The books listed below may be available through publishers, distributors such as bookstores or online retailers, or library systems.

Independent Reading

EASY
Clues From the Past: A Resource Book on Archaeology
Edited by Patricia M. Wheat and Brenda Whorton. Texas Archaeological Society, Hendrick-Long, 1990
A young student's guide to archaeology as a tool for learning about past cultures.
Flags in the History of Texas
by Steve Veasey and John D. Potter, Jr. Hendrick-Long, 1991
Forty-six flags and banners in Texas history from early exploration through statehood.
A Historical Album of Texas
by Charles Wills, Millbrook Press, 1995
An easy-to-follow overview of Texas history with large illustrations, with gazetteer and appendices.
Texans: A Story of Texan Cultures for Young People
by Barbara Evans Stanush. University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures, 1988
Cornucopia of games, recipes, and other activities to introduce young learners to the ethnic variety of Texas.
Texas: From Sea to Shining Sea/De mar a Mar
by Dennis B. Fradin. Childrens Press, 1993
A fact-filled look at the state of Texas in Spanish and English, with a focus on its history.
Texas Indians!
by Carole Marsh, Gallopade Publishing Group, 1996
In an A to Z format, the Native American people of Texas are profiled -- their history, religions, cultures, and daily lives.
AVERAGE
Cabeza de Vaca: Conquistador Who Cared
by Mary Dodson Wade. Colophon House, 1995
Compelling biography of the Spanish explorer who lived with Native Americans of the Southwest for seven years of his expedition.
Esteban: Walking Across America
by Mary Dodson Wade. Colophon House, 1994
Story of the enslaved Esteban, who traveled across southern America with a Spanish expedition in the 1520s.
Explorers in Early Texas
by Betsy Warren. Hendrick-Long, 1992
Adventures of six Spanish and French explorers who journeyed through Texas between 1519 and 1778.
Life in a Rock Shelter: Prehistoric Indians of the Lower Pecos
by G. Elaine Acker. Hendrick-Long, 1996
Interviews with archaeologists, anthropologists, and others who describe for young students the prehistoric Indians' culture.
The Mystery of Y'Barbo's Tunnel
by Martha Tannery Jones. Hendrick-Long, 1991
Sequel to The Ghost at the Old Stone Fort, in which two boys explore the 18th-century fort in Nacogdoches.
Shipwrecked on Padre Island
by Isabel R. Marvin. Hendrick-Long, 1993
A time-travel adventure that combines fact (Spanish shipwrecks off the Texas coast) and fiction (a girl in 1554 and a present-day visitor to the shipwreck site).
CHALLENGING
A Field Guide to Stone Artifacts of Texas Indians
by Ellen Sue Turner and Thomas R. Hester. Gulf, 1993 [Texas Monthly Field Guide Series]
A comprehensive guide to these silent messages from ancient Native Americans in Texas.
From Coronado to Escalante: The Explorers of the Spanish Southwest
by John M. Morris. Chelsea House, 1992
Young readers' account of the adventures and discoveries of Spanish explorers, many of whom traveled through present-day Texas.
Hispanic Texas: A Historical Guide
Edited by Helen Simons and Cathryn A. Hoyt. University of Texas Press, 1992
Valuable resource on Hispanic culture in Texas -- architecture, religion, cuisine, culture, and more -- illustrated with many photographs.
Roadside History of Texas
by Leon C. Metz. Mountain Press, 1994
Updated version of this fact-filled road guide to Texas history, divided into eight regions, including a Texas chronology section.
Texans
by Gail Stewart. Rourke, 1990
A brief survey of Texas history from early settlement to independence.
Texas: An Illustrated History
by David McComb. Oxford University Press, 1995
An entertaining, comprehensive history of the state from the first migration to the Panhandle in prehistoric times to profiles of Audie Murphy and Barbara Jordan.

Read Aloud and Reference

READ ALOUD BOOKS
Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the Southwest/Coyote: un cuento folclorico del sudoeste de Estados Unidos
by Gerald McDermott; translated by Aida E. Marcuse. Harcourt Brace, 1994 (English), 1995 (Spanish)
A favorite Native American folktale from the Southwest about a coyote who wants the blackbirds to teach him how to fly.
Swept Back to a Texas Future: An Original Historical Musical
by Peggy Purser Freeman. Hendrick-Long, 1991
Fourth-grade script, suggested music, set directions, and more for this celebration of the Lone Star spirit.
The Tiguas: Pueblo Indians of Texas
by Bill Wright. Texas Western Press, 1993
A photographic study of the Tigua Indians of Ysleta, Texas, that combines history with contemporary images.
REFERENCE BOOKS
The Account: Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca's Relacion
Edited and translated by José Fernández and Martin Favata. Arte Público Press, 1993
New translation of the Spanish explorer's grueling journey across the Southwest from 1527 to 1538.
The New Handbook of Texas
Texas State Historical Association, 1996
24,000 entries on Texas history by 3,000 authors comprise this long-awaited six-volume reference.
A Texas Scrap-Book: Made up of the History, Biography, and Miscellany of Texas and Its People
Texas State Historical Association, 1991
Reprint, with a new index, of the renowned volume originally published in 1875. 6,000 entries.