Early American History – Favorite Living Books?

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  • January 26, 2013 at 12:17 am
    Tristan
    Participant

    We will be heading into early American History next fall and I’m trying to work out book lists for my varied ages. We are doing a living books approach and there are just So Many Good Books. Help me out here. What are ‘don’t miss’ books for the time period and what ages are they for? We will stop around 1850, pre-Civil War.

    A reminder – I need family read alouds, books I can read to the 3rd grade and under crowd (3rd, 2nd, K, PreK, PreK, and 2 younger ones), and chapter books for Makayla to read independently (she’ll be 7th grade and a strong reader).

    Events I may cover, in case it helps you remember a favorite book:

    Explorers

    Pilgrims

    Colonists

    French and Indian War

    American Revolution, causes, people of the time, the war itself. (LOTS in this area)

    The New Nation, Constitution, etc

    Lewis and Clark expedition

    Pioneers

    California Gold Rush

    Thanks everyone! I’ll be comparing your ideas to my lists and marking those you recommend!

    January 26, 2013 at 2:09 am
    HollyS
    Participant

    My DC enjoyed Ben and Me, Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims, Pedro’s Journal, and Sarah Morton/Samuel Eaton’s Day.  
    The Little House books would fit nicely too!  We also read Guns for General Washington, but they didn’t really enjoy it.  Embarassed 

    January 26, 2013 at 3:43 am
    mom2fourboys
    Participant

    We are studying American History this year and have really liked the following books so far:

    Sign of the Beaver

    Amos Fortune

    Calico Captive

    Brady

    We are getting ready to start “Bound for Oregon” I will let you know about that one when we are done.

    FYI…My boys are in 6th and 8th grade who have read these books. (I have read them too…Great books!)

     

    My younger son (8 years old)  is also studying American History. He has really enjoyed the following books:

    D’aulaire’s Leif the Lucky, Pocahontas, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Columbus and Benjamin Franklin books

    Sarah Witcher Story

    The Courage of Sarah Noble

    George Washington by Stewart Graff

    Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia – Landmark Book

    The Vikings  – Janeway

    Squanto Friend of the Pilgrams

    The Matchlock Gun

    Paddle to the Sea

     

    Those are the ones I can remember. Reflecting on all those books made me want to read them again…lol!

     

    Tammy

     

    January 26, 2013 at 3:58 am
    Heather
    Participant

    My daughter loved and still remembers Phyllis Wheatley – Young Revolutionary Poet (Young Patriots Series) from 4 years ago!

    January 26, 2013 at 11:20 am
    Tristan
    Participant

    I am loving these lists so far, they’re very helpful!

    Also, I plan to cover Phyllis Wheatley for poetry (thanks for a book to go along Heather!), John James Audubon for an artist, the Star Spangled Banner and Francis Scott Key, and hymns sang during the time period for hymn study. Are there any other American poets, artists, composers from the time? I know many european ones, but am hoping to find at least 2 American for each.

    January 26, 2013 at 1:02 pm
    nerakr
    Participant

    Books for youngers:

    Any of the David Adler Picture Book biographies (for the time period I know there are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John and Abigail Adams, James and Dolley Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Davy Crockett).

    Sam the Minuteman and George the Drummer Boy

    Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys

    Tattered Sails by Verla Kay

    Papa and the Pioneer Quilt, The Josefina Story Quilt, Fourth of July on the Plains, Diary of a Pioneer (Oregon Trail)

    Araminta’s Paintbox by Karen Ackerman (traces the route from Boston to California)

    Clipper Ship (can’t remember author right off hand; early chapter book)

    Poets: Anne Bradstreet comes to mind, but I don’t know of any specific resources

    Artists: Benjamin West. Gilbert Stuart (wasn’t he the one who painted the portrait of Washington that Dolley Madison saved when the British burned Washington, DC)?

