12 Ancient Civilizations Picture Books for Inquisitive 6th Graders

History has been taught through story telling all throughout history.

While lecturing is not the most effective form of teaching, story telling definitely can be powerful.  

One of the best ways to share stories with students is through picture books - yes, even for 6th graders.
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You may remember reading my blog post about My Favorite Picture Books for Teaching Ancient History where I talk about using two particular picture books.

If you're not sure how to manage read alouds with your 6th graders, then be sure to check out that post.

At the request of a few readers, I've put together a list of other picture books that are sure to engage your students. 

Prehistory


The Secret Cave of Lascaux by Emily Arnold McCully
Based on the true story of the discovery of the world's earliest evidence of art.


​Ancient Mesopotamia

You may remember Gilgamesh from my previous blog post.  But did you know it's the start of a trilogy?

Trilogy by Ludmila Zeman:
Gilgamesh the King
The Revenge of Ishtar
The Last Quest of Gilgamesh


Ancient Egypt


​Ancient Israel

The True Story of Noah's Ark by Tom Dooley

This is a non-fiction book, and is all biblically and historically based.


Ancient India


​Thangam of Mehrgarh by Geeta Dharmarajan is a great story that can help students make connections and relate to someone their own age who lived thousands of years ago!


​Ancient China






Ming's Adventure with Confucius in Qufu: A Story in English and Chinese by Jian Li

This author has a beautiful series of books that brings the past to the present and full of culture.


​Ancient Greece



Young Zeus by Brian Karas is a great read even if you already know a lot about mythology.
Once again, making stories relatable with the complications of family.


​Ancient Rome




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Teaching with Textbooks | Teach Like Midgley

I’m Hillary Midgley, and I help 6th-grade teachers reclaim their weekends by providing a 7-part framework for Ancient History that actually works. New here? Start with the Roadmap.
*Teach Like Midgley contains affiliate links with Amazon. An affiliate link simply means that if you click through and purchase (costs you nothing extra) Midgley gets a few pennies too. If you appreciate the information provided here, shopping through these links are a great way to help keep us creating and sharing.