Judy - also the YouTube videos on Pompeii by Mary Beard who is a Cambridge scholar and expert on the Vesuvian sites - very accessible.

The Lonely Planet 'Not for Parents' Rome is okay but it does overly focus on the violent and bloody past - with graphic details - and being the parent of sons I know kids like this stuff but IMHO this guide book is too focused on this aspect of Roman history.

Blueeyed: That's disappointing! Kids do really like that stuff, but I think assuming they would like ONLY that stuff is underestimating them a bit.