Greek Hero

The fourth in an increasingly popular, ‘Fly on the Wall’ series; Greek Hero adds to Roman Fort, Pharaoh’s Egypt and Viking Longship in the list of well-researched and highly accessible history books by this husband and wife team. Dr Thorsten Opper, from the British Museum, is the historical consultant. Mick and Brita both illustrate and provide text. The illustrations are lively, cheerful and bright with scribbled notes on and around them, to provide further information. We learn about the Greeks through colourful fictional characters including Agathon, a warrior, Ariston, a storyteller, and Ambrosia, a bride-to-be.

The sketchbook format, including illustrations overlaid with torn paper post-it notes, has an energy and warmth which really brings history to life and will truly engage key stage 2 aged children. Each spread looks at a different aspect of life in ancient Greece; Schools Days, Greek Women, the Market Place, Sparta and Olympia. The overall informal format works well, whilst across the bottom of each page, a more formal series of printed bullet points, adding a historical context, together with a final glossary and index, are equally informative.