The books listed below may be available through publishers, distributors such as bookstores or online retailers, or library systems.
Independent Reading
EASY- The Great Migration: An American Story
- by Jacob Lawrence. HarperCollins Children's Books, 1993
- A series of paintings recording the migration of African Americans to the industrial north.
- Death of the Iron Horse
- by Paul Goble. Bradbury Press, 1987
- Based on a true incident that occurred in 1867, Cheyenne braves derail and raid a freight train.
- The Gold Cadillac
- by Mildred Taylor. Dial Books, 1987
- A gold Cadillac becomes a symbol of prejudice on a trip south.
- A Sea of Grass: The Tallgrass Prairie
- by David Dvorak. Macmillan Publishing, 1994
- Beautiful photographs enhance information about the plants and animals that live on the prairie.
- Eureka! It's an Automobile
- by Jeanne Bendick. The Millbrook Press, 1992
- The invention of the automobile -- from French steam tractors to internal combustion engines.
- Sarah, Plain and Tall
- by Patricia MacLachlan. Harper & Row, 1985
- Caleb and Anna are captivated by their father's mail-order bride.
- The Glorious Fourth at Prairietown
- by Joan Anderson. William Morrow and Co., 1986
- The Fourth of July in Prairietown, Indiana, in 1836 as experienced by eleven-year-old Joshua.
- Maudie in the Middle
- by Phyllis R. Naylor and Lura S. Reynolds. Atheneum, 1988
- Set on an Iowa farm in the early 1900s, Maudie is a frustrated middle child who always seems to upset the apple cart.
- The King of Prussia and a Peanut Butter Sandwich
- by Alice Fleming. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1988
- How Mennonite farmers changed Kansas farming.
- The Bread Winner
- by Arvella Whitmore. Houghton Mifflin, 1990
- Sarah and her parents must sell their farm, but Sarah's optimism finally lifts their dismal prospects.
- The Sacred Harvest: Ojibway Wild Rice Gathering
- by Gordon Regguinti. Lerner Publications, 1992
- An account of the Ojibway wild rice harvest through the eyes of eleven-year-old Glen.
- Here Comes McBroom!
- by Sid Fleishman. Greenwillow Books, 1992
- Three tall tales about Josh McBroom's one-acre farm.
- Children of the Dust Bowl
- by Jerry Stanley. Crown Publishers, 1992
- This is the fascinating true story of the “Okies” who left the desolate Dust Bowl to become migrant workers in California.
- Night of the Twisters
- by Ivy Ruckman. Thomas Crowell, 1984
- Dan is thrust out of his lazy summer existence when tornadoes batter his Nebraska town.
- Grasshopper Summer
- by Ann Turner. Macmillan Publishing, 1989
- Sam's reluctance to leave the Kentucky farm of his grandparents for the untamed Dakota territory gradually lessens.
- Wheat
- by Sylvia A. Johnson. Lerner Publications, 1990
- This book explains the growth, harvesting, and processing of wheat.
- People of the Sacred Arrows: The Southern Cheyenne Today
- by Stan Hoig. Cobblehill Books, 1992
- A look at the Southern Cheyenne today and their need to live in two worlds, the modern and the tribal.
- Joel: Growing Up a Farm Man
- by Patricia Demuth. Dodd, Mead & Co., 1982
- An exploration of life on an Illinois family farm through the eyes of thirteen-year-old Joel.
Read Aloud and Reference Books
READ ALOUD BOOKS- Heartland
- by Diane Siebert. Thomas Crowell, Jr., 1989
- This book is a poetic description of the American heartland -- a patchwork quilt of land.
- Dakota Dugout
- by Ann Turner. Macmillan Publishing, 1985
- Through poetry, a grandmother tells her granddaughter about life on the prairie in the mid-1800s.
- The Star Maiden: An Ojibway Tale
- by Barbara Esbenson. Little, Brown & Co., 1988
- This is a poetic retelling of an Ojibway legend about the Star Maiden.
- Save Our Prairies and Grasslands
- by Ron Hirschi. Delacorte Press, 1994
- A thorough discussion of prairies: the animal and plant life they support and how to save them.
- Cowboys, Indians, and Gunfighters: The Story of the Cattle Kingdom
- by Albert Marrin. Atheneum, 1993
- Wide-ranging perspectives on the settling of the Great Plains, including Native Americans, gunslingers, and cowboys.
- Picturing Wright
- by Pedro Guerrero. Pomegranate Artbooks, 1994
- This is a pictorial biography of Frank Lloyd Wright at work.