When you’re planning a visit to Greece with children, there are some nice books to introduce your kids to the nation and its historical past – together with Greek myths for all ages amongst my choose of the very best children’ books about Greece.
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Whether or not you’re absorbing the solar on a Greek island or heading to Athens to find the Acropolis and the traditional Olympics, it actually pays to know a few of the tales of the gods and heroes behind the ruins, whereas a little bit of grotesque Historical Greek historical past all the time goes down properly too.
There are sticker books for youthful children, and re-tellings of myths and legends for teenagers, plus some nice fiction too (a love of Percy Jackson would possibly even be the inspiration for a visit!) – take a look at my full checklist of the very best books about Greece for youths.
Books about Greece for toddlers and preschoolers
You’re by no means too younger to get a style of Historical Greece…
My Little Golden E-book About Greek Gods and Goddesses
My Little Golden E-book About Greek Gods and Goddesses affords a straightforward introduction to Greek Mythology for youthful kids, geared toward children aged 2-5.
The e-book introduces most of the main Greek Gods and Goddesses, together with Athena, Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, and Hermes, via its lovely illustrations and easy tales. It even explains easy methods to pronounce every God’s title, which is a good little contact.
The colorful full-page footage make this an excellent possibility for preschoolers, though primary-school kids can also take pleasure in studying it to themselves.
Usborne’s Historical Greeks Sticker E-book
Usborne’s Historical Greeks Sticker E-book is a enjoyable and fascinating option to educate little ones concerning the lives, beliefs, and customs of the Historical Greeks – higher for older preschoolers than the youngest toddlers although.
The e-book is stuffed with vibrant scenes depicting life in Historical Greece, from busy markets to mighty battles, full with 550+ stickers that enable children to get hands-on and create their very personal characters and tales.
British Museum 101 Stickers! Historical Greece
One other enjoyable sticker possibility for the same age group, this e-book from the British Museum takes you on a tour of historical Greece, with 11 completely different scenes to embellish.
You’ll be able to add your personal statues to the Acropolis, place the athletes on the Olympics, brighten up on a regular basis scenes and even curate your personal museum exhibit. Geared toward children aged 3-5.
Try my information to Greece with children for extra tips about travelling to the nation and the Greek Islands
Youngsters’ books about Greece
As soon as your children begin studying, there are some nice books to introduce them to Greek myths, historical Greek historical past and extra.
Usborne E-book of Greek Myths
Certainly one of our personal private favourites, my daughter completely loves Usborne’s E-book of Greek Myths, an enormous e-book filled with thrilling tales of highly effective Gods, courageous heroes, and horrible monsters.
The e-book tells many traditional Greek myths and legends, comparable to Pandora’s Field and The Minotaur and the Labyrinth, in a easy, child-friendly approach, with a lot of attractive illustrations.
There’s even an illustrated map, a listing of vital characters, and a glossary of difficult phrases on the finish, making complicated Greek Mythology simpler to know for youthful readers.
Nationwide Geographic’s Treasury of Greek Mythology
This superbly illustrated treasury brings collectively many timeless Greek myths in an attention-grabbing and fascinating format that’s appropriate for older kids and youths.
Treasury of Greek Mythology: Traditional Tales of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters options many tales of Greek Gods, heroes, and villains. It additionally has some helpful household timber, character profiles, and illustrated maps to make Greek Mythology extra digestible for all ages.
Tales of Courageous and Good Ladies from the Greek Myths
Tales of Courageous and Good Ladies from the Greek Myths is a superbly empowering kids’s e-book that re-tells the tales of many legendary Greek heroines, together with the likes of Athena, Circe, Psyche, and Artemis.
By means of thrilling tales and vibrant illustrations, this charming e-book helps convey many traditional Greek tales to life and exhibits younger ladies that they are often something they dream of!
Who Let the Gods Out?
