wee classics

Adventuring in Ancient Rome!

We’re finally off to Ancient Rome, and taking a slightly retro route there first with Mr Benn Gladiator by the inimitable David McKee. We love David McKee. Elmer is a staple here and I’ve lost count of the patchwork elephants we’ve painted over the past few years, but by far H’s favourite David McKee book is Not Now, Bernard – a darkly humorous little story about a boy and a monster. We haven’t read any Mr Benn before, but this seemed like a fairly good place to start! I found this copy on a fieldtrip to Belsay Hall a couple of years back – they have an excellent second-hand book shop, well worth checking out if you’re there for a visit.

Creating Fantastic Creatures!

The best bit of any myth is the monster, right?! In the books we’ve been reading lately H has been especially interested in all the weird and wonderful monsters, so Fantastic Creatures by Kate McLelland seemed right up our street. Another British Museum/Nosy Crow collab, this book is entirely activity-based – making it a perfect choice for little hands that like to keep busy!

Egypt Magnified!

Back to Ancient Egypt we go, with the perfect book for inquisitive little investigators – Egypt Magnified by David Long and Harry Bloom. Another impressive hardback! Brightly coloured and bursting with detail, this search-and-find adventure book comes complete with its very own magnifying glass to help uncover all the smallest features hiding in each scene. And there is plenty to find! H loves any sort of ‘finding’ game, and had been learning how to use a magnifying glass at nursery, so when I spied this in Blackwells I knew we’d have to try it out. It has kept us busy!

Horsing Around in Troy!

We’re heading back to the world of Greek mythology! Given how well the last British Museum/Nosy Crow book went down, we decided it was time to tackle The Legend of Troy by Goldie Hawk and Esther Aarts. I picked this up when I took my students to see Troy: Myth and Reality at the British Museum last year – hard to believe that was my last trip/train ride anywhere. The book is based on the exhibition, and happily goes far beyond the usual highlights of the Trojan War story to introduce younger readers to the many questions which arise when we investigate the past. There’s still plenty of horse, though!

Ancient Egypt.. Underwater!

We’re in the middle of a big Octonauts phase, thanks to the particularly catchy Great Barrier Reef special on Netflix. Lots of singing about Pirate Pie, and lots of interest in all things sea-based – so it seemed like a good opportunity to try out Secret Treasures of Ancient Egypt by Kate Sparrow and Esther Aarts. This is one of the many fab books published by the British Museum and Nosy Crow, and is based on the BM’s 2016 exhibition Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds.