As a kid, I loved history. But whenever a history book started a boring dive into the economy, class structure, and archaeological finds of this or that era, I turned off my flashlight and went to sleep. Kids like stories. Whether these are stories of heroism in scary wars, or of the wisdom and intrigue of ancient kings and rebels, or of the sudden turns of fate that befall fortune-seekers, kids are always fascinated by a story with a plot. They learn from stories, not from dense paragraphs about the phases of the Bronze age, the location of trade routes, or the injustices of the social order here and there. I discovered that my kid remembers minute details of Greek mythology - which is a story-based narrative - and can't recall any cities of Ancient Greece, or any historical figures after reading non-fiction on the subject. To him, Ancient Greece is Odysseus and the Sirens. Because that's a memorable story, while the development of agricultural tools is not. This book follows the old-fashioned, story-based, traditional route of teaching history - through the stories of heroes and kings, with no tribute paid to modern economic and social perspectives. If my kid remembers who Solon was because he recalls a couple funny anecdotes about him, I know he will put two and two together when he is studying the agricultural subsistence economy of that era down the road in Social Studies. But if he knows all about the injustices of slavery in Ancient Greece and doesn't know who Themistocles was, he will grow up lacking in cultural education. Culture is memes. And that means historical figures, and anecdotes about them. The suggested reader age for this book is 8 to 14 years old. To write this book, I went back to Herodotus, Plutarch, Diogenes Laertius, and other ancient sources of biographical anecdotes, and extracted from them the stories that will be most memorable to a modern kid. I retold them without adding any fictional color. I have omitted some things, however. Anything gruesome or seriously cruel is not included. Anything off-color, or outside traditional-family-friendly morality is not included. I have included only accounts of the most major battles, and without much detail. Battles are important, but as a kid - maybe as a girl - I was falling asleep over the ancient battles. Politics: Again, I have included only major turns of events. I wove the information about the social order and geography of Ancient Greece into the stories of the era's historical figures. So, no worries, the kid will learn about the Agora and Acropolis of Athens, the city-states of Corinth and Sparta, daily life in an Ancient Greek household, the major Greek temples, and the three orders of Ancient Greek architecture. This book is richly illustrated. I don't agree that if you are 13 or 16 you should be content with pages and pages of text and no pictures. Illustrations help both kids and grownups to visualize - and therefore to remember - events and descriptions. I have illustrated the book mostly with paintings portraying historical figures or everyday life in classical Greece. Whenever I could, I chose late 19th century and early 20th century art over the older neoclassical paintings for a more accurate representation of the Ancient Greek costume and environment. I added some photos of the sculpture, artifacts, and architectural monuments of Ancient Greece. Important: I have selected illustrations with absolutely no nudity, so it's safe to take this book to school! Here is a list of the historical figures included in this book: Homer, Aesop, Drakon, Solon, Croesus, Pythagoras, Pheidippides, Leonidas, Themistocles, Pericles, Phidias, Socrates, Aspasia, Hippocrates, Alexander the Great, Diogenes, Plato, Herostratus, Aristotle, Archimedes.

Tools of the Ancient Greeks: A Kid’s Guide to the History and Science of Life in Ancient Greece explores the scientific discoveries, athletic innovations, engineering marvels, and innovative ideas created more than two thousand years ago. Through biographical sidebars, interesting facts, fascinating anecdotes, and fifteen hands-on activities, readers will learn how Greek innovations and ideas have shaped world history and our own world view.

You have probably heard about Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. When it comes to ancient minds who created foundations in philosophy, science, and math, these three names would automatically come up. But what exactly did they do to warrant immense respect and admiration? Well, your fifth grader will soon find out from this biography book.

The Ancient Greeks didn't just excel in math and philosophy. They also soared when it came to art. Art history is a refreshing way of knowing the local culture, customs and traditions. It details the truths of the world and myths, too. Without art, history will be boring and handing it down from one generation to the next will prove to be a challenge.

When I first discovered that my 8-year-old kid believed that the adventures of Odysseus were the actual history of ancient Greece, I panicked and bought him a stack of children's history books. I sat by his side as he started reading about the class structure of Athens and the economic underpinnings of the Greek polis. He yawned. He asked for candy... and then for the Disney Channel... Kids like stories. And when it comes to history, they learn from stories, not from dense paragraphs about the phases of the Bronze age, the location of trade routes, or the injustices of the social order here and there. This book follows the old-fashioned, story-based, traditional route of teaching history - through tales of heroes and kings, with no tribute paid to modern economic and social perspectives. Culture is memes. And that means historical figures, and anecdotes about them. To write this book, I went back to Tacitus, Livy, Suetonius, Cassius Dio, Valerius Maximus, Josephus, Eusebius, Theodoret, and other ancient sources of biographical anecdotes, and extracted from them the stories that will be most memorable to a modern kid. I retold them without adding any fictional color. I have omitted some things, however. Anything gruesome, off-color, or outside traditional-family-friendly morality is not included. I also wove information about the social order and daily life of Ancient Rome into the stories of the era's most exciting historical figures. The suggested reader age for this book is 8 to 14 years old. This book is richly illustrated with paintings portraying historical figures and everyday life in ancient Rome. Whenever I could, I chose late 19th century and early 20th century realistic art featuring a more accurate representation of the Ancient Roman costume and environment. I also feature beautiful images of the sculpture, artifacts, and architectural monuments of Ancient Rome. Important: I have selected illustrations with absolutely no nudity, so it's safe to take this book to school. Here is a list of the historical figures included in this book: Romulus and Remus, Numa Pompilius, Tarquin the Proud, Cincinnatus, Coriolanus, Cato the Censor, Scipio Africanus, Pompey, Spartacus, Julius Caesar, Cicero, Mark Anthony, Caesar Augustus, Virgil, Caligula, Nero, Seneca, Vespasian, Titus, Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Constantine the Great, Julian the Apostate, Theodosius.

In this sequel to Trouble in the Trees, it's the end of grade six and Bree plans to spend the summer hanging around her townhouse complex in Vancouver, climbing trees with her friends. But her parents have other plans for her; she is going to Ontario to stay with her grandma who lives on a farm "in the middle of nowhere." A farm that is about to be destroyed by a superhighway unless Bree can stop it. Convinced that saving the land will end her grandma's unhappiness, Bree tries to rally cousins and neighbors, but instead of finding help, Bree uncovers some shocking things about her relatives. The more Bree gets to know about her extended family and their farm, the more complicated everything becomes. If she isn't able to save the farm, can she at least manage to save her family?