The Anglo Saxons & Vikings
We have found a good selection of books and other resources which we feel will help ground some of the key issues surrounding the subject of the Anglo Saxons & Vikings.
Recommended Books About The Anglo Saxons
Anglo Saxons (Explore) by Jane Bingham
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This book uses the experiences of a child to bring out the themes of Anglo-Saxon culture. Also has great links and cross-curricular suggestions.
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The Anglo Saxon British Museum Activity Book
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An activity book rather than a reading book. Anglo Saxon life is explored through puzzles, games and drawings. A useful resource.
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Anglo Saxon Britain – Found by Moira Butterfield
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Traces Anglo-Saxon life through some of their artefacts. taking the route of an archaeologist and asks - what was this used for, what does this tell us?
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Anglo Saxon Britain – Kings & Warriors by Moira Butterfield
An appealingly graphic, young, colourful approach, with one large image per spread plus fact and feature boxes, timelines, places to visit and further resources.
Saxon Tales
by Terry Deary
A set of three books by Horrible Histories author Terry Deary – ‘The King who Threw Away his Throne’, ‘The Lord who Lost his Head’ and ‘The Witch who faced the Fire’.
Smashing Saxons
by Terry Deary
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Also from the author behind much of the Horrible Histories material comes Smashing Saxons! Lots of the gory details that children love and is bound to be a hit with young reader.
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Life in Anglo Saxon Britain (A Child’s History of Britain) by Anita Ganeri
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A great book which like some others, takes children as the lens through which life in the past can be explored. Shows children how different life was in an Anglo-Saxon home.
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Alfred the Great and the Anglo Saxons by History Starting Points
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Of course a book about Alfred should feature the Alfred Jewel on its cover and of course you want to know why was he called ‘The Great’? This book tells you in a fun and informative style.
You Wouldn’t Want to be an Anglo-Saxon Peasant! by Jacqueline Morley
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The author uses the life of a seventh-century farmer’s son to provide us with a great resource to support children learning about Anglo Saxons. Should be in your school library.
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Warrior King: A story of King Alfred and his daughter by Sue Perkiss
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An interesting and informative account of the role and impact not only of Alfred but also his daughter Æthelflæd (sometimes called Fleda). She proved to be an important person in her own right after her father’s death
Recommended Books About The Vikings
Viking Boy
by Tony Bradman
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The son of a chieftain, Gunnar, has sworn to avenge his father’s murder! In this exciting story Gunnar undertakes this quest which takes him on a long and dangerous journey. On the way he fights flying wolves and the Wolf Men.
You will want to know more!
Ragnar: the legend of the hairy trousers by Tony Bradman
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Also by Tony Bradman is this easy to read story of a young Viking boy called Ragnar. He has the burden of a famous father who’s reputation he tries to live up to. Not an easy thing to do! Then there’s the question of his nickname…
Vikings Study Book KS2 Discover and Learn by CGP
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This is an easy to read reference book with a wealth of illustrations, explanations, and timelines that help to explain to children the Vikings!
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Who Were the Vikings? by Jane Chisholm
A popular book with very good rating (4.7/5) It challenges many of the pre-conceptions readers might have about the Vikings including those helmets!
How to be a Viking by Cressida Cowell
A good book for Year 3 children this a fun way to learn about Vikings and their culture. Written by the author of ‘How to train your Dragon’ the style will be familiar to readers young and old!
Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki by Kevin Crossley-Holland and Jeffrey Alan Love
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Characters made even more popular in the Marvel Universe loom large in this interpretation of the Scandinavian myths and the world of giants, heroes and monsters.
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The Vicious Vikings (Horrible Histories) by Terry Deary
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The hugely popular Horrible Histories take on the Vikings! As you might expect is both informative and funny, rude and of course thoroughly enjoyable.
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The Last Viking
by Terry Deary
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An easy to read, dyslexia-friendly tale of the Viking invasion. Emma and her friends have to find a way to escape the clutches of warriors who are intent on making them slaves. Faced-paced and full of danger!
Viking: A history for kids
by DinoBibi
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One of the few books that also includes archaeology and the impact that the Vikings have on the world of today.
The Dragon’s Hoard: Stories from the Viking Sagas
by Lari Don
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Not for everyone, this provides youngsters with an introduction to the Viking Sagas. Of course, these are stories which include violence, fights, death etc, so perhaps not for the younger reader.
The Viking Invader (Newspaper Histories) by Fergus Fleming
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The popular series takes on the Vikings! Set in a ‘newspaper’ style (but we wonder how many children today read newspapers…) with articles about the Vikings. Both very funny and informative.
Norse Mythology
by Neil Gaiman
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Probably the most well-known and read book on Norse mythology for both adults and children. True to the ancient myths, Neil Gaiman retells the well-known stories of Norse gods and a host of characters.
Odd and the Frost Giants
by Neil Gaiman
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Also by Neil Gaiman is this fictional take on Vikings. The tropes of the ‘unlikely hero’ and ‘the quest’ are employed to good effect by the author. A good read!
The Saga of Eric the Viking by Terry Jones
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A long loved book Terry Jones tells us of the exciting story of Erik and his co-warriors as they sail to new adventures in their longship.
You Wouldn’t Want to be a Viking Explorer!
by Andrew Langley
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Full of danger and adventure with plenty of illustrations and facts to provoke questions and further understanding
Vikings in 30 Seconds
by Phillip Steele
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A popular and highly rated book. With five main topics the information is presented in a clear and concise way that is easy to absorb. Very informative and ideal for higher KS2 children (and teachers!).
The Littlest Viking
by Sandi Toksvig
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The host of QI gives us a QI book, in that it is one of the few ‘Viking’ stories that has a female lead. Amber, the littlest Viking of the title, sets out on a great adventure, and the rest is as they say herstory!