My First Fact File The Vikings: Everything you Need to Know

My First Fact File

by Philip Steele, Stef Murphy (Illustrator)

The Vikings were famous for being fierce warriors and expert sailors. But what else do you know about them?
 
This fascinating fact file gives readers aged 5 and up a first insight into the amazing lives of the Vikings. Find out about the mythology surrounding their gods and goddesses. Discover how Viking society worked, from the king at the top to slaves at the bottom. Learn about the ways in which Viking people had fun, including wrestling, tug-of-war and chess.
 
Packed with missions, projects and activities, My First Fact The Vikings gives you everything you need to know about this exciting era in our history.

Genres: Nonfiction

48 pages, Paperback

Published July 23, 2019

About the author

Philip Steele was born in Dorking, Surrey, England. He attended University College, Durham, where he studied modern languages. In the 1970s he worked as an editor for various publishers, including Hodder and Hamlyn. In 1980 he moved to the Isle of Anglesey, in North Wales, where he now lives. He has written on a wide range of topics, especially in the fields of history, junior biography, peoples, and cultures.

Reviews

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of all books in this amazing collection (Oceans, the weather, Ancient Rome) this was the topic I knew the least about. My first Fact File: Vikings is an excellent introduction into mythology, society structure, clothing, free time activities and other aspects of daily life of these fascinating people.
The book is informative and written in accessible, clear language, coupled with fun illustrations and engaging projects to do.
Definitely recommended for both school and home libraries.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ivy Kids for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Etienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book and collection are very well done. Short documentary for kids around 8-10 years old maybe. It's well explain, well organized, as good illustrations to help understand and even have some simple but really cool activities that kids can do at home. There is a couple of those on various subject, so I suggest you look them up and see if your children have an interest in some of their subject, if so, I would definitely recommend looking them up!

[Erika Sarutobi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I enjoyed the most about this fact file was that it didn't censor the violence that came with the Vikings nor did it feel sugar-coated but that doesn't mean it was described vividly, I mean this is still a children's book. What I'm trying to say is that they didn't color the Vikings as nice people ((I guess I'm mentioning this because of how they are portrayed in How to train your dragon)). Anyways, it was good to know about them and have this book as a cursor on where to start researching indepthly.

Out all the fact files, this one had the most activities. The quick facts provided interesting info too and I enjoyed the art in this one the most.

I've read each of these fact files before posting the reviews and since they're technically almost the same books, though just with different topics, my reviews may be similar to each other.

What I liked about these fact files was that they were short and to the point. The art is simple but childishly cute and it was nice that they covered the whole page. There are tips and also activities mentioned in some pages.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first taste and dip into this exciting series.
I have always loved the Vikings as a marauding force that scourged the then lands of the British Isles.
The Vikings got a bad name when I was learning my History. Mostly it was negative aspects of these fearsome warriors, perhaps a bit about their Gods and of course place names.
My First Fact File is aimed at young children and the boast of ‘Everything you need to know.’ Is not an empty one.
Of course the passage of time, the many years since I was a child further discoveries and modern museums have opened showing visitors how people used to live based on knowledge and archeological evidence.

So we need this type of study aid.
Apart from a quote from a Spanish music critic there is little 3rd party history quoted. However, it is teeming with information and is factually based.

I enjoyed the simple presentation and workbook style; it covers areas of study that brings an academic slant on the book. So it reads as a school project rather than a scrapbook.
I thought the practical tasks and activities were very appropriate, re-enforced the subject matter and were fun things to do related to this topic.
It has detailed illustrations which fill the pages without overwhelming the presentation. Adding to this, its clear text, a careful balance, so the story is told well in words and colourful drawings.

What I feel it lacks is a brief summary beyond the glossary - a further information bit, websites to follow up and exhibitions and centres where more can be seen and experienced.

This is the only reason I withheld a full set of stars.

I was most impressed by the use off a consultant, a Viking expert I guess, a great idea as the author can not know everything.

