Finding a version of The Iliad for children was harder than I thought it would be!
History and culture help children understand the world around them. Recently I started introducing my own children to some of the great civilisations of the past.
We read about pyramids rising from the desert, powerful pharaohs ruling over Egypt, and great walls built to protect entire kingdoms.
When we reached Ancient Greece, every history book mentioned the same name: Homer.
Naturally, my children became curious about the tales that followed. Then it hit me. I could read The Iliad to them.
They would love it! Heroes and heroines. Gods and goddesses. Princesses for my daughter and warriors for my son.
I was convinced it would work. Now I just needed a version of The Iliad that my children could actually understand.
But finding a version of The Iliad for children ages 5 to 7 was much harder than I expected. They were either too simple or too difficult, and none of the versions I found felt right for bedtime.
So I created my own version, and I’m sharing it here as a free download.
In this post, you’ll learn:
- The challenge of finding the right book.
- How I created a child-friendly version of The Iliad using AI.
- An educational way to read this story with your children.
- A preview of the first chapter.
- Why children should understand classics like The Iliad.
Why It’s So Hard to Find The Iliad for Children
I started by Googling “The Iliad for Kids”. At first I was excited. The search returned dozens of options. But as I clicked through them, a clear problem appeared.
The books fell into two extremes. Some were overly childish and cartoonish, closer to comic books than stories. Others were dense and clearly written for much older children.
Two of the most common recommended versions were:
Both felt dated and far too dense for my young children. It quickly became clear that there wasn’t a version designed for modern young readers.
My frustration grew with every search. Nothing felt right for my children.
Eventually I realised something simple, the version I wanted didn’t exist.
How I Created a Version of The Iliad for Children
My knowledge of AI is fairly basic, but I’ve used it in my classes to adjust texts to different reading levels. It works especially well when you already have a piece of material and just need to simplify it.
Fortunately, I already had a text to work with. The Iliad is nearly 3,000 years old, about 190,000 words long, and written as an epic poem.
But good luck asking a 5-year-old to sit through 190,000 words! What I needed was a shorter version that my children could actually follow. So I used ChatGPT to help refine The Iliad for children in a way that was still entertaining and educational.
I kept the prompts simple. I asked for language that a young reader could understand, focused on a small group of main characters with clear traits, and condensed the story into seven chapters.
Each chapter would take about 10-15 minutes to read aloud. Perfect for bedtime.
Once I had a basic text, I then shaped it into a graded reader. Each chapter included pre-taught vocabulary, character profiles, and simple comprehension questions before and after reading.
The icing on the cake was a set of AI generated images showing scenes from the story. Each chapter begins with a picture to spark discussion and curiosity before we start reading.
You can read more about why using pre-reading questions and prompts are so important to raising curious readers .
Now we had something special. A version of The Iliad that my children would actually enjoy and learn from.
The AI Question
AI can be a controversial topic, especially when children are involved. So it’s worth explaining how I used it here.
I fully intend to read the original , more challenging texts with my children when they are older. But right now those books are simply beyond their reading level. AI helped me bridge that gap.
Like any tool, AI can be helpful for learning. But we need to be mindful of handing over too much creativity and judgement to it.
There is no question about copyright and plagiarism. In this case, The Iliad is nearly 3,000 years old and firmly in the public domain. I doubt Homer would object to his story being used to introduce Greek culture to a new generation of readers.
Because AI played such a large role in creating this version, I will make the book freely available. The goal is to share the experience, not to profit from it.
How to Read This Book With Your Child.
After 15 years teaching, I’ve learned that children remember stories best when they actively engage with them. That’s why this book includes questions, vocabulary previews, and discussion prompts before and after each chapter.
The layout is very simple.
Just start from the beginning and ask the questions that appear throughout the chapter. If your child struggles or loses interest, you can easily adjust the questions to make them simpler or more challenging.
The book works best when you read one chapter per day. This gives your child time to think about the story and absorb the new vocabulary and themes. Each chapter also begins with recap questions so the ideas aren’t forgotten.
Extra Step: At breakfast, my children often ask about my dreams from the night before. I make up ridiculous stories that include events or characters from The Iliad. My children immediately jump in: “That’s what happened to Achilles!”
Before long we’re talking about our favourite moments from the story. It’s a fun, natural way to keep the story alive beyond bedtime reading.
If you want a few more simple ways to keep the story going beyond bedtime, I’ve put together five easy post-reading activities you can use at home with your children.
Try It Yourself
Teaching my children about ancient cultures has been incredibly rewarding. My plan is to revisit this story with a more challenging version when they are older.
The goal is that one day they’ll want to read the original Iliad themselves, and when they do, the story will already feel familiar.
If this sounds like something your family would enjoy, I’d be happy to share my version of The Iliad with you.
You can download the first chapter and see how your children respond. It only takes 10 minutes to read.
If they enjoy the first chapter, download the full version and read the story together. The book is available in both PDF and ePub formats.
The short chapters make for great nightly stories, perfect for beginning your bedtime reading routine.
Why Stories Like The Iliad Still Matter
The reason The Iliad has survived for nearly 3,000 years is simple: it’s a great story.
It gives us a window into ancient Greek culture, and the characters still feel familiar today. Achilles, Hector, and Odysseus would not look out of place in any modern blockbuster.
In fact, Christopher Nolan is releasing a film based on The Odyssey this year, the next chapter of the Trojan War.
Stories like this shouldn’t belong only to scholars and academics. They should be available to everyone, especially children who are just beginning their reading journeys.
Sometimes modern tools can help us reconnect with ancient wisdom.
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