Best children’s books about the Fire of London
In 1666, a famous fire started in a London bakery and spread quickly to burn down large areas of the city. The fire was so impactful that it was called the Great Fire of London. We’ve picked a selection of recommended children’s books about the Fire of London. Look out for wooden houses, buried cheese, flame-hopping fleas and detailed diaries in our list of the best Fire of London topic books…
Published to mark the 350th anniversary of the fire, The Great Fire of London is a spectacular visual retelling of whole story of the fire, from the first piece of coal that starts smouldering in the oven of the Pudding Lane bakery to a whole city engulfed by raging red and orange flames. With stunning illustrations, captivating storytelling and a treasure trove of historical fact, this books is an absolute essential for classrooms covering this topic. There is also an accompanying activity book.
This is a picture book about the Great Fire of London, written by a primary teacher who was inspired to create it after teaching the topic for many years. It follows the events of the Great Fire as seen through the eyes of a tiny flea called Vlad who lives on the back of Boxton the rat. The two friends visit the bakery on Pudding Lane and witness the start of the fire before they join the masses of people fleeing the fire. Vlad and Boxton travel through the burning streets of London, watching the houses being destroyed and passing Samuel Pepys as he buries his most precious possessions. We were really struck by the images of the London refugee camps at the end, drawing striking comparisons to current day events and experiences. The author also offers school visits and resources via her website.
Written especially for young readers, Toby and The Great Fire of London tells the story of Toby’s experiences of the Great Fire of London. A great short story for KS1, with detailed cartoon-style images that bring the events of the Great Fire to life.
An exciting non-fiction text that will capture pupils’ interest through its quest to find the real story behind the Great Fire. The Great Fire of London Unclassified is a popular choice for guided reading, especially for those looking for a text with a less ‘cartoony’ feel to it than most of the other non-fiction options for this topic.
This non-fiction book was written especially for KS1 and is a good way of introducing the conventions of information texts, including a full glossary, captions and an index. The accessible text of The Great Fire Of London is accompanied by detailed illustrations and photographs of artefacts.
© BooksForTopics 2015-2023
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