Vlad and the Roman Triumph

Description

Romans took people, religions, gold, animals and dinosaurs and brought them back to Rome. But what was it like in the strange city?

Our narrator Vlad Flea and his friend Felix the cat are about to discover what it is like to live in ancient Rome after being raised in Egypt. They are the pets of Queen Cleopatra’s twin children and after her defeat they are meant to be part of the procession through the city. Typically Vlad Flea gets distracted and sets out to explore. They discover food, washing (people and clothes) and finally find themselves in the Circus Maximus. As they admire the strange monster’s bones destined for Octavian’s museum on Capri they manage to destroy the display and reveal a question about how we interpret our past, now and in ancient times. Vlad and the Roman Triumph is a beautifully hand-illustrated story that transforms museum pieces and black and white photographs into a colourful context.

Do you want to know what it was like to live in ancient Rome?

Research shows that stories are many times more memorable than cold facts, which is why we created the Flea in History series, so children learn history through stories.

Each book is meticulously researched and show how the Romans treated the spoils of war and assimilated those they colonised. It also questions how we interpret the ancient past such as dinosaurs and how that compares to our ancestors. In Vlad and the Roman Triumph the story features the artefacts and records in context using information from texts and archaeological finds. All the information (including Cleopatra’s twins being brought to Rome as prisoners) is based on the true events.

Vlad and the Roman Triumph is a story that can be read repeatedly revealing layers of information and providing a resource for learning about history and how we research and interpret it. As with all Vlad Flea books it is a perfect springboard for extending the topic in literacy, art and beliefs as well as history. Learning materials for parents and teachers can be found on the Reading Riddle website.

The book finishes with a fact file that includes information about the history and research behind the story.