Who Let the Gods Out? follows the adventures of a younger boy named Elliot as he by chance releases Thanatos, the evil Daemon of Demise, and should name on the Greek Gods from Mount Olympus to assist him save the world.
It’s an entertaining and heartfelt e-book for youths aged 7-10 and the primary in a four-part collection centred across the Greek Gods, so there’s lots extra to learn in the event that they take pleasure in this one!
Icarus Was Ridiculous
Izzy is a younger woman who simply LOVES Greek Myths and may’t wait to inform all of her mates and classmates about them, albeit in a barely foolish and extremely dramatic approach.
Icarus Was Ridiculous is a enjoyable and lighthearted e-book that was written in collaboration with the British Museum and affords entertaining takes on 4 iconic Greek tales, as advised from a toddler’s perspective.
Horrible Histories: Groovy Greeks
The Horrible Histories franchise is all the time a sure-fire hit with children. And their Groovy Greeks version is not any exception.
Utilizing its trademark witty humour, grotesque (however nonetheless kid-friendly) tales, and comical illustrations, this e-book affords a enjoyable and fascinating perception into Historical Greece that can entertain each children and adults.
Groovy Greeks covers all kinds of subjects, together with Greek Gods, myths, struggle, theatre, poetry, the Olympic Video games, and extra, providing a well-rounded introduction to Greek historical past. There’s even a brand new newspaper model for essentially the most horrible historic headlines.
So You Assume You’ve Obtained It Dangerous? A Child’s Life in Historical Greece,
So You Assume You’ve Obtained It Dangerous? A Child’s Life in Historical Greece is one other enjoyable and academic e-book that compares modern-day life to the lifetime of Historical Greeks via the eyes of a kid.
Utilizing partaking tales and humorous illustrations, it brings to life many facets of each day life in Historical Greece, together with clothes, meals, pets, college, play actions, and extra.
Backed by loads of historic info and tales, this e-book helps children think about what the lives of their friends appeared like hundreds of years in the past.
You Wouldn’t Need To Be A Slave In Historical Greece
A part of the ‘You Wouldn’t Need to Be…’ collection, there are a number of books to assist convey life in Historical Greece to life.
You Wouldn’t Need to Be A Slave in Historical Greece seems on the bits of historical past that don’t get celebrated immediately (thumbs as much as democracy and philosophy, not a lot to slavery…) There’s additionally You Wouldn’t Need to be a Greek Athlete for the extra grotesque aspect to the Olympics, though it’s a bit more durable to search out copies of.
See Inside Historical Greece (Usborne Flap Books)
One other nice lift-the-flap e-book from Usborne, See Inside Historical Greece affords an interactive journey into Greek historical past for major college aged children.
See Inside Historical Greece: 1
- Hardcover E-book
- Rob Lloyd Jones (Writer)
- English (Publication Language)
- 16 Pages – 08/08/2019 (Publication Date) – Usborne Publishing Ltd (Writer)
The e-book takes children on a journey via Historical Greece, from the earliest Minoan civilization on Crete to the empire of Alexander the Nice. It seems at many facets of Greek life via full of life illustrations, digestible info, and – in fact – liftable “flaps” that supply further surprises.
Discover Tom in Time: Historical Greece
This enjoyable puzzle e-book (suppose The place’s Wally with added historical past) challenges you to search out Tom and his cat Digby in addition to greater than 100 different issues to search out within the pages of Discover Tom in Time: Historical Greece.
Alongside the best way you’ll be able to study some nice trivia and historical Greek info, and find out about every thing from philosophy to the origins of the Olympics. Nice for youths aged round 6-9 preferring actions to studying.
Greeking Out: Epic Retellings of Traditional Greek Myths
Greeking Out: Epic Retellings of Traditional Greek Myths is the tie-in e-book to Nationwide Geographic Youngsters’ extraordinarily widespread Greeking Out Podcast.
The award-winning e-book contains a assortment of traditional Greek myths and legends retold in a fascinating and accessible approach for youthful readers, with loads of enjoyable and vibrant illustrations.
