21 Wonderful and Amazing History Books for Kids

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Are you looking for amazing history books for your kids?

With six kids, I’ve been homeschooling history for years and read a lot of history books. So the list of my favorite history books for kids, from elementary to high school!

4 History Books for Elementary Students

I’ve been homeschooling for over 17 years now. Wow, that number still staggers me! And over those 17 years, my elementary kids and I have read many history books together. Here are some of our favorites history books for kids!

The Story of the World

The Story of the World series is the best set of history books for kids I’ve found over the years. The series is written for children from grade one to grade eight. And Susan Wise Bauer adds fascinating information that brings history alive.

I’ve learned a huge amount from reading the series to my kids!

The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child Volume One | The first volume covers ancient times from nomadic hunter-gatherer tribes through the Fall of Rome. My kids especially love learning about Ancient Egypt.

The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child Volume Two | Volume two covers the Middle Ages and Renaissance from the Fall of Rome through 1650. Kids learn all about castles and knights, making the book a favorite year for elementary children.

The Story of the World History for the Classical Child Volume Three | Next the third volume covers the Early Modern Period from 1650 through 1850.

The Story of the World History for the Classical Child Volume Four | And volume four covers the Modern Era from 1850 through 2000.

Pick up the activity guides that go with each book. Each guide includes narration exercises, discussions, additional readings suggestions, and activities. The first three books even have coloring pages for the children to color. And the fourth guide introduces outlining to the kids.

And if you struggle to find time for history in your school day, get the Weiss audiobooks and listen to them in the car!

12 History Books for Middle School

If you’re enjoying the Story of the World series, know that it’s also excellent for middle school. The activity guides schedule Kingfisher History of the World. This way your middle school student can read an age-appropriate text for more information.

The Story of the World series is an excellent investment that you can read with your children beginning in the first grade and continue to use through the 8th grade. And to be honest, even my high school students enjoy sitting down and listening to The Story of the World when I read it to my younger children.

History of the U. S.

History of U.S. by Hakim Series | I used the eleven book History of the U. S. series in conjunction with The Story of the World and love the result. Obviously, Story of the World teaches world history, and History of the U. S. covers American history.

But the two books in combination gave my kids an excellent understanding of how American history fits into world history. It wasn’t a case where they studied the American Revolution and the Louisiana Purchase one year and the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte the next.

The events are lined up so kids can see how the American Revolution affected the French Revolution and why Napoleon Bonaparte needed to sell Louisiana to Thomas Jefferson.

I highly, highly recommend combining History of the U. S. and Story of the World for your older elementary and middle school kids.

Kingfisher History Encyclopedia

Kingfisher History Encyclopedia | The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia is an excellent resource for your middle school students. Not only does it cover all of world history in one volume, but each selection has plenty of graphics and a short text.

The text is perfect for teaching middle school kids how to outline from a resource. And once kids know how to outline, it’s a short step from there to essays and thesis papers!

5 History Books for High School

History of the Ancient World | History of the Ancient World is a lively text written by Susan Wise Bauer. It’s at a high school or adult level. The text covers not only Western Civilization but also discusses history in ancient India and China. My family is studying the Ancient World this year, and my high school teen is enjoying reading through History of the Ancient World.

History of the Medieval World | History of the Medieval World covers history from the conversion of Constantine through the First Crusade. What I love about Susan Wise Bauer’s books, is that she includes the human element in her stories. They’re not a dry recitation of people, places, and events that put kids to sleep.

History of the Renaissance World | History of the Renaissance World covers history from approximately 1100 through 1453. Or when Aristotle was rediscovered through the conquest of Constantinople. Again, Susan Wise Bauers uses memorable characters to bring history to life.

The History of the World | The History of the World by J. M. Roberts is a one-volume history text kids can read throughout their high school careers. It begins with a lively discussion on when history begins. And the volume ends by discussing events taking place at the end of 1990. Penguin History of the World discusses events in both the East and the West.

If you’re looking for a one-book solution to your high school history lessons, The History of the World is what you need!

Spielvogel Western Civilization | Spielvogel Western Civilization is the text that follows my kids throughout their high school careers. As the title indicates, Western Civilization covers only Western Civilization rather than world history.

The book begins with the hunter-gathers of the old stone age and ends by discussing the contemporary Western world since 1973.

Don’t forget to add these history books for kids to your collection. Your kids will pour over them for years to come!