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Topic: History

Anglo-Saxons Topic Booklist

Best Children’s Books for the Anglo-Saxon History Topic

Travel back in time to the invaders and settlers of the Dark Ages and find out more about the intriguing Anglo-Saxon period. From fighting and feasts to riddles and runes, we’ve picked out some of the best children’s books about the Anglo-Saxon topic.

This booklist offers recommended children’s books about the history of the Anglo-Saxons, selected by the experts at BooksForTopics. Readers looking for KS2 Anglo-Saxon books will enjoy entering the gripping world of invaders and settlers in Winter of the Wolves or Anglo-Saxon Boy – both chapter books that are popular choices with history lovers who love action and plenty of gruesome details.

We also recommend shorter stories like The Princess Who Hid in a Tree, which is a picturebook retelling of the Anglo-Saxon legend of Saint Frideswide.

As well as the recommended reading list below to browse, we’ve also got a printable poster, and schools can purchase the full set of books via Peters.

So, if you are looking for recommended Anglo-Saxon children’s books, the BooksForTopics expertly curated reading list is here to help…

best books for Stone Age to Iron Age topic

Stone Age to Iron Age Topic Booklist

Best Books for the Stone Age to Iron Age Topic

From stone circles and woolly mammoths to hill forts and roundhouses, the Stone Age to Iron Age history topic is such an interesting one to dig into. This list of the best children’s books about the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages is here to guide those looking for recommended children’s books and to help transport readers back to prehistoric times…

This history curriculum booklist offers recommended children’s books about the period of British prehistory from the Stone Age to the Iron Age, selected by the experts at BooksForTopics. Step back in time to discover the Secrets of Stonehenge, visit the prehistoric settlement of Skara Brae in The Boy With the Bronze Axe or nestle into an Iron Age hill fort in Pitch Invasion.

Teachers looking for a shorter picture book with lots of scope for discussion and writing opportunities will enjoy the classroom favourite Stone Age Boy.

As well as the recommended reading list below to browse, we’ve also got a printable poster, and schools can purchase the full set of books via Peters.

So, if you are looking for recommended children’s books about the Stone Age, this specially selected reading list for KS2 is the right place to start…

Romans Topic Booklist

The Best Romans Books for KS2 Primary History Topics

Updated for 2026

What did the Romans do for us? The answer is a lot! The Romans history topic is popular in primary schools, and we’ve compiled a list of the best children’s books about the Romans for exploring all sorts of exciting themes, from gladiators and gods to eruptions and emperors.

romans recommended books for childrenThis Romans booklist offers recommended children’s books about the Romans, selected by the experts at BooksForTopics. Immerse young readers in the sights and smells of Roman Britain with engaging historical fiction like Empire’s End or Vita & the Gladiator, or travel back to Ancient Rome with classicist Caroline Lawrence’s story The Thieves of Ostia.

Children looking for more light-hearted Roman Empire stories and shorter Roman-themed chapter books will enjoy Romans on the Rampage or the popular picturebook choice Escape from Pompeii.

As well as the recommended Romans topic reading list below to browse, we’ve also got a printable poster, and schools can purchase the full set of books via Peters.

So, if you are looking for recommended books about the Romans, this curated Romans booklist for KS2 has got you covered…

At a Glance: Top Romans Books for KS2

World War I Topic (WW1)

Best children’s books about the First World War 

Explore the history of World War 1, from tanks and trenches to memorials and medals. We’ve put together a list of the best children’s books to learn about life during World War 1 – both on the home front and on the battlefields.

stone-age-boy

Stone Age Boy

Picturebook
resources-availableteachers-favouriteguided-reading-choice

This engaging picture book tells the story of a boy who falls down a hole to find himself back in time 15,000 years. He wakes in a prehistoric camp and finds out about life in a Stone Age village.

Stone Age Boy is a hugely popular book with lower KS2 classes and helps to encourage children to engage with how life might have been different during Stone Age times. Extra facts and information are peppered throughout. There is also an accompanying 2-week English unit available from KS2History.

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The Stone Age: Hunters, Gatherers and Woolly Mammoths

Non-fiction

Marcia Williams embraces the Stone Age topic with her distinctive comic-book style.

This informative text covers a range of subtopics including prehistoric animals, hunter-gatherers and Stone Age tools. This is a book with a high level of visual appeal and is particularly popular for engaging reluctant readers.

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How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth

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Picturebook

A whimsical and quirky picture book doubling as an instruction manual for the ‘mammoth’ task of washing this prehistoric beast. This is a humorous and creative text and a brilliant way into instruction writing. There is an accompanying 2-week English unit from KS2History.

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Wolf Brother

Chapter book
resources-availableteachers-favouriterecommended-read-aloud

This gripping children’s novel takes us back in time 6000 years as twelve-year-old Torak and his wolf cub journey through the prehistoric landscape.

Wolf Brother is a real page-turner that uses the structure of an adventure story and majors on the theme of good versus evil in a prehistoric setting. Highly recommended for more confident readers or upper KS2 pupils.

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The Wild Way Home

Chapter book
resources-available

A wildly heartfelt timeslip adventure that takes readers back to the Stone Age to explore themes of family, courage, loss and what it means to be human.

Charlie lives in modern times, but after hearing very bad news about a new sibling, Charlie flees to the forest and is transported in time to a Stone Age forest. This is an exciting narrative that will be lapped up by mature readers who are ready for a roller coaster of adrenaline and who can handle difficult themes. Most suitable for Upper KS2.

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The Secrets of Stonehenge

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Non-fiction
guided-reading-choice

A much-loved non-fiction choice that also spans the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age is The Secrets of Stonehenge by Mick Manning & Brita Granström.

Built over hundreds of years, Stonehenge is one of the most famous monuments from prehistoric times. Historians believe that construction began in the late Neolithic Age and work continued over the next thousand years, with people making many changes to the monument well into the Bronze Age. There is some doubt over exactly why Stonehenge was built, but a likely reason is for religious ceremonies and gatherings.

The Secrets of Stonehenge is a fascinating information text full of images, questions and captions that probe deeply into the mysteries of Stonehenge. This engaging non-fiction text is easy to understand, visually appealing and bursting with interesting facts and theories about the mysteries of Stonehenge.

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