Laugh as You Learn: 6 Series That Make History Fun(ny) for Kids
by Kathryn Haydon
History and humor are a dynamic combination. Delivering factual information with a dose of fun can help kids can make fresh connections with the past. For my Sparkitivity students, I’m always collecting books like these that can support their interests or help foster new ones. All of the recommendations below have humor mixed in with illustrations and storytelling — and some are flat out hilarious. For a topic that many of us remember as dry in school, they take unique approaches to history that are anything but boring. Plus, all of these series are kid-approved!
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American History Collection
Available from:Newbery Honor-winning Jean Fritz’s book titles alone suggest something wonderful inside. Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?; What’s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?; Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?; And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?; and Who’s That Stepping on Plymouth Rock? are just some of books that appeal to grade-schoolers as read-alouds or independent reads. Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? portrays the King of England prior to the American Revolution as a parent trying to keep the Colonies under control. The story shows his logic in taxing the colonists and compares their response to unruly children, providing an apt metaphor to explain the firm actions that he then took to try to impose England’s will. With entertaining illustrations on each page, Fritz frames history with personal stories — replete with humor — that endear kids to important characters and events in our country’s heritage.
For older readers: Without losing the lightness of her writing, Fritz also writes chapter books for the middle grade set. Some of her more advanced books include: Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt!; You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton?; and Harriet Beecher Stowe and the Beecher Preachers. Middle graders should also check out Homesick: My Own Story, a chapter book about Fritz’s own childhood experience living in China during the first Chinese Civil War.
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Chester the Crab’s Comix with Content Series
Chester the Crab is the narrator and tour guide in more than 27 comic-style books that cover topics from ancient history to early America, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, Westward expansion, and World Wars I and II. The beginning of each chapter sets the stage and asks a probing question to launch you into the content. The first pages of Lewis and Clark and the Transportation for a New Nation ask, “Who purchased Louisiana land?” and “What did Lewis and Clark pack?” What imaginative, fresh entry points into history! Using clever drawings and thought bubbles, Boyd imagines the narrative surrounding each event with historical accuracy and humor. Kids eat these up, and they are popular with creative teachers as well.
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History News Series
The Roman News, The Aztec News, The Greek News, The Egyptian News, Revolution News, and Explorers News are written as present-tense newspaper articles with vivid illustrations on each page. As they read, kids are transported into the time period. They’ll feel like they are wandering around in The Great Temple of Tenochtitlán or personally meeting a Roman gladiator. Since events are delivered as small soundbites in a newspaper format, kid readers might even be inspired to write and compile a History News of their own!
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The Adventures of Asterix Series
Originally written in French, the Asterix books have been translated into more than 100 languages! There are 36 books in this comical series about Asterix, Obelix, and their village of ancient Gauls who are all trying to resist Roman takeover. Though the protagonists have a magic potion to make them invincible, the Romans are persistent and keep coming back for more even after several (inevitable) visits to the hospital. There’s so much satire and depth to this series that word has it parents sneak them from their kids at night.
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Kid Legends Series
Along with Kid Athletes and Kid Artists, Kid Presidents gives a human side to the leaders of the free world, and a childhood focus to which kids can immediately relate. Readers will realize that famous figures (including presidents!) were kids once, too, and that being a kid means getting into mischief, no matter who you become in life. Colorful cartoon drawings support the stories that David Stabler has dug up on presidents from George Washington to Barack Obama. Young troublemakers (and their parents) will take comfort that Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton got D’s in school for personal conduct, but still went on to be leaders of the free world.
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Getting to Know Series
This list would not be complete without Mike Venezia. You have likely read at least one book from his four series: Getting to Know: The World’s Greatest Artists (37 books), The World’s Greatest Composers (14 books), The World’s Greatest Inventors and Scientists (16 books), and The U.S. Presidents (43 books).
Similar to Jean Fritz, Venezia’s writing style is casual and humorous, personalizing the life stories of famous people in a variety of industries. In Diego Rivera, Venezia includes a mix of written narrative about the Mexican artist, historic photos of Rivera, reproductions of his paintings, and comics depicting events in his life, like when he used to draw on the walls of his family home as a young boy. With this series, Venezia helps kids relate to well-known eminent creators and statesmen.
Many kids love these series so much that they will read as many books as they can get their hands on, no matter the topic. But the great thing about having such a wide array of titles and time periods is that if you can pinpoint your children’s particular interests, you can present them with curated history reads that will leave them laughing and wanting more.