Beginning Latin doesn’t have to be hard.

Gentle Latin-English stories created especially for young children and beginning Latin readers.

Explore the Books

A Gentle Way to Begin Latin.

For a young child, a first experience with Latin doesn’t have to begin with grammar rules or vocabulary lists. It can begin with a story.

Aelia First Latin Stories use short sentences, repeated vocabulary, expressive illustrations, and familiar little adventures to give children context for what they hear and read. Words and sentence patterns return naturally as Aelia plays, searches, helps, explores, and solves small problems.

Very young children can simply enjoy the story while becoming familiar with the sound and rhythm of Latin. As they grow, those same stories can support word recognition, reading, and eventually simple translation.

And grown-ups don’t need to know Latin to begin. English text, Latin-order support, pronunciation help, and a glossary are built into every book, so children and their grown-ups can discover Latin together.

It can begin with a story.

Children and their grown-ups can discover Latin together.

Meet Aelia

Aelia is curious, kind, determined, and always ready to discover something new. Along the way, children get to know her friend Leo, her cat Mella, and Leo’s dog Max as familiar faces return from story to story.

Meet Aelia and Explore Her World

Start with Collection One

Four gentle Latin-English stories in one volume, created to give young children and beginning Latin readers a warm, story-first introduction to Latin

Aelia First Latin Stories: Collection One includes:

  • Aelia and Her Friends, an introductory story available only in the collection
  • Aelia and the Red Ball
  • Aelia Gets Dressed
  • Aelia Helps with Dinner

Follow Aelia through familiar everyday adventures as repeated Latin vocabulary and simple sentence patterns build from story to story. Children can enjoy the English and Latin together, then use the built-in support as they begin reading and translating the Latin more independently.

Or choose an individual adventure

FROM STORYTIME TO INDEPENDENT READING

Latin That Grows With Your Child

Aelia stories can be enjoyed in different ways as a child’s reading and Latin skills grow.

1

Enjoy
Latin together.

Young children can listen to the story, follow the pictures, and become familiar with the sounds and rhythm of Latin.

2

Recognize
Notice familiar words.

Repeated vocabulary, illustrations, and familiar story patterns help children begin recognizing Latin words and understanding them in context.

3

Read
Begin reading the Latin.

As confidence grows, children can follow the simple Latin sentences, using the English story and grouped Latin-order support whenever they need help.

4

Translate
Try it independently.

Older beginners can cover the English and support sections, read the Latin on its own, and practice translating simple sentences into English.

The book stays the same. The way your child uses it can grow.

You don’t need to speak Latin, remember grammar rules, or know how to pronounce every word before you open the first book. Aelia First Latin Stories are designed to support the grown-up reading alongside the child, too.

Every book includes a simple Classical Latin pronunciation guide, so you can become comfortable with the sounds before you begin. The natural English story helps you follow what’s happening, while grouped Latin-order support provides a bridge between the Latin sentence and its meaning. And when you need to look something up, an alphabetical Latin glossary is right there in the book.

You don’t have to teach a Latin lesson. You can read the story, explore the language together, and let familiarity build naturally over time.

The grown-up gets support, too.

YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW LATIN

New to Latin? You Can Begin Together.

What’s Inside an Aelia First Latin Stories Book?

Engaging, everyday stories with short, repeating sentences build reading confidence.

Children see and hear Latin used naturally in a story with helpful word groups to follow the meaning.

A simple pronunciation guide and an easy-to-use glossary support new learners.

Clear, cheerful pictures connect words with meaning.

Ready to Begin?

Choose your first Aelia story and make a little Latin part of storytime.

Explore the Books

Why Latin for Kids?

Latin may be an ancient language, but its benefits are still relevant today! Learning Latin can help children recognize English vocabulary, discover connections to other languages, and develop an appreciation for history and the ancient world.


And introducing Latin doesn’t have to mean starting with grammar lessons or memorization. For little kids, it can begin with something as simple as sharing a story.

Curious about the benefits?

Read Why Latin? 7 Reasons to Introduce Latin to Children.

Frequently Asked Questions About Latin for Children

Not at all. Young children don’t need formal Latin lessons to begin becoming familiar with the language. A two-, three-, four-, or five-year-old can enjoy hearing simple Latin during storytime just as they enjoy songs, rhymes, and stories in English. Aelia First Latin Stories gives preschool children a gentle introduction through pictures, repetition, familiar situations, and English alongside the Latin. As children begin learning to read, they can gradually interact with the Latin text themselves.

Absolutely. The books are designed so the English and Latin can be used separately as a child’s skills grow. An older child can cover the English side of a page spread and read or translate the Latin for themselves. Or they can cover the Latin and try translating the English into Latin, then uncover the other page to compare.


This makes the same stories useful for different levels of practice, including children who are ready to begin translating for themselves. They can start noticing vocabulary, sentence patterns, and how Latin works in context before they ever memorize a declension chart.

Yes. Aelia First Latin Stories can be used as a gentle introduction to Latin in a homeschool setting or simply enjoyed together at storytime. The books are designed to introduce Latin naturally through short stories, repetition, pictures, and beginner-friendly language. They can be used on their own or alongside a more formal Latin curriculum.

No. Aelia is a series of Latin-English storybooks rather than a formal curriculum. The stories model simple Latin naturally through repetition and familiar situations. They can provide a gentle first introduction to Latin or complement a homeschool Latin curriculum.

No. Aelia was created especially for children who are new to Latin. Each story includes natural English alongside simple Latin so families can enjoy the story even if they have never studied Latin before.

No. The books include English text, beginner-friendly Latin support, a pronunciation guide, and a glossary to help parents and children explore the language together.

Aelia is designed especially for young children and beginning readers, but there isn’t one required starting age. Younger children and toddlers can enjoy the books as read-alouds, while older children can begin reading and comparing the English and Latin, or translating for themselves.

Aelia First Latin Stories: Collection One was created with very early readers in mind. The English stories use short sentences, familiar words, repetition, predictable patterns, and clear picture clues to help children follow the story and build confidence as they begin reading.
Children can first enjoy the stories as read-alouds, then gradually begin recognizing and reading familiar English words and sentences for themselves. The simple Latin appears alongside the English, making Collection One useful both as an early English reader and as a gentle introduction to Latin.

The books use simple, beginner-friendly Latin with Classical Latin pronunciation guidance. The emphasis is on enjoying and understanding the story rather than memorizing grammar rules.

Yes. Aelia can be used at home as a gentle introduction to Latin, whether you homeschool, supplement what your child is learning elsewhere, or simply want to introduce another language through storytime.

Aelia First Latin Stories: Collection One introduces 74 distinct Latin words appearing in 100 differnt forms, excluding character names. This includes different forms of familiar words, such as pila and pilam (ball).
Important vocabulary appears repeatedly throughout the stories, giving children opportunities to recognize familiar words and build confidence as they read. Future Aelia books will continue to introduce new vocabulary while reinforcing words children have already encountered.

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Keep the Story GOing

Free Aelia Activities & Printables

A little more Aelia for storytime, quiet time, or Latin practice.

Aelia Has a Red Ball Coloring Page


Color Aelia and her friends while revisiting a familiar sentence in English and Latin.


Aelia has a red ball.
Aelia pilam rubram habet.

Download the Free Coloring Page


Free PDF • 8.5 × 11 • Print at home

Aelia Helps with Dinner Coloring Page


Color Aelia and her friends while revisiting a familiar sentence in English and Latin.


Aelia carries the apples.
Aelia mala portat.

Download the Free Coloring Page


Free PDF • 8.5 × 11 • Print at home

More free Aelia activities are on the way.