Ashoka the Great
A gentle, true picture book about a mighty emperor who learned that kindness is stronger than war.
Made for reading aloud, each page has just a few short sentences and a full-colour illustration, so even the youngest listeners can follow a real life from a boy prince to a great king. Children meet Ashoka, who won a war, felt sorry for the hurt it caused and chose peace, and grown-ups get an easy way to talk about saying sorry, changing, and caring for people and animals.
Inside you'll find: - A true story told simply, for ages 3 to 7, based on Ashoka's own words carved in stone - Warm, full-page illustrations on every spread - "What Ashoka taught us": six life lessons, each linked to a moment in the story, to talk about together - A perfect bedtime read, classroom read-aloud or gift
Part of Atlas Of Greats, a series of true picture-book biographies of the world's greats. Collect them all!
Specs
- Format
- Paperback, 32 pages
- Size
- 8.5 × 8.5 in
- Ages
- 3 to 7
Facts for kids
- Ashoka was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, who started the Maurya empire.
- The war in Kalinga happened in about 261 BCE. Kalinga was mostly in today's state of Odisha.
- Most of his messages were carved in an old script called Brahmi. For hundreds of years no one could read them, until a scholar, James Prinsep, worked it out in 1837.
- The wheel on India's flag, the Ashoka Chakra, has 24 spokes.
- He sent his son Mahinda to Sri Lanka to share the Buddha's teachings.
More Greats you might like
Mahatma Gandhi
In a seaside town in India, a shy little boy named Mohandas learned to be kind and to tell the truth.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
At school, a boy named Bhim had to sit alone on a sack, and he had to wait for someone else to give him a drink of water.
Rani Lakshmibai
A little girl named Manu grew up by the river Ganga, learning alongside the boys and riding fast horses.
Sarojini Naidu
In the colourful city of Hyderabad, a little girl named Sarojini was stuck on a maths sum, and a whole poem came to her instead.
Srinivasa Ramanujan
In a town in South India, a boy named Ramanujan did his sums on a slate and saw magic in every number.
C. V. Raman
In a town by the sea in South India, a small boy named Raman loved to read and learn.
Coming next: Raja Raja Chola I, Krishnadevaraya, Maharana Pratap, Rani Durgavati. Get an email when they’re out