Reddit mentions: The best ancient civilization books for children

As someone who adores video games, what he needs is comic books. I love to read immensely, but sometimes I just don't feel like dealing with words, so a simple storyline (or maybe super complex, depending) with bright pictures is the greatest.

One of the most clever comic books/series I've ever come across is Asterix and Obelix. It's stories set in ancient Gaul and the shenanigans that happen. The funny thing is, the comics were originally written in French. Someone translated them into English, and you might think a lot of idiomatic/pun humor might have gotten lost but nope! Still witty and clever as ever.

They're completely clean (SFW, I mean) and totally amazing. I am way too attached to my collection or I'd send your stepson some.

Here is the first volume on Amazon. They're SO GOOD.

Always great to see children showing interest. 12 is certainly old enough to read and comprehend Homer, but like others have said, context will definitely be key. Regularly discussing it with her will likely help to give her background information and also just help her to enjoy it more. As for illustrated editions, this one is gorgeous. I gave it to my nephews (all under 10), and almost wish I had just kept it for myself.

https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Homer/dp/1454922435/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511192345&sr=1-1&keywords=ISBN10+1454922435

The Epic of Gilgamesh was discovered (but not deciphered) by an Assyrian archeologist, Hormuz Rassam who was the first non-European archeologist from the Middle East.

I recently read the Epic of Gilgamesh, and I highly recommend it if you haven't read it already, I really enjoyed this edition by penguin classics. Although the side material in this translation was also nice.

It's also a great gift to give to someone, and for kids I recommend this trilogy (just make sure to buy all three) by Ludmilla Zeman. It is beautifully illustrated with many pictures and was appreciated by the kids.

Edit: Haha, seems like a Chaldean hardliner has changed Hormuzd Rassam's wiki page and now it says Chaldean, it used to say Assyrian.

Although not really a compilation of myths, I read [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Gilgamesh-King-Trilogy-Ludmila-Zeman/dp/0887764371/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413947341&sr=1-3&keywords=Gilgamesh) Gilgamesh trilogy with a couple of my students interested in that era and they really dug it. It's an Uruk myth, of course, but pretty prevalent in Mesopotamia in general.

That actual source material (or rather translations of it) is pretty fascinating as well if you've never read it, though not so kid-friendly.

My nieces and my son loved these I Survived! books.

Legos, stomp rockets, Nerf guns - all are pretty well received. Snap Circuits are good for more science leaning kids. Rubix cubes are HUGE with the kids in the local elementary school right now, especially if you can find the ones that aren't actually cubes.

Chess is also big in the school - you could get a set, and then play back and forth, even over distance?

£3.30, super saver free delivery :) House of Anubis fan book thank Crunchie it's Friday tomorrow indeed!

While it's not necessarily about the maze, there's Robert Byrd's The Hero and the Minotaur that does include the labyrinth. It's definitely at the top of what I could generously consider 'preschool' age though. I'd sat its more like early grade school.

There is actually 3 children's books that are pretty much written for 5 year olds. They're pretty amazing.

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This if for the younger end of the range but was one of my favorite as a kid: Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick
https://www.amazon.com/Archimedes-Science-Living-History-Library/dp/1883937124/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466092197&sr=8-1&keywords=archimedes

I have three available on amazon:

Bread for the Pharaoh This is the first one I published, and doesn't quite hew to the "ordinary people against ordinary problems" formula. But it's still a cracking good ancient Egypt story. :)

Pebblehoof This one fits the mold a lot better. A nobody immigrant family pitted against mid-19th century railroad robber-barons.

Blackpelt Talking animal adventure about a beaver on the run from a fur trapper. Definitely in the mold of the wider world gives zero shits about whether the beaver lives or dies.

These are all middle-grade novels, but I've had a surprising number of adults tell me that they too got sucked into the stories.

Time Jumpers - Escape from Egypt by Wendy Maas (https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Egypt-Branches-Book-Jumpers-ebook/dp/B078TN1PRR) ?

I vaguely remember this series being about siblings digging through their dads archeological finds and getting transferred to Egypt. Middle school book with illustrations.

The Skystone by Jack Whyte. The main character is a blacksmith. http://www.amazon.com/The-Skystone-Camulod-Chronicles-Book/dp/0312860919/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Could it be Tales from the Middle Kingdom? The stories are from China.

http://www.amazon.com/Hearsay-Strange-Tales-Middle-Kingdom/dp/068815381X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334016846&sr=1-1

The Magic Tree House series has an arc where the kids (Jack + Annie) go to Greece. https://www.amazon.com/Hour-Olympics-Mary-Pope-Osborne/dp/0679890629

My son recently read a scholarly work on the origins of the order of the letters.

Museum mystery squad?
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Mystery-Squad-Hidden-Hieroglyphics-ebook/dp/B01N25TDVP