     

    January 26, 2013 at 4:03 pm
    nash_mom
    Participant

    I have not read it yet but when we were in Yorktown, VA this book was HIGHLY recomended. Joseph Plumb Martin wea a young soldier in the war and and wrote the book as an 85 year old. I can not wait to read it!

    Yankee Doodle Boy: A Young Soldier’s Adventures in the American Revolution Told by Himself Joseph Plumb Martin (Author)

    January 26, 2013 at 5:07 pm
    pianogirl363
    Participant

    For the young ones:

    Paul Revere’s Ride – illustrated by Ted Rand

    For reading aloud with the younger set:

    Homes in the Wilderness: A Pilgrim’s Journal of Plymouth Plantation in 1620 – This is a modern translation (Margaret Wise Brown) of parts of William Bradford’s “Of Plymoth Plantation” , written in a shorter chapter book form with illustrations. 

    Eating the Plates: A Pilgrim Book of Food and Manners – Lucille Penner

    Abraham Lincoln: Man of Courage by Bernadine Bailey, Abigail Adams: The President’s Lady by Regina Zimmerman Kelley, and others from the out-of-print Piper biography series. You can find them at the library, though! These biographies are very easy to understand, yet very interesting. I like them better than the Childhood of Famous American series.

    For your 7th grader:

    First Ladies: Stories of the Presidents’ Wives – Kathleen Prindiville – I got this at a library book sale and it looks good. I plan to use it next year.

     

    ~Anna

    January 26, 2013 at 5:11 pm
    sheraz
    Participant

    Here’s a site with a brief listing of early American artists:

    http://www.brightring.com/americanartists.html

    Here’s one for poetry:

    http://www.poetseers.org/early-american-poets/

    and here’s one for composers:

    http://www.americanmusicpreservation.com/Americanmusictimeline.htm – this one tells about the song and who wrote it.  You can get a list from that. 😉  

    This link would have to be read and dates looked at to get a list:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_composers

     

    January 26, 2013 at 5:25 pm
    2flowerboys
    Participant

    I second the D’aulaire’s books! 🙂 And we loved Childhood of Famous American’s books..so far we have read Thomas Jefferson..awesome…Noah Webster…wonderful!..and Daniel Boone…great! Can you tell we enjoy them?? LOL!

    Also loving Little House books at this moment! And for your oldest Seaman..about Lewis and Clark’s dog. There are these books from GeoMatters  http://www.home-school-curriculum.com/product/munford-meets-lewis-clark

    The Adventures of Munford Series…I thought was a little slow..but the boys liked it and they did learn a lot about Lewis and Clark! Short Chapters!

    Have Fun! We have! 🙂

    January 26, 2013 at 5:38 pm
    Rebekah P
    Participant

    Both my kids loved Benjiman west and his cat gramalkin and Robert Fulton Boy craftsman both by Marguarette Henry.

    We actually read Benjiman West twice!!

    Story of the Pilgrims was also very enjoyable.

    For books from the library, the author Conrad Stein had some good historical bios.  My daughter really seemed to like Marquette and Joliet.  He has written many others. 

    hth

     

     

    January 26, 2013 at 8:21 pm
    Heather
    Participant

    Tristin, there is also a Young Patriots book for John Audubon which we loved.  It is called John Audubon: Young Naturalist.  And Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin was a good one too!

    July 28, 2016 at 7:44 pm
    Candice
    Participant

    Hi  Tristin,
    I see where you used Early Modern and I’m curious about your 7th grader than. My son is doing Early  Modern this year ad he is 7th grade. I am not sure about the book titled Famous Men of the 16th Century will be a good fit for him. Do you have any other suggestions? We are new CMers.

    July 29, 2016 at 5:56 am
    heathereyles
    Participant

    I second (or third, or fourth) Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin.  I wish I had had enough forethought to do a Benjamin West picture study at the time.  My 8-year-old son started doing narrations during our reading of this book and built amazing lego creations depicting scenes from the book 🙂

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