The e-book even features a information to all the major characters with title pronunciations and a map exhibiting the principle places, providing a beneficial useful resource for youths.
Books about Greece for teenagers and tweens
If you’d like one thing greater than books of myths and historical past (nevertheless entertaining), there are additionally some actually enjoyable fiction books for older children.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
You will have already watched the films or the brand new Disney+ collection, however you’ll be able to’t beat the unique assortment of best-selling Percy Jackson books?
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a collection of fantasy-adventure novels by Rick Riordan that observe the adventures of Percy Jackson, a younger modern-day demigod, as he navigates the world of Greek mythology and the various trials and tribulations that include it.
The Percy Jackson books are finest fitted to older kids (9+) and tweens, though some teenagers can also take pleasure in them for a straightforward and entertaining learn.
Maria’s Island
Shifting away from Historical Greece (briefly), Maria’s Island is a kids’s e-book set throughout the similar world because the best-selling e-book “The Island” by Victoria Hislop (which is a good possibility for older teenagers, particularly if you happen to’re visiting Crete).
The e-book affords a glimpse into life on the Greek island of Crete within the ’40s and ’50s via the story of a younger woman referred to as Maria. It takes place within the Cretan village of Plaka, which sits simply throughout the water from the island of Spinalonga – Greece’s former leper colony.
The heartfelt e-book explores the themes of stigma, disgrace, and the therapy of those that are completely different, whereas additionally providing a glimpse into the heritage and fantastic thing about the Greek Islands.
For extra tips about issues to do in Crete with children, take a look at my high picks
Wings of Olympus
Wings of Olympus is an enthralling two-part e-book collection that follows the story of a poor younger orphan referred to as Pippa and her winged horse, Zephyr, on an epic quest via Historical Greece.
Wings of Olympus: 1
- Hardcover E-book
- George, Kallie (Writer)
- English (Publication Language)
- 224 Pages – 03/05/2019 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Writer)
Set in opposition to the backdrop of Mount Olympus, Pippa and Zephyr should defy the percentages and win the toughest race in historical Greece so as to not be separated ceaselessly. An epic story of heroism, bravery, and – in fact – flying horses – what’s not for youths to like?
Mark of the Cyclops
In case your children love mysteries and detective tales, that is the right mixture of whodunnit and Historical Greece.
Mark of the Cyclops tells the story of younger scribe Niko and his good friend Thrax, a budding detective, whose abilities are put to the take a look at after a beneficial vase is damaged and slave woman Gaia seems set to get the blame.
Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures
Stephen Fry’s re-telling of a few of the traditional tales of Greek heroes, from Jason on his quest for the Golden Fleece, Bellerephon’s challenges on the best way to slay the Chimera, in addition to a complete string of different tales that includes the Sphinx, golden apples and monsters galore.
Nice for teenagers, Heroes brings the outdated tales to life as if you happen to’re following on the adventures with the heroes – and the gods get the identical therapy in Mythos as properly
Ariadne
One other nice possibility for teenagers, Ariadne seems on the well-known legend of the Minotaur from a really completely different perspective – the monster’s half-sister Ariadne.
Ariadne
- Saint, Jennifer (Writer)
- English (Publication Language)
- 400 Pages – 12/30/2021 (Publication Date) – Wildfire (Writer)
Princess of Crete, daughter of King Minos, her life within the golden palace at Knossos is overshadowed by the data of the creature hidden within the labyrinth. And as she betrays her father to assist Theseus kill the Minotaur, her personal destiny is to be betrayed…
For teenagers who take pleasure in this twist on the well-known story, with a feminine protagonist, there’s additionally Elektra and Atalanta from the identical writer, in addition to Medusa.
Disclosure: This publish incorporates affiliate hyperlinks – any purchases you make are unaffected however I’ll obtain a small fee. All opinions on the very best children books about Greece are my very own (and my daughter’s!)
Picture courtesy of Depositphotos
