The books listed below may be available through publishers, distributors such as bookstores or online retailers, or library systems.
Independent Reading
EASY- Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
- by Margaret Musgrove. Dial, 1976
- An African culture for each letter of the alphabet is briefly described and beautifully illustrated.
- Over 6,000 Years Ago: In the Stone Age
- by Hazel Mary Martell. MacMillan Publishing, 1992
- Discussion of life in the Stone Age, including hunting, farming, mining flint, and the first towns.
- Secret Cities
- by Mike Corbishley. Lodestar Books, 1989
- Ancient towns and buildings around the world, in Scotland, Turkey, Zimbabwe, China, Peru, southwestern United States, and more.
- Secrets from the Past
- by Gene S. Stuart. National Geographic, 1979
- Archaeology, archaeological discoveries around the world, migrations of early people, and more in photo-essay style.
- The Spring of Butterflies and Other Chinese Folktales
- by He Liyi. Lothrup, Lee & Shepard, 1985
- A collection of folk tales from various Chinese groups.
- The Ancient Maya
- by Barbara L. Beck. Franklin Watts Ltd., 1983
- An overview of Mayan life and culture.
- India (Enchantment of the World series)
- by Sylvia McNair. Childrens Press, 1990
- The land, history, and culture of India.
- The Israelites
- by Pamela Odijk. Silver Burdett Press, 1990
- A survey of ancient Jewish life and culture.
- Mummies, Tombs, and Treasure: Secrets of Ancient Egypt
- by Lila Perl. Clarion Books, 1987
- Discusses how and why mummies were made, the tombs in which they were found, and the artifacts placed with them.
- Science in Ancient China
- by George Beshore. Franklin Watts Ltd., 1988
- The achievements of the ancient Chinese in astronomy, navigation, food production, medicine and so on. Part of a series that includes science in ancient Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, and Rome and in early Islamic and Native American cultures.
- Digging to the Past
- by W. John Hackwell. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1986
- Describes the roles of the various teams of an archaeological dig and the knowledge to be gained from their findings.
- The Earliest Americans
- by Helen Roney Sattler. Clarion Books, 1993
- A survey of Native American history with a strong archaeological thread; includes Paleo-Indians, peoples of Middle and South America, as well as North American peoples.
- How to Make a Mummy Talk
- by James M. Deem. Houghton Mifflin, 1995
- Humorous account of how mummies are made (purposefully and accidentally), what knowledge we can gain from them, and which museums have them.
- Nubia: A Drowning Land
- by Margaret Drower. Athenaeum, 1970
- Survey of Nubian history and description of Nubia's ancient ruins.
Read Aloud and Reference
READ ALOUD BOOKS- The Legend of the Cranberry: A Paleo-Indian Tale by Ellin Greene. Simon & Schuster, 1993 The Great Spirit gave the cranberry to the People to remind them of their great battle with the mastodons. Beautiful, dramatic illustrations.
- Native American Animal Stories by Joseph Bruchac. Fulcrum Publishing, 1992 Native American legends that involve animals.
- The Sumerians by Pamela Odijk. Silver Burdett Press, 1989 Explores many aspects of Sumerian life. Part of a series that includes the Aztecs, Chinese, Egyptians, First Africans, Greeks, Hebrews, Incas, Japanese, Mayas, Phoenicians, and Vikings.
- Then & Now: The Wonders of the Ancient World by Stefania and Dominic Perring. MacMillan Publishing, 1991 Photographs of 20 ancient wonders with color overlays to show how they originally looked.