentation makes it all extremely readable and accessible. A great way to learn about the Vikings. Jasper has explored space for readers too, and it looks he has more adventures to come, which is good news.
Millions of people use the underground in London every day, but how many of them know the secrets and facts revealed in this fascinating book? Did you know, for example, that you could walk for fifteen minutes through the corridors at Bank station without going over the same steps? Or that there are 49 – 49! – abandoned and disused stations? Or that you can walk between some stations faster than the train? It concludes with various tube challenges, including the ultimate: visit all 270 stations in one day. The record for that is fifteen hours, forty-five minutes and thirty-eight seconds apparently ... All this plus underground history and peeks into the future. A quirky and unputdownable guide to the lines beneath our feet.
There’s an infectious enthusiasm about this book that will inspire every reader to look around their local train station with new eyes, or to take train trips specially to explore other lines and destinations. Author Vicki Pipe, ably assisted by Geoff Marshall (look out for Geoff’s Fun Facts text boxes – they’re irresistible), identifies fifty fascinating things to see and discover across the railways of England, Scotland and Wales and they range from tunnels, viaducts and lists of the smallest stations, to trees, railway pets and the people who keep the whole system moving. You get a great sense of the history of train travel in the UK and exciting glimpses into the future. A fact-filled information book compiled by people with a passion to match their knowledge.
This book examines the key questions behind slavery and the slave trade, with a wide-ranging survey from the ancient world to the practice of slavery today. It looks at the driving forces and vested interests behind the slave trade and assesses the legacy slavery has had on working practices around the world. For more books on this theme head over to our sister site, LoveReading4Schools topic list - The Slave Trade
October 2019 Book of the Month | Written for and about “the swift and sweet ones/who hurdled history and opened a world of possible”, for those who “survived America by any means necessary. And the ones who didn’t,” this is an inspiring ode to the author’s forebears and to the world-changing feats of unforgettable Black American figures. Author Kwame Alexander’s initial inspiration for this book came in the year his second daughter was born, the same year Barack Obama became the first African American president of the USA. As a result, Alexander wanted his daughters “to know how we got to this historic moment”, which is exactly what this stirring book does. The chained slaves who kept faith, the elite Olympians, the innovative musicians, the seminal scientists, the courageous activists - people from all walks of life are celebrated in Alexander’s poetically poised words, and gloriously illustrated by Kadir Nelson, with much for young children to ponder and ask questions about. As well as being a wonderful way for parents to explore Black American history with their little ones on a one-to-one basis, this will also work well with older children in a classroom context. Indeed, this is one of those rare and wonderful picture books that defies age boundaries - a radiant, resonant unforgettable tour de force, as befits its theme.
October 2019 Book of the Month | Here’s another inspiring, information-packed picture book in what’s becoming something of a series (see also Great Women Who Made History and Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World). It tells the stories of pioneering women who achieved amazing things, often in the face of prejudice or downright hostility from society. There are familiar names – Rosalind Franklin is included – plus lots that are lesser known, but just as fascinating: balloonist Sophie Blanchard for example, and Sarah Breedlove, beauty entrepreneur. Their stories are told through lively, engaging text and pictures, it’s a treat to read. Kate Pankhurst is something of a fantastically great woman herself, and there’s lots for all readers to marvel at and enjoy in this book.
Reading Planet - Votes for Women - Level 8: Fiction (Supernova) | Votes for Women is included in the Rising Stars Reading Planet reading scheme at the Red+ level. The book is a fictionalised version of events leading to the suffrage of women in 1918. The main protagonists in the book are Alice, a keen member of the suffragette movement, and her younger sister Rose, who whilst interested in the prospect of votes for women, is less certain about the approaches used to gain attention for the cause. Composed of diary extracts, letters and a third-person narrative, the story is engaging and also enables the reader to appreciate the complexity of the issues from the perspective of different characters. As with all books in the series, there is a set of comprehension questions asking readers to retrieve key information; to consider the meaning and effectiveness of vocabulary; and to evaluate the actions of characters at different points of the narrative. Further research prompts are also provided, ensuring that pupils have the opportunity to extend and apply their understanding of the text. Whilst a fascinating read in its own right, the book offers opportunities to understand the effect of key aspects of British history, such as the impact of World War I on the movement for women’s suffrage, making it a valuable addition to the school history collection.
