Favorite Civil War Living Books

Not remembering the ages of your children, I’ll take a stab at it:

Underground Railroad

David Adler. Picture Book of Harriet Tubman; Picture Book of Frederick Douglass; Picture Book of Sojourner Truth

Levine. If You Lived on the Underground Railroad

Clara and the Freedom Quilt (youngers)

Minty: a Story of Harriet Tubman by Schroeder

The Drinking Gourd by Monjo

Civil War

Abraham Lincoln by D’Aulaire or Lincoln: a Photobiography by Russell Freedman (check spelling)

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (middle school and up, maybe 6th grade or so)

Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith (middle school and up)

Cornerstones of Freedom series: Bull Run; Shiloh; Gettyburg Address

McGovern. If You Grew up with Abraham Lincoln

Adler. Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln; Picture Book of Robert E. Lee

Thomas Edison

The only one we’ve read so far is A Picture Book of Thomas Edison by Adler

Wright Brothers

Marquardt. Wilbur and Orville and the Flying Machine

Shea. First Flight

HTH,

Karen

I suggest a resource on NIkola Tesla to go alongside Edison, depending upon the ages of your children, there’s a PBS special about him that can be watched online: http://www.pbs.org/tesla/

Are you interested in only American History or some World, too?

Up till WW II or WW I?

And for what ages?

I recommend the Childhood Biographies of Famous Americans. My daughter loves them! 

I would like to also recommend the Patricia Polacco books listed above. I have yet to read any book by this author that is not a true living books. The ones listed above are the best ones for civil war. Many of her books have history woven through it in a very personal way. When I read her books I feel like one of the family! I have laughed and cried with them! Some of my favorite for World War 2 are, “The butterfly” and “The Keeping Quilt”. And I believe one makes reference to Vietnam soldier that doesn’t return, “when lightning comes in a jar”. These are very beautiful stories! I wish I owned them all!

For just American His. or parallel World history, too?

In addition to the pbs special on Tesla that I think your 10 yr. old could learn from, you can find good ones on the Titianic (not written about much). Also, in discussing H. Ford, you may or may not currently want to discuss the anti-semitic propaganda that he engaged in; not only did he mass-produce cars, but he mass-produced hate:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/interview/henryford-antisemitism/

It’s great to honor someone for their acheivements, but we mustn’t put them on a pedestal. We need to be willing to see the whole truth-the real history and impact of an individual’s life on his surroundings and in the case of some, the very substantial effects.

There are very few George Washington’s.

Your 8 yr. old would probably enjoy the Cheryl Harness books approprate to the time span:

http://www.cherylharness.com/books2.htm

and the D’Aulaires if not already read.

Civil War:

Lincoln and Douglass: The Years of Decision – Landmark Books

Abraham LIncoln’s War – Foster

The Boy’s War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk about the Civil War – Jim Murphy

Frederick Douglass bio (listen on Librivox, I think)

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship – Russell Freedman

Lincoln: A Photobiography – Russell Freedman

Henty audio – With Lee in Virginia

Among the Camps and Two Little Confederates – Thomas Nelson Page

Best Little Stories from the Civil War – B. Kelly

Robert E. Lee and the Road of Honor – Hodding Carter (Landmark)

Stonewall Jackson – Jonathan daniels (Landmark)

Post- War Between the States to WW I:

They Called Themselves the KKK – Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Freeland and/or Young Pioneers – Rose Wilder Lane

Wright Brothers: How they Invented the Airplane – Russell Freedman

Indian Chiefs – Russell Freedman

Kids at Work: Lewis HIne and the Crusade against Child LAbor – Russell Freedom

Lerner’s in America Series

Children of the Great Depression – Russell Freedman

Years of Dust – Albert Marrin

Mill – David MacCauley

True Stories of the First World War- Paul Dowswell

World War I: “The War to End Wars” (American War Series) – Zachery Kent

Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting – Jim Murphy

A page with choices:

http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/history.htm#UCWR

Landmark:

The Monitor and the Merrimac by Pratt, #16 (1862)

Gettysburg by Kantor, #23 (1863)

Lee and Grant at Appomatox by Kantor, #8 (1865)

The First Transatlantic Cable by Nathan, #88 (1865)

Wild Bill Hickok Tames the West by Holbrook, #25 (1860’s – 70’s)

The Golden Age of Railroads by Holbrook, #93 (1830-1920) Hard to place exactly.

The Building of the First Transcontinental Railroad by Nathan, #9 (1863-1869)

Custer’s Last Stand by Reynolds, #20 (1876)

Mr. Bell Invents the Telephone by Shippen, #30 (1876)

The Texas Rangers by Henry, #72 (1880’s)

Wyatt Earp: U.S. Marshall by Holbrook, #67 (1881 OK Corral, death 1929)

Clara Barton, Founder of the American Red Cross by Boyleston, #58 (1882)

Buffalo Bill’s Great Wild West Show by Havighurst, #73 (Began 1883)

The World’s Greatest Showman: P.T. Barnum by Bryan, #64 (1889 – Peak of Fame)

Disaster at Johnstown: The Great Flood by Dolson, 109 (1889)

Up the Trail from Texas by Dobie, #60 (1866-’94)

The Alaska Gold Rush by McNeer, #92 (1897-99)

Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders by Castor, #41 (1898)

Women of Courage by Nathan, #107 (Susan B. Anthony 1820-1906 through Margaret Mead 1901-1978) Don’t know how this treats them as they were pro-life and weren’t necessaritly as they are currently depicted.

The Wright Brothers by Reynolds, #10 (1903)

The Copper Kings of Montana by Place, #95 (1903)

The Story of San Francisco by Jackson, #59 (1906, earthquake)

The Conquest of the North and South Poles by Owen, #27 (North 1909 & South 1929)

The Story of Thomas Alva Edison by Cousins, #110 (1869-1910 greatest achievements)

The Panama Canal by Considine, #18 (1913)

America’s First World War: General Pershing and the Yanks by Castor, #77 (1918)

BLessings,

Rachel