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Dig!: Uncover the Secrets of the Past with Archaeology
Uncover the secrets of the past with the latest archaeological knowhow in Dig!, a scientific journey through millions of years of human history.
Do you have a favorite history fact? Maybe you know that the ancient Romans had central heating, or that humans once shared this planet with giant sloths. But have you ever wondered how we know all that? The answer is archaeology!
The ancient past may seem like it's frozen in time, but in fact it never stops changing, thanks to archaeology. In Dig! , you'll join archaeologists on excavations, marvel at the most incredible archaeological finds, and even witness the world as it was hundreds, thousands, and millions of years ago. Real-life archaeologist Ruth Hatfield is your expert guide to the wonders of this amazing science, peeling back the layers with bitesize, clear, and simple text. Illustrator Sophia Watts brings the past to life in buzzing, detail-rich scenes and spotlight artifacts.
As you dig up the history beneath your feet, here are just some of the finds you'll come face-to-face
Our earliest ancestor in EthiopiaThe Vikings' softer sideHundred-thousand-year-old head liceThe afterlife army of China's first emperorA Greek palace buried 3,000 years ago by a volcanic eruptionThe "living" archaeology of rapidly changing places... and all the techniques archaeologists use to investigate, from cutting-edge technology to the simple power of observation!
When you're finished digging up the past, turn to the back of the book for a complete timeline of your discoveries, as well as tips on how to start doing archaeology from your own back yard.
Dig! is packed with the newest and most fascinating facts from the world of archaeology, and is perfect for any budding historian 6–8 years old, as a STEM-focused introduction to a future career—or simply as an invitation to go outside, get some dirt under their fingernails, and see what they dig up!
Do you have a favorite history fact? Maybe you know that the ancient Romans had central heating, or that humans once shared this planet with giant sloths. But have you ever wondered how we know all that? The answer is archaeology!
The ancient past may seem like it's frozen in time, but in fact it never stops changing, thanks to archaeology. In Dig! , you'll join archaeologists on excavations, marvel at the most incredible archaeological finds, and even witness the world as it was hundreds, thousands, and millions of years ago. Real-life archaeologist Ruth Hatfield is your expert guide to the wonders of this amazing science, peeling back the layers with bitesize, clear, and simple text. Illustrator Sophia Watts brings the past to life in buzzing, detail-rich scenes and spotlight artifacts.
As you dig up the history beneath your feet, here are just some of the finds you'll come face-to-face
Our earliest ancestor in EthiopiaThe Vikings' softer sideHundred-thousand-year-old head liceThe afterlife army of China's first emperorA Greek palace buried 3,000 years ago by a volcanic eruptionThe "living" archaeology of rapidly changing places... and all the techniques archaeologists use to investigate, from cutting-edge technology to the simple power of observation!
When you're finished digging up the past, turn to the back of the book for a complete timeline of your discoveries, as well as tips on how to start doing archaeology from your own back yard.
Dig! is packed with the newest and most fascinating facts from the world of archaeology, and is perfect for any budding historian 6–8 years old, as a STEM-focused introduction to a future career—or simply as an invitation to go outside, get some dirt under their fingernails, and see what they dig up!
80 pages, Hardcover
Published August 5, 2025
1 person want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 13, 2025
Great informational book about the archeology periods of time across the world
August 22, 2025
4.25 stars
December 9, 2025
Dig is a brilliantly detailed and throughly researched journey through the world of archaeology and covers such everything you could possibly want to know on the subject. From Palaeolithic, to the Neolithic, from Ancient Egypt and Greece, to Korea and Japan and European Castles.
You'll learn about bones, tools used, finds that have been discovered and even how modern technology, such as laptops and smartphones are used in contemporary archaeology.
Add to that the wonderful illustrations add beautiful colours used throughout and the clear, easy to read text, and what you have is a comprehensive, eye catching book that will make a great addition to any children's bookcase.
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
You'll learn about bones, tools used, finds that have been discovered and even how modern technology, such as laptops and smartphones are used in contemporary archaeology.
Add to that the wonderful illustrations add beautiful colours used throughout and the clear, easy to read text, and what you have is a comprehensive, eye catching book that will make a great addition to any children's bookcase.
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
December 3, 2025
I read this with my 9 year old - not in order as apparently that is boring for him!
He picked out chapters and we learnt new facts over the last few days which he has been so excited to share at school.
The illustrations fit perfectly, the entire way through the book, it was like we were unwrapping facts as we turned the pages.
Our favourite section was Glass – my 9yo loves hunting for glass and pottery and now I think he wants to be an archaeologist!
It is a book he will continue to go back to, he said he wasn’t ready to do the review as he had so much more to look at! So I think that is a positive 😊
He picked out chapters and we learnt new facts over the last few days which he has been so excited to share at school.
The illustrations fit perfectly, the entire way through the book, it was like we were unwrapping facts as we turned the pages.
Our favourite section was Glass – my 9yo loves hunting for glass and pottery and now I think he wants to be an archaeologist!
It is a book he will continue to go back to, he said he wasn’t ready to do the review as he had so much more to look at! So I think that is a positive 😊
December 12, 2025
“You might not realise it, but the past is everywhere….”
