Children are fascinated by knights: what they did as well as where they lived. To help my children learn more about knights, I had them read The Story of Castles.
Sims teaches children all about castles in easy to learn chapters. The six chapters are: The first castle, Set in stone, A safe house, The new castles, Under attack, and The end [of the need for castles]. Children learn about why castles were needed, how the first castles were made with wood, and why they began building castles in stone. They also learn about how noisy and uncomfortable the early castles were. There was no privacy, and the toilets were simply holes in the walls or floors.
Interestingly, Sims also covers how castles were defended. Whether it was stones thrown through the trapped gatehouse roof, tunneling under the castle to meet the offenders in battle, or boiling hot rocks dropped from castle extensions, children quickly grasp the ingenuity used to protect the castle and its occupants.
In the final chapter, children learn why lords stopped building castles. There are a number of reasons, however the invention of canons that could break through the stone castle walls is the main reason given in The Story of Castles. Also, the lords and ladies turned to grand homes that provided the light and comfort that the dark, damp castles did not have.
Altogether, both of my children thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It answered their questions about life in a castle. It also intrigued them into learning more about what life was like for knights, what castles remain standing today, and how could they build their own ultimate castle.
