The United Kingdom: Books and Links

books:
  • The Loathsome Dragon, David Wiesner and Kim Kahng; "A lovely princess, a brave prince, a wicked stepmother, evil enchantments, magic rowan wood, and an immense, scaly dragon. . . . Favorite fairy-tale elements sparkle in The Loathsome Dragon, a traditional English tale." (from Amazon description)
  • This is London, Miroslav Sasek
  • A Walk in London, Salatore Rubbino
  • Katie in London, James Mayhew
  • B is for Big Ben: An England Alphabet, Pamela Edwards
  • The Queen's Progress, Celeste Davidson Mannis
  • The Works of Shakespeare by Bruce Coville such as Romeo and Juliet. Coville uses Shakespeare's own words as much as possible and they are illustrated beautifully.
  • Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare or Nesbit's Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare
  • Shakespeare's plays and poems
  • A Proud Taste of Scarlet and Miniver, E. L. Konigsburg, age 10 and up; "Eleanor of Acquitaine has been waiting in Heaven for a long time to be reunited with her second husband, Henry II of England. Finally, the day has come when Henry will be judged for admission--and while Eleanor waits, three people close to her during various times of her life join her, helping to distract her and providing a rich portrait of a remarkable woman in history." -Amazon description
  • Adam of the Road, Elizabeth Gray, age 9-12
  • Black Horses for the King, Anne McCaffrey; Reading Level: 4th grade and up. One of our favorites. Set in fifth century Britain, this story is about a Celtic lad in service to King Arthur on a quest in search of horses strong enough to carry his armored warriors into battle against the savage Saxons.
  • Catherine Called Birdy, Karen Cushman; grades 6-9; This is the diary of a 13th century English girl and records the daily events in her small manor house. Much of it is about avoiding the various suitors her father chooses for her to marry. It includes a feast of details about medieval England.
  • The Door in the Wall, Marguerite DeAngel; Set in fourteenth century England, this story is of a boy who has lost the use of his legs and learns his own strength when he saves the castle and discovers there is more than one way to serve his king. Although written about a fourth grade level, I think it is a good read-aloud for younger children.
  • The Adventures of Robin Hood, Howard Pyle; Howard Pyle was the first modern writer to collect all the Robin Hood ballads that had come down from the medieval era and structure them as stories. Every version of Robin Hood since Pyle's time has drawn on this book as a major source. This is for middle school aged students,or a read-aloud for younger students.
  • The Sword in the Tree, Clyde Bulla; His story is filled with the pageantry and color of England in King Arthur's time. It creates a vivid picture of the Knights of the Round Table and the wisdom of King Arthur himself. The book says it is a 9-12 year reading level, but I think it is more like a 7-year old reading level.
  • The Art and Industry of Sandcastles, Jan Adkins
  • Chess is Child's Play, Teaching Techniques That WorkLaura Sherman
  • The Little Duke, which is about Richard, Duke of Normandy, great-grandfather of William the Conqueror.
  • King Alfred's Cakes from The Adventures from The Book of Virture: Courage
  • William of Malmesbury's account of the Battle of Hastings


Wales
books:
  • The Mightiest Heart, Lynn Cullen; "The mightiest heart can come in the humblest vessel." Exquisitely illustrated tale, based on the legend of Llywelyn, a thirteenth-century Welsh prince, and his loyal hound, Gelert. This is a popular story in Wales, where a monument to Gelert still stands.

Northern Ireland (and Ireland)
books:
  • The Life of Saint Patrick, Quentin Reynolds
  • Nory Ryan's Song, Patricia Reilly Giff

Scotland
books:
  • The Story of Scotland and Nessie the Loch Ness Monster, both by Richard Brassey
  • B is for Bagpipes: A Scotland Alphabet (Discover the World), Eve Begley Kiehm 
  • This Is Edinburgh, Miroslav Sasek 
  • The Story of Scotland's Flag and the Lion and Thistle (Corbies), David Ross

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