“DIG! - Uncover the Secrets of the Past with Archaeology”, is a children’ book of epic proportions, both in size and in what it contains. As someone who’s always been fascinated by archaeology, this book truly ticked every box. It delves into all the different types, styles and periods within the subject, making it a brilliant pick for any young explorer with a curious mind.
With a golden treasure trove of sections, including -
‘The Bronze Age: Metal Changes the World’
‘Fantastic Finds: Metal’
‘Dig Up the Iron Age’
‘Early Islam and the Desert Castles’ and
‘Modern Archaeology: It Doesn’t Have To Be Old’
- together with an easy-to-understand picture timeline that clearly illustrates the periods explored in the book, you can’t help but feel the wonder of studying past humans and ancient civilisations. For budding young archaeologists, there are plenty of hints and tips on where to begin exploring, along with fascinating snippets of factual information, including which foods we can still eat today that taste exactly as they did to our ancestors thousands of years ago. (One of them is blackberries!) Just brilliant.
I look forward to sharing this book with my grandson when he’s a little older, but in the meantime I know I’ll be picking it up to dip into again and again myself. It feels like a beautifully embellished piece of history in its own right and I’m genuinely honoured to showcase it on my bookshelf. A huge congratulations to Ruth Hatfield and Sophia Watts for producing such a fantastic and brilliantly informative book!
#Dig! - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“DIG! - Uncover the Secrets of the Past with Archaeology”, is a children’ book of epic proportions, both in size and in what it contains. As someone who’s always been fascinated by archaeology, this book truly ticked every box. It delves into all the different types, styles and periods within the subject, making it a brilliant pick for any young explorer with a curious mind.
With a golden treasure trove of sections, including -
‘The Bronze Age: Metal Changes the World’
‘Fantastic Finds: Metal’
‘Dig Up the Iron Age’
‘Early Islam and the Desert Castles’ and
‘Modern Archaeology: It Doesn’t Have To Be Old’
- together with an easy-to-understand picture timeline that clearly illustrates the periods explored in the book, you can’t help but feel the wonder of studying past humans and ancient civilisations. For budding young archaeologists, there are plenty of hints and tips on where to begin exploring, along with fascinating snippets of factual information, including which foods we can still eat today that taste exactly as they did to our ancestors thousands of years ago. (One of them is blackberries!) Just brilliant.
I look forward to sharing this book with my grandson when he’s a little older, but in the meantime I know I’ll be picking it up to dip into again and again myself. It feels like a beautifully embellished piece of history in its own right and I’m genuinely honoured to showcase it on my bookshelf. A huge congratulations to Ruth Hatfield and Sophia Watts for producing such a fantastic and brilliantly informative book!
#Dig! - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 7, 2025
Blog Tour Review
The writing was light with a mix of word difficulty levels. I liked that in the corner of a couple of the pages there was a little box with an explanation of the trickier words. I enjoyed that the overall feeling of the book was that you were being directly spoken to, which made you feel more involved.
Generally the writing was in little paragraphs all over the page which made it more engaging and less overwhelming than some non fiction books can be. I did sometimes find that I had read things out of order, but it didn't matter too much. It was very much a dip in and out of book with a lovely timeline at the end to summarise what we had read about. I was quite happy to sit and read it for long periods of time.
The font used was clear and easy to read. It was black in colour and then had a different coloured background depending on which bit of the picture it was explaining.
Each page was beautifully illustrated with a scene spreading both pages from a specific period of time. There was just enough detail to give a clear indication of what you were looking at without being too overwhelming. It was nice to be able to take in little bits of the scene at a time. Parts of the illustration were then annotated with little paragraphs. Whilst the writing was all over the place, it was entertaining and explained part of the illustration well.
There was a good flow to the book. Each time period that we were looking at felt carefully picked and every so often there were nice archaeological tips to break it up. It all seemed to go well together, and as I said above, I appreciated the timeline at the end to summarise the book.
Overall it was a nice, accessible book that really promoted a love of archaeology.
The writing was light with a mix of word difficulty levels. I liked that in the corner of a couple of the pages there was a little box with an explanation of the trickier words. I enjoyed that the overall feeling of the book was that you were being directly spoken to, which made you feel more involved.
Generally the writing was in little paragraphs all over the page which made it more engaging and less overwhelming than some non fiction books can be. I did sometimes find that I had read things out of order, but it didn't matter too much. It was very much a dip in and out of book with a lovely timeline at the end to summarise what we had read about. I was quite happy to sit and read it for long periods of time.
The font used was clear and easy to read. It was black in colour and then had a different coloured background depending on which bit of the picture it was explaining.
Each page was beautifully illustrated with a scene spreading both pages from a specific period of time. There was just enough detail to give a clear indication of what you were looking at without being too overwhelming. It was nice to be able to take in little bits of the scene at a time. Parts of the illustration were then annotated with little paragraphs. Whilst the writing was all over the place, it was entertaining and explained part of the illustration well.
There was a good flow to the book. Each time period that we were looking at felt carefully picked and every so often there were nice archaeological tips to break it up. It all seemed to go well together, and as I said above, I appreciated the timeline at the end to summarise the book.
Overall it was a nice, accessible book that really promoted a love of archaeology.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews