The great Greek tragedies, retold for kids.
Told by the playwrights themselves. For children aged 6+ and the grown-ups who read with them.
- Ages 6+
- English & Greek
- First books: December 2026
Flip the mask to turn the theatre from day to night.
The idea
Why is it called a “goat song”?
Aeschylus: Tragedy is an ancient Greek word: tragoidia. It means “goat song”!
Euripides: Why a goat? Maybe the singers won a goat as a prize. Maybe they dressed as goats. Nobody knows for sure!
Sophocles: That's why our little goat wears a mask: one side smiles, one side cries. Our stories have a little of both.
Sad stories, told with a smile.
Why tragedies for kids?
- Real stories by geniuses who lived 2,500 years ago, still played all over the world.
- History, myths and the birth of theatre all in one book.
- An introduction to feelings brave, sad, funny, scared, proud. Our heroes feel it all, so children can name it too.
- Big questions to talk about What is right? Why should we listen? Can a clever person be wrong?
Meet the storytellers
Each play is told by the poet who wrote it
Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides wrote the oldest plays in the world that we still read and act today. In our books, each one tells his own stories, and talks to the reader.
32 of their tragedies survive: 7 by Aeschylus, 7 by Sophocles, 18 by Euripides.
Our books
The Story of Thebes, in six books
Our first series follows one city's myth in the order it happened, from a god's arrival to the mothers who ask for peace. Each book is a printed book and an ebook, with a guide for grown-ups.
First book out in December 2026
Book 1 · firstBook 1
The Bacchae
A god comes to Thebes, and a clever young king will not listen.
told by Euripides
Buy: The BacchaeBook 2
Oedipus the King
A clever king solves every riddle, except one.
told by Sophocles
Book 3
Oedipus at Colonus
Old Oedipus and his daughter Antigone walk to Athens.
told by Sophocles
Book 4
Seven Against Thebes
Two brothers fight for one crown at the seven gates.
told by Aeschylus
Book 6
The Suppliant Women
Mothers ask Athens for help, and a good king listens.
told by Euripides
Printed book and ebook · English and Greek (French soon)
Buy the books
Free book
Get our first book free
Prologue, our Book 0, is a short, colourful welcome to the theatre where tragedy was born. Join our newsletter for parents and teachers, and it arrives in your inbox.
- What a tragedy is and why it means “goat song”, with a little quiz at the end.
- The three storytellers Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, and how theatre began.
- The gods and the big words the gods of Olympus, the chorus, hybris, nemesis and catharsis.
PDF · 26 pages · for reading together
Look inside
For parents & teachers
Big stories, told honestly and gently
Children aged 6+ already think about fairness, rules and family. Tragedy gives them a safe stage to explore big feelings, with a grown-up beside them.
True to the original
We keep each play's plot, characters and meaning, and its signature line in ancient Greek.
The playwright as guide
Each storyteller tells his own play and talks to the reader.
Honest, never graphic
Deaths are told honestly but never shown, and the method is never described. Violence happens off the page; we show feelings and consequences.
Every change is listed
Whatever we adapt for children is written down in the book's guide, so you always know what the original says.
Every book comes with a guide
- What really happens in the play, for grown-ups to read first
- How our book tells it, and why
- The meaning, with the play's most famous line in ancient Greek and in translation
- Questions to talk about, before and after reading
In the classroom
Short chapters, one storyteller, a few big words and questions with no wrong answer: a book reads in one lesson and leads to a real conversation.
Questions to talk about together
- Who was your favourite character? Why?
- Was anyone too proud? What happened then?
- Is it OK to feel sad after a story? What helps when we feel sad?
Olympus
The gods are watching
In many tragedies a god comes to help, to warn or to punish. And every play was a gift for one of them: Dionysus.
- king of the gods, with his thunderbolt
- queen of the gods
- god of the sea
- goddess of wisdom
- god of music, light and prophecy
- goddess of the wild and of animals
- goddess of love
- god of fire and craftsmen
- messenger of the gods
- god of theatre, music and grapes
Questions
Questions parents ask
What age are the books for?
Children aged 6 and up, read together with a grown-up. Older children enjoy them on their own, and the guide at the back is written for the adults.
Aren't tragedies too sad for children?
We tell them honestly but gently. Deaths are told, never shown, and the method is never described; violence stays off the page. Every book ends with the storyteller's meaning, and the guide helps you answer your child's questions.
How close are the books to the original plays?
Very close. We keep the plot, the characters and the meaning, plus each play's signature line in ancient Greek. Every change we make for children is listed in the book's guide.
Which languages?
English and Greek now, French soon. Spanish and Italian are planned for later.
When can I buy the books?
Our first books arrive in December 2026. We'll list every store on this site on launch day, and our own shop opens later. Subscribers hear first.
Which formats?
Printed books and ebooks. Audiobooks may come later.
Is the free book really free?
Yes. Prologue is our thank-you for joining the newsletter. You keep it even if you unsubscribe.
Do you collect children's data?
No. The site and the newsletter are for adults only. We never ask for a child's name, age or photo, and we use no tracking cookies.
Still curious? Write to us: info@tragediesforkids.com