Story of the World, Vol. 1: History for the Classical Child: Ancient Times (Second Edition, Revised)

Story of the World, Vol. 1: History for the Classical Child: Ancient Times (Second Edition, Revised) by Susan Wise Bauer

This is a succinct introduction to ancient history for children. The narration is rather slow, so it is easily understandable and 4x speed up. The book provides a broad history of the world leading up to 400 AD. 

Coverage includes the "big" areas, such as Rome, China, Israel and Babylon. There are also various discussions on some of the lesser known ancient civilizations in Africa and Asia. There is even a little bit from the Americas.

The history takes a roughly chronological approach, though there are a few jumps to provide coherent narrative. Most are told as narratives from the point of view of the actors, usually the key characters, but occasionally a fictionalized "common person".

It is a great introduction to history that is at a child's level, but not dumbed down.