My Favorite Books to Supplement Story of the World Vol. 2 (Lessons 1-20)
Introduction: If you’ve been teaching Story of the World Vol. 2 for any length of time, you've likely realized how difficult it can be to find supplemental books that are actually worth the read. As a teacher and a homeschool dad, I’m picky about what my kids read—I want stories that have narrative weight and historical accuracy, not just over-simplified summaries.
Unfortunately, many of the great "living books" recommended in the SOTW activity guide are now out of print or simply aren't carried by local libraries anymore. I spent the better part of this term hunting for resources that actually added something to the lesson. In fact, the struggle to find high-quality, accessible historical fiction is exactly what inspired me to write my own book series, The Stanham Chronicles. I wanted to create something for parents that bridges the gap between dry "fact-books" and those out-of-print gems we all wish were easier to find.
While I continue work on that series, I've put together a list of the resources we used to make these first ten lessons stick. These are the books I’d recommend to your family.
The "Anchor" Supplements: Books We Used All Year
Book: Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Haaren and A. B. Poland This is a book I used for the entire school year. It teaches history from the perspective of the leaders and great (or sometimes terrible) men who shaped history. It’s an excellent way to expand on things taught in SOTW, often covering details that the main text misses. It’s a low-commitment supplement—it only adds about 5–15 minutes of reading per week—but the value it adds to a child’s understanding of historical figures is immense. Highly recommended.
The Alternative: The Middle Ages for Kids through the lives of kings, heroes, and saints by Catherine Fet. If you can’t find a copy of Famous Men, this is a solid alternative. I used the first version of this series for SOTW 1; however, I personally prefer the Haaren and Poland book for the Middle Ages.
Book: Favorite Medieval Tales by Mary Pope Osborne We kept this one on the table all year. It’s a great collection for covering the "big" stories that define the Middle Ages—think Beowulf, King Arthur, and Robin Hood. Because it’s broken into distinct stories, it’s easy to pull out whenever the curriculum touches on these legendary figures. It provides that literary "flavor" that helps kids connect with the culture of the time.
Book: Great Explorers: The Golden Age of Discovery in Maps and Pictures by Neil Grant This is another anchor book that stayed on our shelf throughout the year. We used it more sporadically, dipping into it whenever we hit a major figure like Leif Erikson and the Vikings in these early chapters. It’s particularly useful because of the visual nature of the book—it uses maps and pictures to ground the movements of these explorers in a way that’s very accessible for elementary kids. You'll find yourself reaching for this one even more as you hit the "Age of Discovery" in the latter half of SOTW 2.
Books by Lesson
Chapter 2: The Early Days of Britain
Book: Celtic Tales: Fairy Tales and Stories of Enchantment from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Wales I actually managed to find this one at my local library! We used it for the geography and early culture section of Britain. We didn't read the entire book, but it contains some beautiful stories that help capture the culture and folklore of the British Isles. If you want to give your kids a feel for the legends that shaped the people, this is a great pick-up.
Chapter 3: Christianity Comes to Britain
Book: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Michael Morpurgo This is a fantastic book. Both the artwork and the storytelling are top-notch. It worked perfectly as a read-aloud for my early elementary kids during our study of the Saxons and the legends of the era.
Note on King Arthur: Since Chapter 3 covers the real historical period when a figure like Arthur may have lived during the spread of Christianity, we started our Arthurian reading here. However, I chose to spread these stories out between Chapter 3 and Chapter 17. Chapter 3 focuses on the historical roots, while Chapter 17 is better for discussing the knights and chivalry that eventually shaped the legends.
Chapter 7: Islam Becomes an Empire
Books: The Sinbad Trilogy by Ludmila Zeman
Sindbad: From the Tales of the Thousand and One Nights
Sindbad's Secret
Sindbad in the Land of Giants If you used Zeman’s Gilgamesh trilogy during SOTW Level 1, you already know the level of quality to expect here. These are high-quality retellings with incredible, immersive artwork. They capture the spirit of the Golden Age of Islam perfectly and were a huge hit for our read-aloud time.
Chapter 8: The Great Dynasties of China
Book: The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History by John S. Major This is a short picture book that follows the journey of a traveler along the Silk Road from China all the way to Constantinople. It includes maps that help kids visualize the sheer distance of the trade route. It’s a great overview that helps connect the "East" and "West" chapters of SOTW in a way that feels like one big, unfolding world.
Chapter 14: The Arrival of the Norsemen
Book: Leif the Lucky by Ingri & Edgar Parin d'Aulaire This is a classic picture book that is perfect for a young elementary read-along. The d'Aulaires have a way of making historical figures feel heroic and approachable at the same time.
Book: Viking (DK Eyewitness Books) This one is almost certainly at your local library. It’s a great resource to have on hand for a visual overview of Viking culture, from their ships to their daily life.
Book: Nordic Tales Similar to Celtic Tales, this is another library staple. It’s a collection of folklore that gives kids a better sense of the Norse worldview and the stories those sailors would have told.
Chapter 17: Knights and Samurai
Book: Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges A great picture book and story for young elementary students. The illustrations are beautiful and it has a similar high-quality feel to Michael Morpurgo's books.
Book: Knight (DK Eyewitness Books) Just like the Viking book, this is a staple that you can easily find at the local library. It’s perfect for kids who want to see the "real" gear, armor, and castles.
Book: King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green This is a longer chapter book that is best used as a read-aloud. As mentioned back in Chapter 3, this is where the legends of chivalry and knights really come into play. It’s the definitive version for this age group.
Chapter 19: A New Kind of King
Book: The Duke and the Peasant: Life in the Middle Ages by Sister Wendy Beckett This book provides a closer look at the social structures of the time—specifically the relationship between the ruling class and the peasantry. It’s a helpful way to ground the political changes discussed in this chapter in the reality of daily life for people across the social spectrum.
Bridging the Gaps: The Stanham Chronicles
Book: The Stanham Chronicles by Kyle Greenville As I mentioned in the introduction, my search for books that combined narrative weight with historical accuracy for the early Middle Ages is what drove me to write this series. The Stanham Chronicles is set in Anglo-Saxon England, making it a perfect supplement for the material covered in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 of Story of the World.
While SOTW gives a great overview of the move from Celtic Britain to the arrival of the Saxons, I wanted a story that let kids truly live in that world—the shields, the high-adventure, and the culture of the period. If your kids enjoyed the legends of King Arthur or the grit of the later Viking chapters, they will find a lot to love in this series.
Where to Find These Books
Since many of the best supplemental books aren't always on library shelves, I’ve had to get creative with how I source them. I’ve found that ThriftBooks is one of the best resources for tracking down these titles. While they are a major reseller on Amazon, they also have their own website. I’ve found that ordering directly through their site often saves quite a bit on shipping costs, which is a big deal when you're building a home library for the whole school year.
