Ages 0–14 · History · Philosophy · Biography · Classic Literature

Start the classics a decade early.

Ladder up to the real thing.

See all 49 books How the ladder works

Cover of Don Quixote: A Toddler Book, for ages 0–4

Cover of Machiavelli: The Patterns of Power, for ages 6–10

Cover of War and Peace: A Picture Book, for ages 3–7

Cover of Alexander & Caesar: A Plutarch Chapter Book, for ages 6–10

Cover of Alfred the Great: The Comeback King, for ages 0–4

Cover of Beowulf: A Chapter Book, for ages 6–10

Cover of Pyrrhus & Marius: A Plutarch Picture Book, for ages 3–7

Cover of Ulysses: A Chapter Book, for ages 6–10

Cover of Marcus Aurelius: The Emperor's Journal, for ages 3–7

Cover of Demosthenes & Cicero: A Plutarch Prep Book, for ages 10–14

Cover of Stoicism: The Four Virtues, for ages 3–7

Cover of Lycurgus & Numa: A Plutarch Chapter Book, for ages 6–10

Cover of Cleopatra: A Royal Welcome, for ages 0–4

Cover of Theseus & Romulus: A Plutarch Prep Book, for ages 10–14

King Alfred on a hilltop at sunset overlooking the walled town, river and ships he rebuilt, in cut-paper collage — A page from *Alfred the Great: The Comeback King*

Our books are made to be outgrown.

Your child can meet Don Quixote, Beowulf or Cleopatra at two, again at five, and again at eight. Each retelling goes further into the story than the last.

Here's our bet: a child who keeps meeting these stories while growing up will be ready for the originals sooner, and will open them gladly, because they already know the story and want the rest of it. We'd rather start at two than at seventeen. Families will tell us whether we're right.

Cover of War and Peace: A Toddler Book, for ages 0–4

Ages 0–4 · Toddler book

Read to them

A first meeting with the subject: big pictures, few words, one idea.

Cover of Machiavelli: How to Prince and Princess, for ages 3–7

Ages 3–7 · Picture book

Read together

One story from the subject, told start to finish, with a picture on every page.

Cover of Don Quixote: A Chapter Book, for ages 6–10

Ages 6–10 · Chapter book

They start reading alone

The full story in chapters, with the people, places and turns the picture books had to leave out.

Cover of Pyrrhus & Marius: A Plutarch Prep Book, for ages 10–14

Ages 10–14 · Prep book

Ready for Plutarch

Both lives weighed question by question, the way Plutarch built his comparisons. Only the Plutarch pairs have a prep book.

The day your child puts down our last book, ready for the original, we've done our job.

View Books by Age Band

Ages 0–4

Toddler books

14 topics

Cover of Beowulf: A Picture Book, for ages 3–7

Ages 3–7

Picture books

14 topics

Ages 6–10

Chapter books

14 topics

Cover of Alexander & Caesar: A Plutarch Prep Book, for ages 10–14

Ages 10–14

Prep books

5 topics

Inside the books

Don Quixote on his horse Rocinante with a fist raised against a big sky, in cut-paper collage — *Don Quixote* · ages 0–4

The golden mead-hall Heorot glowing on a hill at dusk, in soft crayon — *Beowulf* · ages 3–7

Natasha in a red dress dances with a white handkerchief raised while her uncle plays the guitar and her family watches, in soft crayon — *War and Peace* · ages 3–7

Little Cleopatra welcoming ships into the harbor of Alexandria beneath the lit lighthouse, in cut-paper collage — *Cleopatra* · ages 0–4

Beowulf's funeral pyre burning on the sea-cliffs with mourners gathered, in black-and-white woodcut-style line art — *Beowulf* · ages 6–10

Niccolò Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci discussing a diagram to divert the river Arno, in black-and-white line art — *Machiavelli* · ages 6–10

Zeno of Citium standing alone on the shore after his shipwreck, in black-and-white line art — *Stoicism* · ages 6–10

Numa offered the crown of Rome in dramatic black-and-white woodcut — *Lycurgus & Numa* · ages 10–14

Explore Our Library

Every topic we've published, newest first. Pick one to see all its reading levels.

