A Children's Guide to World History

What did the world look like to children who lived thousands of years ago?

This book takes young readers through world history – from the children of the Stone Age who went hunting with sharp spears, to the girl who gathered grain along the Nile, and the boy who worked long days in a dangerous factory.

Through vivid stories, we see that our history is not only about kings and great events, but also about the everyday lives of the children who have lived in the middle of it all. History is not only about adults, but also about children and how they have helped shape the world we live in.

Erna Osland has written an ambitious and exciting story about children who have played, learned and lived throughout time. Together with the beautiful and colorful illustrations by Victoria Sandøy, the book is a treasure trove for curious school-age children and provides an engaging first encounter with world history.

“A Children's guide to World History is an important book that gives children access to history in a way that's pedagogical and politically conscious. It shows how children have been treated throughout history, and how their position has changed in step with technological and societal developments.”

Winner of the Brage Prize 2025, from the jury's reasoning

«Her får barna en bok de kan vokse med.»

Maya Troberg Djuve, Dagbladet

Erna Osland

Erna Osland
Hans Petter Martinussen

Erna Osland (b. 1951) is originally from Høyanger and now lives in Masfjorden. Osland made her debut as an author in 1987 and has since written a number of books for children, young adults and adults.

Foreign rights

Skald forlag
P. O. Box 61
NO-6861 Leikanger
Tel: +47 57 65 41 55
[email protected]
www.skald.no

Edited September 23, 2025 by Skald forlag