Viking Voyagers

A striking design and its square, large format helps this book stand out on the bookshelf. The muted, limited colours are interesting. I know these appeal to adults but I wonder if they appeal to children in the same way? The design has tones of a slightly more grown up appeal as it is stylised in the form of many books at the moment – almost folk art style. However, what is actually drawn is not flowery in any way and when you inspect closely you see Viking symbols and clues to what the book is about.

The book is one that is perfect for picking up and putting down and picking up and dipping in to again. It has multiple ways of working with flap down parts, big pull out sections to keep you on your reading toes.

The author worked very closely with an expert from the Jorvick Viking Centre so it is a very well researched book with much to extend thinking about the Vikings. It’s not just a headline grabbing plunder and scary figure heads book. It gives the oft missed side that Vikings often settled in England and that they lived in a really interesting culture with their own gods and systems like the other ‘peoples’ primary school children learn about in schools.

It would certainly be a great book for any school studying the Vikings and a great history book for keen historians even if they weren’t – a super information book.