*McDermott, G. (1977). Arrow to the sun. New York: Puffin.
An expression of the universal myth of the hero-quest, this beautiful story also portrays the Indian reverence for the source of life: the Solar Fire. (2nd-3rd grades) [V, III, I]
*Polacco, P. (1998). Chicken Sunday. New York: Putnam Juvenile.
After being initiated into a neighbor's family by a solemn backyard ceremony, a young Russian American girl and her African American brothers determine to buy their gramma Eula a beautiful Easter hat. But their good intentions are misunderstood, until they discover just the right way to pay for the hat that Eula's had her eye on. (2nd- 3rd grades) [I, III, IV]
*Rylant, C. (1992). When I was young in the mountains. New York: Puffin.
This is the true story of Rylant’s childhood. She tells of living in the Appalachian Mountains and the things she remembers about her family. (2nd-3rd grades) [ I, II, III]
*Speare, E. C. (1984). Sign of the beaver. New York: Bantam.
Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in eighteenth-century Maine, a boy is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach him their skills. (3rd-4th grades)
[I, II, III]
History:
*Adler, D. (1989). A picture book of George Washington. New York: Holiday House.
A brief account of the life of George Washington. (2nd-3rd grades) [II, III, IV]
*Borden, L. (1999). A. Lincoln and me. New York: Scholastic.
This poetic story introduces young children to a wonderful boy and a great president. (2nd-3rd grades) [II, III, IV]
*Brenner, M. (1994). Abe Lincoln’s hat. New York: Scholastic.
Why did Abe Lincoln always wear a tall black hat? Why, to keep his important papers safe! This and other anecdotes about Lincoln as a young lawyer show just how fair and funny he was. Tall and lanky, always with a joke up his sleeve, Lincoln persevered to become one of the greatest presidents the United States ever had. (2nd-3rd grades) [II, IV, V]
*Giblin, J. C. (1992). George Washington, a picture book biography. New York: Scholastic.
The story of a gentle, fair-minded man whose strength as a leader of the American Revolution, and then as the country’s 1st president, helped to shape the democracy we enjoy today. (2nd-3rd grades) [I, II, III]
*Murphey, F. (2002). George Washington and the general’s dog. New York: Random House.
George Washington loved animals. What happened when he found a lost dog after a battle is retold in this true story. (2nd-3rd grades) [I, II, III]
Economics:
*Davis, L. (2004). Trade and commerce. New York: Blackbirch Press.
When prehistoric tribes first accumulated surplus food and other materials, they began to trade with one another. Eventually, coins, and then paper money, made it easier to keep track of the exchange of goods and services between tribes and nations. Land and sea trade routes, the Industrial Revolution, mass production, and today, the Internet, helped spread trade and commerce throughout the world. (4th and 5th grades) [VIII, VII, IX]
*Grant, R. G. (2002). Capitalism. New York: Raintree.
This book traces the story of capitalism, from its rise in Europe in the 18th century to the creation of today's "global economy." Capitalism has transformed the way people live and work. It has allowed the production of goods and services to be provided in ever-increasing quantities, and has generated constant technical innovation and material progress. (5th grade and up) [VI, VII, VIII]
*Hall, D. (1979). Ox cart man. New York: Scholastic Inc.
The story of a family who worked all winter to make goods to sell at the market. (2nd-3rd grades) [VII, V, II]
*Waters, J. (2002). Money. New York: Compass Point.
A simple introduction to various types of currency used around the world. (1st-2nd grades) [VI, VIII, VII]
*Williams, B. (1993). Trading. New York: Steck-Vaughn.
Examines the various ways people have exchanged goods and services around the world from the early days of human history to modern times. (4th-5th grades) [X, IX, VIII ]
Political Science:
*Adler, D. (1990). A picture book of Benjamin Franklin. New York: Holiday House.
Tells the story of Benjamin Franklin. (2nd-3rd) [VI, II, III]
*Anastasio, D. (1997). Pirates. New York: Grosset and Dunlap.
