Britannia: 100 Great Stories From British History

Geraldine McCaughrean, illustrated by Richard Brassey

Editions

Review

This handsomely produced hardback volume is a treat.  Well-known stories from the Romans to the present (Live Aid) are retold in 2 or 3 pages in good, vivid prose, with the emphasis on the story rather than the historical accuracy.  Then there is a column of about 120 words at the end giving the historical context. So you can enjoy reading about Alfred and the Cakes, then learn something about the background of this legendary episode.

I do not know of any book in recent years which presents English history to children so well.  It is traditional without being jingoist, sensible but entertaining, literate, and it does not patronize nor try to foist an interpretation of the past on readers.  It allows them, unselfconsciously, to enjoy the stories - Godiva, Thomas à Beckett, Dick Whittington, The Great Fire, Stephenson’s Rocket, Grace Darling, Votes for Women, Dunkirk...  Smashing! - review by Johnny de Falbe