HISTORY: Our Favorite Picture Book Read-alouds

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I read dozens of picture books every month with my three children (12, 10, 8). This list includes only the very best of the history and other social science books we read together (books we gave 4 or 5 stars). Note that the amount of text in these books varies greatly. Some are short and sweet with little text, and others might require multiple sittings to finish. We hope you enjoy all of these books as much as we have!

While all of these books are wonderful, I have starred (*) those books that were special favorites of all four of us. These starred books were picture books we checked out again and again from the library, or eventually purchased for ourselves, and are not to be missed. If you are looking for a book about a particular time or person I have not covered, check out the works of some of my very favorite authors about history: Cheryl Harness, Kathleen Krull, and Mike Venezia. They have never disappointed.

This list is continually updated.

Scroll down for U.S. History.

General World History

The Story of Salt*

Ancient History

City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction (Roman Empire)
Gilgamesh the King*, The Revenge of Ishtar, and The Last Quest of Gilgamesh (The Gilgamesh Trilogy)
Mummies Made in Egypt*
Mummies, Pyramids, and Pharaohs: A Book About Ancient Egypt
Pyramid*
Cleopatra
D'aulaire's Book of Greek Myths* (audiobook is fantastic)
Pegasus, the Flying Horse
Paul Writes (a Letter) by Chris Raschka

Middle Ages

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village* (phenomenal, get the full cast audio, not G-rated)
Beowulf, a Hero's Tale Retold* by James Rumford (younger elementary and up, can be read in 1 or 2 sittings)
Beowulf* by Michael Morpurgo (older elementary, read in multiple sittings)
The Hawk of the Castle*
Monsters of the Middle Ages (illustrated by Tomie de Paola!)
Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction by David Macaulay (now also updated and in color) - newer edition has updated information, but I actually prefer the original with its lesser amount of text and black & white drawings
Castle by David Macaulay (also revised and in full color)
Giotto by Mike Venezia
The Nativity illustrated by Giotto
A Boy Named Giotto
Leonardo da Vinci by Diane Stanley*
Leonardo's Horse
The Stolen Smile*
Stone Giant: Michelangelo's David and How He Came to Be*
Michelangelo by Diane Stanley*
Marguerite Makes a Book*
A Medieval Feast by Aliki*
Chanticleer and the Fox by Chaucer
Illuminations
Muhammad by Demi
The Empty Pot by Demi (Chinese folk tale)
Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta, 1325-1354*
The Queen's Progress
Hildegarde of Bingen by Demi
Good Queen Bess : The Story of Elizabeth I of England by Diane Stanley*
Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave (Russian folk tale)
Pippo the Fool
The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane
Mansa Musa: The Lion of Mali*
Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci
Saint Francis by Brian Wildsmith
Brother Hugo and the Bear
Around the World in a Hundred Years: From Henry the Navigator to Magellan
Sundiata
Starry Messenger
The Life and Times of Martin Luther

Early Modern World History (1600 - 1850)

Modern World History (1850 - 2000)

**U.S History**

U.S. Revolutionary War

(See this post for a more in depth description of 12 picture books about the Revolutionary War. There are so many amazing picture books about Revolutionary times. We really had trouble moving past this era!)