The Heritage History site is an excellent resource. I’ll try to be as concise as possible, but there are a lot of good books. Remember, what you don’t use this year, save for later as they reach across several ages; the majority of what I’m going to give you can be found at the library, but some I recommend buying (they’re so cheap used) so your child can flip through on his own over and over and the info. will be absorbed as different points a he ages, so they are good to own. I believe in having books all over the place, or how ever you arrange them, to be picked up and just read. I have some for read alouds and some, if yours is already beginning to read, can read on his own. Schedule how you see fit. Perhaps read the overview book. then another book to go into more deteail after reading that chapter in your overview book. It’s a way of reading a spine, then reading you and/or he reading individual books to support what was just read in the spine. Others won’t have a ‘spine’ support, so just read whenever or schedule him to read it, if he’s able, other wise take turns readiing. Also, continue pin pointing the areas on the map and historical maps, like the American series of maps from KNwedge Quest for him to color.Just some suggestions.
Here’s a site to peruse and keep (I print these out and highlight the ones I want to read in a year to go along with a ‘spine’ and then check them off as they are read), here’s a specific one, but the home page is great!: http://www.valerieslivingbooks.info/garrard.htm
The Children’s Book of America-Willima Bennett (keeper);
By LYnne Cheney-America: A PAtriotic Primer, A is for Abigail; Our 50 States: A Family Adventure Across America and the other 2 by her as he gets into the middle grades.
Roger Duvoison’s “And there was America”
Several Alice Dalgliesh-The Columbus Story; America BEgins; The Thanksgivig Story; The Fourth of July Story.
Paul Revere’s Ride”, Longfellow, illustrated by Ted Rand
The Rachel and Obadiah series by Brinton Turkle, there are 3 or 4-set in early 1800’s in Nantucket, lessons on humility and responsibility and perseverance.
Ronald Syme (love his histories, just check the ages), these are your son’s age-Desoto: Finder of the Mississippi, Balboa: Finder of the Pacific; Captain John PAul Jones; others by him at Amazon.
Barbera Shilller-Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky
A historical fiction by Jonathan Hunt-Leif’s Saga, A Viking’s Tale
By Ann McGovern-Pilgrim’s First Thanksgiving
There are some mini bios of the ready to read books, if you like those, some do, some don’t; I personally am not a fan of them. There is a variety of historical characters presented in the series. Or you can wait until he’s old enough to read through Childhood of Famous Americans and LAndmark Books, which are better written, but it’s up to you.
Westward movement books-Pioneer Girl:The Story of LAura Ingalls Wilder by William Anderson; Black Cowboy Wild Horses:A True Story by Julius Lester; John Henry by Julius Lester all in your child’s age range.
Look up Gail Gibbons and Eve Bunting books-excellent variety and Bunting’s illustrations and gently delivered topics are great.
American TAll Tales-Mary Pope Osbourne
The Pledge of Allegience-Scholastic
The Story of the Statue of LIberty-Betsy Maestro and The Statue of LIberty Step into Reading
G-d Bless America book + cd-Irving Berlin
America the Beautiful-Katherine Bates
Star Spangled Banner-Peter Spier (check out all his books)
Your a Grand Old Flag-George M. Cohan, Norman Rockwell illustrations (music and art study, too!)
Our Flag was Still There-Tracy Michele (don’t know age recommendations, but it is lovely and recommended by good sources elsewhere).
Other authors that have histories, some for now (like Jean Fritz) and some for later, including Jean Fritz, Cheryl Harness, Sam Fink and James Knight.
Audio sources of great dramatized stories, your child will pick up and enjoy history: Jim Weiss’s American Tall Tales for ages 5 and up and 7 and up Thomas Jefferson’s America and Abraham Lincoln and the Heart of America. MIne liked the Thomas Jefferson at a later age, we haven’t listened to Abe Lincoln’s yet.
Your Story Hour-Great Stories Series #1-7; Your Story Hour Vol. #6 and #7. Best prices at LIbrary and Educational Services website. For after he’s 8, I highly recommend Living Principles of America set, I’ve found best price at Sing ‘n Learn, but look around when the time comes or you can collect them gradually. Lastly, come around that same age is from Mantle Ministries called the Historical Devotionals, can be bought individually or as a set; very good.
Lastly, for reading aloud after you finish Eggleston’s, if you choose that one, is America First from Yesterday’s Classics and Fifty Famous Stories, which has World and US legendary figures which will instill interst and general knowledge. And for you, I recommend resoureces from Wallbuilders and National Center for Constitutional studies, because you can’t answer his questions or educate him without educating yorself or in my experince, unlearn some things.
Remember coloring books from Dover for these time periods and perhaps use a US History Map book from either KNowledge Quest (or can save for later w/TQ)I found the maps.com United States History Atlas useful.
ANd the most fun for him will be Wee Sing America book and cd-look for best price. IMO, next year will be a great time to start digging in deeper with TQ and hands on activities from Hands and Hearts or Homeschool in the Woods, and/or check out the “American Kids in History” series, which has activities for different timeperiods. Check your library and Amazon for all the titles. However, for his age, the books by LAurie Carlson would seem to fit the best: example:Colonial KIds: An activity Guide to LIfe in the New World’.
HTH,
Rachel
