The books listed below may be available through publishers, distributors such as bookstores or online retailers, or library systems.
Independent Reading
EASY- The Pilgrims of Plimoth
- by Marcia Sewall. Atheneum, 1986
- Recreates the coming of the Pilgrims to Plimoth and tells the story of their daily lives in the early years.
- The Secret Soldier: The Story of Deborah Sampson
- by Ann McGovern. Scholastic, 1975
- Deborah realizes that her prospects as a woman are limited, so she dresses as a man and enlists.
- Belinda's Hurricane
- by Elizabeth Winthrop. Puffin, 1989
- Belinda is excited as a hurricane approaches the New England coast.
- Immigrants
- by Martin Sandler. HarperCollins, 1995
- The story of America is largely the story of immigrants.
- The Story of the Erie Canal
- by R. Conrad Stein. Childrens Press, 1985
- The building of the Erie Canal was an amazing feat of engineering.
- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
- by Jean Lee Latham. Houghton Mifflin, 1955
- After many family members and friends are lost at sea, Nat Bowditch of Salem, Massachusetts, perfects a navigational method and writes a book that is still used today.
- The Sign of the Beaver
- by E.G. Speare. Dell Publishing, 1983
- Thirteen-year-old Matt must survive on his own in the Maine wilderness.
- Colonial People
- by Sarah Howarth. The Millbrook Press, 1994
- Identifies the different groups of colonial people and describes their lives.
- Mill
- by David Macaulay. Houghton Mifflin, 1983
- Macaulay illustrates and explains how mills work.
- From Abenaki to Zuni: A Dictionary of Native American Tribes
- by Evelyn Wolfson. Walker, 1988
- Information on 68 of the larger Native American groups is clearly presented and illustrated.
- Stock Market ABC
- by Joanne K. Friedlander and Jean Neal. Follett, 1969
- A basic introduction to Wall Street and the stock market.
- Sourcebooks on Colonial America
- by Carter Smith. The Millbrook Press, 1991
- A six-volume series on topics ranging from explorers and settlers to daily life.
- This New Land
- by G. Clifton Wisler. Walker, 1987
- Richard sails with his family to the New World and finds a new life.
- Sugaring Time
- by Kathryn Lasky. Macmillan, 1983
- Describes the making of maple syrup on a family farm.
- In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
- by Bette Bao Lord. HarperCollins, 1984
- Shirley Temple Wong takes heart from Jackie Robinson's triumphs.
- Waterway West
- by Mary Kay Phelan. Crowell, 1977
- The amazing engineering of the Erie Canal makes for dramatic reading.
Read Aloud and Reference Books
READ ALOUD BOOKS- From Sea to Shining Sea
- by Amy L. Cohn. Scholastic, 1993
- Paints a portrait of this land where almost every family originated somewhere else.
- People of the Breaking Day
- by Marcia Sewall. Macmillan, 1990
- A poetic evocation of the Wampanoag people.
- Coming to America
- by Katharine Emsden. Discovery Enterprises, 1992
- This primary source describes coming to a new country.
- Lyddie
- by Katherine Paterson. Dutton, 1991
- Lyddie tries to save the family farm by working as a “mill girl” in the mid-1800s.
- Making Thirteen Colonies
- by Joy Hakim. Oxford University Press, 1993
- History of the United States from colonization to the eve of the Revolution told in a lively, engaging style.
- National Geographic Picture Atlas of Our Fifty States
- National Geographic, 1991
- Maps, text, and beautiful photos provide useful information.