The books listed below may be available through publishers, distributors such as bookstores or online retailers, or library systems.

Independent Reading

EASY
Exploration into Africa
by Isimeme Ibazebo. New Discovery Books, 1994
African history from the Stone Age to the present.
The Greeks (The Ancient World series)
by Pamela Odijk. Silver Burdett Press, 1989
Social history of ancient Greece, including technology, food, clothing, art, and architecture.
The Japanese (Look into the Past series)
by Clare Doran. Thomson Learning, 1995
Heavily illustrated social history of Japan at about A.D. 1600.
The Romans (Look into the Past series)
by Peter Hicks. Thomson Learning, 1993
History and culture of ancient Rome; heavily illustrated.
Sky Legends of Vietnam
by Lynette Dyer Vuong. Harper Collins, 1993
Six charming legends about the moon, sun, and stars.
AVERAGE
The Arabs in the Golden Age
by Mokhtar Moktefi. The Millbrook Press, 1992
Social history of Arabs and Islam from the 8th century to the 13th.
Food and Feasts in Ancient Rome
by Philip Steele. MacMillan Publishing, 1994
Social history of ancient Rome, centered around the foods eaten.
A Greek Temple
by Fiona MacDonald. Peter Bedrick Books, 1992
Heavily illustrated social history centered around the building of the Parthenon.
The Greek World
by Anton Powell. Warwick Press, 1987
A survey of ancient Greek history.
In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World
by Virginia Hamilton. Harcourt Brace, 1988
Creation stories of several African, Native American, and Pacific islander groups, and of Babylonians, Chinese, Icelanders, a Russian ethnic group, Australian aborigines, Egyptians, Minyong people of India, Greeks, and ancient Israelites.
A Roman Villa
by Jacqueline Morley. Peter Bedrick Books, 1992
Life in a Roman villa in the 1st century A.D.
The Secrets of Vesuvius
by Sara Bisel. Scholastic, Inc., 1990
Life in a town destroyed by Vesuvius is reconstructed by an anthropologist.
CHALLENGING
Ancient Greece
by Don Nardo. Lucent Books, 1994
The history of Greece from the rise of the city-states to the decline of the civilization.
Empires Ascendant: TimeFrame 400 B.C. - A.D. 200
by Time-Life Books, 1987
One of the TimeFrame series. This volume deals with Greece and Rome, Parthia and India, and China.
Everyday Life in Byzantium
by Tamora Talbot Rice. Dorset Press, 1967
Byzantine life, including the roles of the imperial court and of the Church as well as the lives of soldiers, merchants, and others.
A Soaring Spirit: TimeFrame 600-400 B.C.
by Time-Life Books, 1987
This volume discusses what was happening in Greece, India, China, the Roman Empire, and Persian Empire at about the same time.

Read Aloud and Reference

READ ALOUD BOOKS
Greek Myths
by Geraldine McCaughrean. Margaret K. McElderry, 1992
Very readable retelling of some of the best-known Greek myths.
The Samurai's Daughter
by Robert D. San Souci. Dial, 1992
A young girl who travels alone to join her banished father ends up rescuing him.
The Wise Old Woman
by Yoshiko Uchida. Margaret K. McElderry, 1994
A young farmer cannot bring himself to obey a cruel lord's decree that anyone over 70 must be left to die in the mountains, so he hides his mother in a secret room. She later saves the village (and the lord) with her wisdom.
REFERENCE BOOKS
An Invitation to the Arts of China and Japan
by Janet Gaylord Moore. William Collins, 1979
This book shows some of the sculpture, painting, ceramics, and architecture of China and Japan.
The Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World
by Charlotte Evans. Kingfisher, 1992
Heavily illustrated and arranged chronologically by period, this huge book covers events, inventions, social history, and more at various places around the world.
The Roman Empire and the Dark Ages
by Giovanni Caselli. Peter Bedrick Books, 1985
Discusses technology (tools, weapons, household objects, farming implements), clothing, and architecture. Based partly in Britain. Includes Byzantium and Arabs in Europe in A.D. 800.