My husband and I had a wonderful trip to Italy this past fall. We were able to see Florence, Rome, Pisa, and Venice! Although we didn’t bring our 3 children along on this trip, we did want them to understand where we were going and why we were excited for the trip!
Whether you’re prepping for the trip of a lifetime, covering the country of Italy as a homeschool unit, or just have globally minded children… this list of resources is for you! Well, for the kids that you are helping to entertain and educate.
Some of these will be geared towards younger kids and others for older. Some are memorable fictional tales and others are non-fiction and filled with facts and history. My kids also range in age from 3-9, so I have something that will fit lots of different reading/interest levels on this list.
1. Madeline and the Cats of Rome
Let’s start things off with this classic story by Ludwig Bemelmans. Who doesn’t love the mischief and strength of Madeline? This adventure leads them to… you guessed it, Rome! My six year old especially likes this book right now (and all of the other tales about Madeline, too).
I love the bright style of illustrations and the story itself is interesting, too. It’s a great way to include the culture of cats that “roam” the capital city of Rome (see what I did there?).
I’ve included screen shots for all of the books from my library app – author and summary included – to help make it easy to track them down if you are interested (I LOVE YOU, JOHNSON COUNTY LIBRARY APP!).
2. Live Like a Roman
Speaking of great illustrations, I LOVED this book. To be honest, I may have enjoyed it even more than my kids- and they also liked it! It’s just such an incredible visual guide to what life was like in the heyday of Ancient Rome.
I even saw this book for sale in multiple gift shops while in Italy, including the Colosseum. I was happy to see that we’d been reading a book approved by the city itself!
3. Strega Nona
The love my son has for this book is deep and real. We may even prefer the Christmas version, but that is information for another day. The language in this book just rolls off your tongue and it’s so much fun to read aloud.
This story is about Strega Nona, or “Grandma Witch”, and the ways she helps her town with her magic. Strega Nona’s magic pot made me want to go back to Rome and eat more homemade pasta.
4. Where is the Colosseum?
This series is a familiar one to most kids, and for good reason. Teachers and kids alike are drawn to these books– in particular for book reports or other projects for school. I think advanced 1st graders-4th graders would get the most out of this book, although people of any age could benefit!
On a personal level, I read through this book before our trip (which included touring the Colosseum) and was very glad I did! I didn’t have tons of time and this book from my son’s nightstand was quick and easy to thumb through! Who has time for sifting through massive historical works these days?
5. Katie and the Mona Lisa
The Katie books by James Mayhew are always a favorite of mine. She’s just so spunky and curious it’s hard NOT to follow her around museums… and wherever else they may lead her. We used this series in the Montessori preschool to teach kids about different types of art, and they loved them.
To gain some entry-level knowledge of world-famous Italian Renaissance artwork, you can read your kids Katie and the Mona Lisa. You can look forward to a whirlwind of a trip with Da Vinci, Raphael, and more of the masters!
6. Warriors in Winter – Magic Tree House #31
Okay I haven’t read either of the Italian-themed Magic Tree House books on this list. BUT my oldest son has read each of them, and thoroughly enjoyed them (along with all bajillion other books in that series). I really think one of the best ways to learn about a time period in history is to attach it to a fantastic story with memorable characters. What better way to bring Ancient Rome to life for your child??
7. Vacation Under the Volcano – Magic Tree House # 13
Similar to the previous book, Mary Pope Osbourne takes us on another adventure in time. This time instead of Ancient Roman soldiers to contend with, the duo is in Pompeii for the explosion of Mount Vesuvius!
8. An Ancient Roman Adventure- Reading Bug Adventures Podcast
The last two items on this list are children’s podcast episodes. I had to include them because they are incredibly engaging & full of great historical information! They are both (obviously) from the Reading Bug Adventures podcast, and this first one is specifically called An Ancient Roman Adventure.
This fictionalized adventure through history highlights specific Roman gods and goddesses as well as gladiators fighting in the Colosseum. I don’t want to give away the ending, but there is some excitement that is especially explosive and involves lava… if you catch my drift.
My children (especially the 6 and 9 year olds) have listened to this particular adventure countless times!
Listen HERE via apple podcasts, or follow this link to see all of the children’s books (none of which are on this list) that inspired this Ancient Roman Adventure!
9. Venetian Adventure – Reading Bug Adventures Podcast
Last but not least, Reading Bug Adventures offers a second episode about Italy for children to listen to: A Venetian Adventure. Grab your nearest gondola oar and get ready to paddle through Venice!
Listen HERE via apple podcasts, or HERE through Spotify.
That’s it!
What other resources for kids would you add to this list? Are your kids interested in Italy?
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Don’t miss our posts related to this topic, too:
Highlights of Florence in 1 Day