If this is an fair example of the standard in this series then along with this one; I warmly recommend them all to your kids and the children we seek to educate.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good primer for all things Varangian, that will serve pretty well in a primary school library. Pleasant double-page spreads attest to the strong design, while the text is basically an introductory paragraph, and other bit-bots, with the artwork's captions conveying many factoids. As opposed to this series' more scientific volumes the homework is almost too artistic – design coinage, design pennants, ships' figureheads, and so much more. Topics covered are perfectly sensible, and while avoiding the history of the Vikings you can get from similar books do suitably diverge from the just hack and slash reputation. Thus you get their mythology, their clothing, their cuisine, games, and many reminders that a lot of them were just farmers. You never get as far as berzerkers, and it never actively states the horned helmets were a Hollywood lie. What also made this book the best of the three I've tried (following on from 'Oceans' and 'Weather') is that the 'quick facts' box-outs actually contained new details, as opposed to just repeating the information from elsewhere on the page. Definitely worth consideration.

[Rianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

58/52 books read in 2019.
Provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very informative. I also really like the little assignments added.
I'll write a longer review soon.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

My First Fact File The Vikings is part of a series of short fact and exercise books aimed at younger children (K-2+). Released 23rd July 2019 by Quarto on their Ivy Kids imprint, it's 48 pages and available in paperback format.

This is a well written book, historically accurate and accessible for all ages, and an interesting and worthwhile series. Facts are presented with color paintings on each double page. Relevant supporting information is presented in sidebars. The included activities are also presented in sidebars at the bottom of the pages.

Chapters are short and cover who (and when) the Vikings were, their society and codes of conduct, their technology and artisanship, music, food, festivals, religious beliefs and more. The art style is unpretentious and appealing (see cover).

This would make a great weekend activity, classroom or library read for young readers, and the series would be great as a part of a homeschool library. There's a short alphabetical glossary included at the end.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second, My First Fact File entry that I have read. I am certain that it will not be my last. I look forward to reading every title in this engaging, well illustrated and informative series.

This entry is about the Vikings. Imagine that you lived somewhere that was on the path of the Vikings explorations and conquests. It is easy to understand how these sailing explorers and conquerors would have caused much fear.

Young readers will learn about all aspects of the Vikings lives from their long ships, to their communities, gods, celebrations, children's lives and more. There are activities to further enhance the reader's experience, as for example, to make a Viking coin or snack.

This is a book that makes non-fiction fun. I wish that the series had been around when I was young. It can really open children's eyes to all of the amazing things that there are to learn.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review.

[MV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As part of my curriculum, my class study the Vikings. It is often hard to find engaging books which are accessible to all but also contain a good depth of information. This book easily tick all those boxes.

It is clearly organised, very engaging to look at and has an excellent balance of text to illustrations. The text is broken up and laid out in an easy to follow way. The information does not feel too wordy (which often leads to students becoming disinterested) and the use of 'Quick Facts' boxes makes it easy to find snippets of information. I liked the inclusion of 'Crack the Code' to introduce the Viking alphabet and crafts such as making a Viking vane.

[Jason Muckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My First Fact File The Vikings" by Philip Steele was a fun and informative read for kids to learn about the vikings. Each new topic discussed from language to farming to social structure would go through the way the vikings lived and had a fun activity or exercise for kids to apply what they learned.

The book was a like a fun history lesson with lots of interesting concepts to learn about.

I received this eBook free of charge from Quarto Publishing Group – Ivy Kids via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I did not receive any fiscal compensation from either company for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Quarto Publishing Group through NetGalley.
One in a series of non-fiction texts for younger readers. Steele presents facts and information in an easy to follow format. He also includes activities for readers to try and connect to traditions and information about the Vikings.
The illustrations are realistic and provide support for the text styles.
Looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Leah Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so informative. It’s fun and interactive. I loved the pictures and all of the different sections. The information is so interesting, and simple to understand.

This is one of the coolest books for kids I’ve seen when it comes to a learning book.

[Kristen V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from the "My First Fact File" series! Tons of information and engaging pictures on everything from who the Vikings were, their clothes, what they ate, how they had fun, and everything in between!