Ancient History Books for Kids: Curated CC Cycle 1 Reading List

As our family begins our third spiral study through Ancient History, I think back fondly on the previous years we toured through the ancient civilizations. So many great books and stories! This year, as I am homeschooling middle grade students, I had to put together nearly an entirely new list of ancient history  books for kids to read. Oops, I mean the whole family! Because I enjoy reading these stories and books as well!

This list is perfect for any family studying the Ancients – Egypt, Greece, Rome, Mayans. Or for families who are involved in Classical Conversations, like our family, this list works with Cycle 1, which is Ancient History study. However, this list is a great fit for any homeschool family adding ancient history to your curriculum. 

If you want to know how I decided which books to put on the list, or my criteria for what made the list, check out our Book List Criteria post HERE, that goes into how I gauge age appropriateness, values, historical content, and more, when putting together the list.

Scroll to the end of the post for a pdf download of the list that you can use at bookstores and libraries. The lists are also available in my Amazon store (links at end of post).

• (PB) = Picture Book
• (PRB) = Picture Reference Book
• (IB) = Illustrated Book (more pages / text than most picture books)
• (Comic) = Comic strip format
• (Audio CD) = physical CD
• (Series) = Additional books follow or precede
• (IEW) = Recommended reading by the Institute for Excellence in Writing program

Ancient History Book List

FICTION ANCIENT HISTORY BOOKS FOR KIDS

Ancient Egypt

• Boy of the Pyramids – Ruth Fosdick Jones
• Gilgamesh the Hero – Geraldine McCaughrean, David Parkins 
• God King: A Story in the Days of King Hezekiah – Joanne Williamson, Daria M. Sockey 
• Hittite Warrior – Joanne Williamson
• A Place in the Sun – Jill Rubalcaba (IEW)
• Mara, Daughter of the Nile – Eloise Jarvis McGraw (IEW)
• The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt – G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
• The Golden Goblet – Eloise Jarvis McGraw (IEW)
• On the Shores of the Great Sea – M. B. Synge, E. M. Synge 
• Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile – Tomie dePaola (PB)
• Gilgamesh the King (The Gilgamesh Trilogy) – Ludmila Zeman  (PB) (IEW)
• The Egyptian Cinderella – Shirley Climo, Ruth Heller  (PB)
• The 5,000-Year-Old Puzzle: Solving a Mystery of Ancient Egypt – Claudia Logan, Melissa Sweet (PRB)

Boy of the PyramidsGilgamesh the HeroGod King: A Story in the Days of King HezekiahHittite Warrior

 Ancient China / Japan

• One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale – Demi
• Heart of a Samurai – Margi Preus
• The Samurai’s Tale – Erik C. Haugaard 
• The Big Wave – Pearl S. Buck
• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Grace Lin 
• Lin Lun Lad of Courage – Carolyn Treefinger
• A Single Shard – Linda Sue Park 
• A Single Pebble: A Story of the Silk Road – Bonnie Christensen (PB)
• The Legend of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching – Lao Tzu, Demi (PB)

Where the Mountain Meets the MoonLi Lun, Lad of Courage (A Newbery Honor book)A Single ShardA Single Pebble: A Story of the Silk Road

 Ancient Greece

• Beyond the Desert Gate – Mary Ray
• Greek Myths – Olivia E. Coolidge OR
  Greek Myths – Jim Weiss (Audio CD)*There are many versions of Greek Myths available – you may find collections you prefer over these. Most collections will feature similar stories).
• Tales from the Odyssey, Part One – Mary Pope Osborne (IEW)
• The Trojan War – Olivia Coolidge OR
  The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War – Emily Little
• Theras and His Town – Caroline Dale Snedeker 
• Aesop’s Fables – Charles Santore (PB)

Beyond the Desert GateGreek MythsGreek Myths: The Jim Weiss Audio CollectionTales from the Odyssey, Part 1

 Ancient Rome

• Detectives in Togas – Henry Winterfeld (IEW)
• Mystery of the Roman Ransom – Henry Winterfeld (IEW)
• The Bronze Bow – Elizabeth George Speare 
• The Secrets of Vesuvius (The Roman Mysteries) – Caroline Lawrence (Series) (IEW)
• The Charioteer of Delphi (The Roman Mysteries) – Caroline Lawrence (Series) (IEW)
• The Ides of April – Mary Ray 
• The Eagle of the Ninth (The Roman Britain Trilogy, 1) – Rosemary Sutcliff 
• The Silver Branch (The Roman Britain Trilogy, 2) – Rosemary Sutcliff 
• The Lantern Bearers (The Roman Britain Trilogy, 3) – Rosemary Sutcliff
• The White Stag – Kate Seredy 
• The Glorious Impossible [Illustrated with Frescoes from the Scrovegni Chapel] – Madeleine L’Engle
• Julius Caesar and the Story of Rome – William Shakespeare / Jim Weiss (Audio CD)

The Charioteer of Delphi (The Roman Mysteries)The Ides of AprilThe Eagle of the Ninth (The Roman Britain Trilogy, 1)The Silver Branch (The Roman Britain Trilogy, 2)

 Africa

• The Pearl Diver – Julia Johnson, Patricia Al Fakhri 
• Beat the Story Drum, Pum Pum – Nigerian Folk Tales (PB)
• Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain – Verna Aardema (PB)
• Why The Sky Is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale – Mary-Joan Gerson, Carla Golembe  (PB)
• Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale – Verna Aardema, Leo Dillon (PB)
• Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti – Gerald McDermott  (PB)

The Pearl DiverBeat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum (PB)Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain (PB)Why The Sky Is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale (PB)

 Middle East

• Shadow Spinner – Susan Fletcher
• Arabian Nights – Jim Weiss (Audio CD)

India & Imperialism

• Rama and the Demon King: An Ancient Tale from India – Jessica Souhami (PB) 
• The Elephant’s Friend and Other Tales from Ancient India – Marcia Williams (PB)
• The Story of Little Babaji – Helen Bannerman, Fred Marcellino (PB)
• The King’s Chessboard – David Birch, Devis Grebu (PB)
• Once a Mouse… – Marcia Brown (PB)

Mesoamerica / Aztecs / Native Americans

• The Corn Grows Ripe – Dorothy Rhoads, Jean Charlot 
• Naya Nuki: Shoshoni Girl Who Ran – Kenneth Thomasma, Eunice Hundley
• Om-kas-toe: Blackfeet Twin Captures an Elkdog – Kenneth Thomas

Shadow SpinnerA Storyteller’s Version of… Arabian Nights (Audio CD)Rama And The Demon King: An Ancient Tale From India (PB)The Elephant’s Friend and Other Tales from Ancient India (PB)

 NON-FICTION ANCIENT HISTORY BOOKS FOR KIDS

Bible

• International Children’s Bible Field Guide – Larry Richards, Chris Garborg PRB
• In Search of the Source – Neil Anderson & Hyatt Moore

Geography

• Sea Clocks: The Story of Longitude – Louise Borden, Erik Blegvad (PB)
• Maps and Globes – Jack Knowlton, Harriet Barton (PB)
• Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary – Jack Knowlton, Harriet Barton (PB)
• Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air – Stewart Ross, Stephen Biesty (PRB)

General History

• The Usborne Book of Living Long Ago: Everyday life through the Ages – Felicity Brooks, Helen Edom (PRB) 
• Augustus Caesar’s World – Genevieve Foster (IB) 
• Ox, House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet – Don Robb, Anne Smith (PRB)
• Built to Last – David Macaulay (PRB)
• The Story of Clocks and Calendars – Betsy Maestro, Giulio Maestro (PRB)
• The Story of the World Volume 1: Ancient Times – Susan Wise Bauer (Audio CD)

Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary (PB)Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and AirThe Usborne Book of Living Long Ago: Everyday life through the AgesThe Story of Clocks and Calendars (PRB)

 And that’s the majority of the books we plan to read this year for our Ancient History Study! If I come across any more good ones, I’ll be sure to update this list!

Get a FREE Printable Copy of this Ancient History Book List!

Meanwhile, if you’d like a printable copy of this list for library runs or shopping at thrift stores, I have that for you! This printable is organized both by genre AND by CC Weeks!

Sign up for my emails below. The PDF list will be delivered to your inbox after you confirm subscription. It will also include this handy week-by-week Reading list for the 24 weeks of CC study with additional titles for Science, Math, English, and Fine Arts topics!

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