Cover of War and Peace: A Chapter Book, for ages 6–10

War and PeaceNew

Ages 0–10

At her first ball, Natasha stands by the wall trying not to cry, until Pierre tells his friend Andrei to go and ask her to dance.

Cover of Pyrrhus & Marius: A Plutarch Toddler Book, for ages 0–4

Pyrrhus & Marius

Ages 0–14

A Greek king whose wins cost so much that we still say “Pyrrhic victory,” and a Roman from a country town who was elected consul seven times.

Cover of Cleopatra: The Cleverest Queen, for ages 3–7

Cleopatra

Ages 0–12

Plutarch says her looks were not what made her unforgettable. It was her conversation, and she could speak to most visitors in their own language.

Cover of Demosthenes & Cicero: A Plutarch Toddler Book, for ages 0–4

Cover of Demosthenes & Cicero: A Plutarch Picture Book, for ages 3–7

Demosthenes & Cicero

Ages 0–14

The most famous speakers of Greece and Rome, who each used words to fight for a free city, and each died for it.

Cover of Lycurgus & Numa: A Plutarch Toddler Book, for ages 0–4

Cover of Lycurgus & Numa: A Plutarch Picture Book, for ages 3–7

Lycurgus & Numa

Ages 0–14

The lawgivers of Sparta and Rome. One built a city around war; the other taught a warlike city to keep the peace.

Cover of Ulysses: A Toddler Book, for ages 0–4

Ulysses

Ages 0–10

The whole novel takes place on one ordinary day in Dublin, June 16, 1904, and readers still celebrate that date every year.

Cover of Theseus & Romulus: A Plutarch Toddler Book, for ages 0–4

Cover of Theseus & Romulus: A Plutarch Picture Book, for ages 3–7

Theseus & Romulus

Ages 0–14

Theseus talked the scattered villages around Athens into becoming one city. Romulus filled his new city by welcoming anyone who had nowhere else to go.

Cover of Alexander & Caesar: A Plutarch Toddler Book, for ages 0–4

Cover of Alexander & Caesar: A Plutarch Picture Book, for ages 3–7

Alexander & Caesar

Ages 0–14

Caesar once wept reading about Alexander: at the same age, Alexander had conquered much of the world, and Caesar had done nothing memorable yet.

Cover of Marcus Aurelius: The Little Book, for ages 0–4

Marcus Aurelius

Ages 0–10

A Roman emperor kept a private notebook of reminders to be patient, fair and calm, and probably never meant anyone else to read it.

Cover of Alfred the Great: A Monk's Tale, for ages 3–7

Alfred the Great

Ages 0–12

A king hides in a swamp, burns a stranger's bread (so the legend goes), comes back to save his kingdom, and spends the peace on schools and books.

Cover of Machiavelli: The Fox and the Lion, for ages 0–4

Machiavelli

Ages 0–10

For centuries “Machiavellian” has meant sneaky and untrustworthy. The man behind the word served a republic, was jailed and tortured when it fell, and wrote a book in praise of republics.

Cover of Stoicism: Three Simple Words, for ages 0–4

Stoicism

Ages 0–10

Epictetus's handbook opens by sorting the world into what we control and what we don't. Our toddler book asks the same question about a toppled block tower.

Don Quixote

Ages 0–10

A man reads so many adventure stories that he sets out to become a knight, and fights windmills he thinks are giants.

Beowulf

Ages 0–10

The only copy of Beowulf nearly burned in a library fire in 1731 and came through with its edges scorched.

Who makes them

Noah Watkins

Founder

Noah is a UK-based small business owner and history enthusiast. nüNERD is his passion project. When he couldn't find the books he wanted for his daughter, he started making them himself.

Karen Gregory

Editor

Karen spent thirty years in education, first in the classroom, then as a principal and district administrator. She edits every nüNERD manuscript, and she's also Noah's mom.

Two people. 49 books.

We’re transparent about how and why we use AI, and about the checks every book goes through before it ships.

How we use AI