Stand on the deck of Calico Jack's pirate ship as he and his crew overtake a Spanish galleon filled with gold treasure. Pirates gives readers a taste of life on the high seas, while providing historical tidbits about real-life pirates from Blackbeard to Captain Kidd. (1st-2nd grade) [VIII, X, VII]
*Cronin, D. (2004). Duck for president. New York: Simon and Schuster.
'Duck For President' introduces the electoral process. (1st-2nd grades) [VI,VIII, IX]
*Fradin, D. B. (2002). Who was Benjamin Franklin? New York: Grosset and Dunlap.
A biography of the eighteenth-century printer, publisher, inventor, scientist, and statesman who played an influential role in the early history of the United States. (2nd- 4th grades) [VIII, VII, V]
*Ringgold, F. (1993). Dinner at aunt Connie’s house. New York: Hyperion.
Melody loves the annual family excursion to Aunt Connie's house--everyone gets to go swimming, share a fabulous dinner and see an exhibition of Aunt Connie's most recent art. From their frames on the wall, famous African American women such as Rosa Parks, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Zora Neale Hurston tell their stories of their devotion to causes from civil rights to education. (2nd- 4th grades). [I, II, III]
Geography:
*Hendershot, J. (1987). In coal country. New York: Dragonfly Books.
The life of a coal miner’s family is vividly seen through the eyes of his young daughter. (2nd-4th grades) [III, V, VII]
*Holling, C. H. (1980). Paddle-to-the-sea. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
A young Indian boy carves a little canoe with a figure inside and names him Paddle-to-the-Sea. Paddle's journey, in text and pictures, through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean provides an excellent geographic and historical picture of the region. (2nd-4th grades) [II, I, III]
*Lasky, K. (1994). Librarian who measured the earth. New York: Little, Brown, and Co.
Describes the life and work of Eratosthenes, the Greek geographer and astronomer who accurately measured the circumference of the Earth. (1st-3rd grades) [III, II, IV]
*O’Dell, S. (1971). Island of the blue dolphins. New York: Bantam.
Left alone on a beautiful but isolated island off the coast of California, a young Indian girl spends eighteen years, not only merely surviving through her enormous courage and self-reliance, but also finding a measure of happiness in her solitary life. (3rd -4th grades) [III, II, I]
*Polacco, P. (1997). Thunder cake. New York: Putnam Juvenile.
When the air gets heavy and dark clouds drift low over the fields of Grandma's farm, her frightened granddaughter hides under the bed. But Grandma insists that this is Thunder Cake baking weather and the two are soon scrambling to gather the ingredients to make the cake--and get it into the oven before the storm arrives. (2nd-3rd grades) [I, II, III]
Sociology:
*Flournoy, V. (1985). The patchwork quilt. New York: Dial Books/Penguin.
Using scraps of old material, Tanya helps her grandmother make a patchwork quilt which tells the story of her family. (3rd-4th grades) [V, I, II]
*Hopkinson, D. (1993). Sweet Clara and the freedom quilt. New York: Random House.
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, commemorates an African-American girl's making of a freedom quilt during the time of the Underground Railroad. (2nd-3rd grades) [V, I, II]
*Medearis, A. S. (1991). Dancing with the Indians. New York: Scholastic.
A young girl in the 1930’s joins her family on an outing to a Native American pow-wow. They plan to dance with the Seminoles, whose ancestors rescued Grandpa from slavery and accepted him as their brother. (2nd-4th grades) [II, I, III]
*Polacco, P. (1988). The keeping quilt. New York: Simon and Schuster.
A homemade quilt ties together the lives of four generations of an immigrant Jewish family, remaining a symbol of their enduring love and faith. (2nd-3rd grades) [V, I, II]
*Say, A. (1993). Grandfather’s journey. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
A Japanese American man recounts his grandfather’s journey to America which he later also undertakes, and the feelings of being torn by a love for two different countries. (2nd-4th grades) [I, II, III]