early elementary history

[USAmma]

Do you know of any history books for kids that read like a story? I'm looking for something to read to her at bedtime, that would be interesting for a 2-3 grade level child. I did SOTW with her (book 1) and it was sorta okay but I'm looking more for American history, famous people in history that she can look up to, that sort of thing. Right now I'm just getting short books from the library. This week it's Abraham Lincoln and she didn't want me to stop reading it. I'm thinking about Harriet Tubman for next week. Just wondering if there is such a book out there that covers a lot of this stuff in one book and weaves early American history together like a story.

[Callimom]

Have you looked at An American Story by Jennifer Armstrong - it's a collection of stories rather than a progression through history. (There's a similar British one called Britiannia by Geraldine McCaughrean which we have and my kids enjoyed.)
There's also the History of Us by Joy Hakim. I know little about either of these cause I'm Canadian but I thought I'd throw them out there.
Karen

[melissel]

Originally Posted by Karenwith4

Have you looked at An American Story by Jennifer Armstrong - it's a collection of stories rather than a progression through history. (There's a similar British one called Britiannia by Geraldine McCaughrean which we have and my kids enjoyed.)
There's also the History of Us by Joy Hakim. I know little about either of these cause I'm Canadian but I thought I'd throw them out there.
Karen

That's my suggestion too. My DD loves that kind of thing.

[USAmma]

Thank you! That looks like an interesting book. I'll see if our library has it before I buy.

[Lillian J]

Well, for one, we loved the Little House on the Prairie series - although it's just about one era. You can see long excerpts on this page: Little House on the Prairie. They make you feel as if you're seeing things far away in time through the eyes of a child who was there.

There have been criticisms of perceived racism over scenes in which Laura's mother made nasty remarks about the local Native Americans - but we just saw those as windows into the racism that happened to exist, rather than approval of it. I thought they actually painted racists in an ugly light rather than elevating them.

[Lillian J]

Also Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink - you can "look inside" it on the Amazon site. She would probably also enjoy the companion book, Caddie Woodlawn's Family, which was formerly titled Magic Melons. Lillian

[tallanvor]

Clyde Robert Bulla writes historical fiction for kids where the kids are the main characters. My daughter has liked what we've read of his. We read one about an immigrant family from Sweden, one about the Vikings, and one about a kid who ends up riding the Pony Express for his father. I like them because they are historically accurate.

There is also the Dear America series. For more ideas, the Sonlight level 3 readers and read-alongs are American history based. You might want to check that out, too.

Crystal

[AngelBee]

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