Britannia: 100 Great Stories from British History by Geraldine McCaughrean
These are the stories of Britain's past that children in England, Scotland and Wales used to grow up on. Often discredited, in many cases virtually forgotten, they are nonetheless wonderful tales that will give present-day children a sense of the excitement of history. King Canute, Lady Godiva, Guy Fawkes, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Grace Darling and other famous names live again in these 100 tragic, comic, stirring tales of adventure, folly and wickedness. Spanning nearly three thousand years, and including stories as up-to-date as Live Aid and the Braer Oil Tanker disaster, each story includes a note on what really happened, and there is an index and a list of further reading. This is a unique book with a very wide appeal. It is not a history textbook, simply a collection of stories by a consummate children's writer who has retold in her own inimitable way 100 stories that children will enjoy. Richard Brassey's brilliant illustrations on every page bring the characters to life with wit, humour and fascinating period detail.