book lists - Outside the Box Learners

Early American History Book List

For purposes of this blog post, we’ll say Early American History covers the landing of the Pilgrims (1620) through the early 1800s.

Some key events that took place during these years include: the Pilgrims coming over from England and colonies eventually getting established, the birth of a new country and the Revolutionary War (and the French Revolution), and the establishment of our new country’s government (constitution and government).

There are so many books that cover this time period. We use mostly living books. I’m only including books we read but there are so many to choose from!

This blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost to you).

Reference Books/Biographies

We purchased many of the following through Beautiful Feet Books, specifically their Early American History packs, and Amazon.

A Child’s First Book of American History by Earl Schenck Miers and illustrated by James Daugherty. This is a nice big book with big print and cool illustrations that focuses solely on American History. Good for all ages.

A Child’s History of the World by Virgil M. Hillyer. A great overview of history.

Picture Books

(These are best suited for the younger elementary years, but I read them to my older kids too!)

BenjaminFranklin by Ingri and Edgar D’Aulaire

George Washington by Ingri and Edgar D’Aulaire

The Fourth of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh

Winter at Valley Forge by James Knight

GEORGE VS. GEORGE: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer

Shh! We’re writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz

A More Perfect Union by Betsy and Giulio Maestro

Dear Benjamin Banneker by Andrea Davis Pinkney

A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley by Kathryn Lasky

Books for Later Elementary and Middle School:

The World of William Penn by Genevieve Foster

Poor Richard by James Daugherty

George Washington’s World by Genevieve Foster

Why Not, Lafayette by Jean Fritz

Pilgrim Stories by Margaret Pumphrey

Remember the Ladies by Jeri Chase Ferris

Turning back the pages of time booklet by Kathy Keller (This is a great booklet to have on hand. It has lists of booklists on early American History.)

Historical Fiction:

Amos Fortune Free Man by Elizabeth Yates

Fearless by Elvira Woodruff (Not pictured. Also not specifically American history but takes place in England in 1700 – and so it was neat to read a book taking place at the same time in a different part of the world.)

Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes

Toliver’s Secret by Esther Wood Brady

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Latham

The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz (not pictured)

Phoebe the Spy by Judith Berry Griffin (chapter book for younger kids)

Matchlock Gun by Walt Edmonds (chapter book for younger kids)

Other Resources to Study American History

Chalk Pastel

Drive Thru History

Check out my other history book lists!

Reformation and Renaissance

And… How We Do History – Textbook Free!

Book Series for Christian Kids

I often get the question, “Do you have any suggestions for Christian book series?” And while I am not aware of ALL that’s available in this genre, I do have some series that have been a hit in our household!

Some of these books are not explicitly Christian, but have strong Christian themes or are heavily influenced by Christian thought.

This blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost to you).

Four Book Series for Christian Kids

Spirit Flyer Series

These beloved books by John Bibee have been around for many years! The first book of this eight-book series was written in 1983 and is called the Magic Bicycle. Until recently, these books were hard to find. But recently they have gone into print again and you can easily find them on Amazon. The Spirit Flyer books are full of adventure and Christian allegory. My son LOVED these books.

Ideal age range: 4th-7th grade

Growly Series

The Growly Series follows the adventures of a young coming-of-age bear named Growly. They are not specifically “Christian” books but are wholesome, well-written, and will captivate the adventure-seeking reader. There are five books in this series. The first three books comprise the “Growly Trilogy”. These include Begin, Widewater, and Morning. You could also choose to start with either the 4th or 5th book, as stand-alone books.

Ideal age range: 8-12 years

Green Ember Series

My 11-year-old son is in the middle of reading this series right now and cannot put them down! These books follow the adventures of two young rabbits, Heather and Picket. While not specifically Christian, there are Christian themes throughout the book – friendship, redemption, sacrifice to name a few! This nine-book (and growing!) series is considered to be a favorite among many readers, and lots of families love it as a read-aloud.

Ideal age range: 8+

The Amazing Tales of Max and Liz & Epic Order of the Seven

Jenny L. Cote has masterfully crafted the genre of Christian Historical Fiction. The first series: ‘The Amazing Tales of Max and Liz’, includes two books and takes you through many of the events that take place in the book of Genesis, from an animal’s point of view. 🙂

Then her next series: ‘Epic Order of the Seven’ continues the journey of Max and Liz – starting with the birth of Christ, and then moving through the New Testament. And following that, their adventures cover the American Revolution (basically starting another series within a series!) We are anxiously waiting for her next book which is to be released next year in 2022!

This captivating series is perfect for animal lovers AND history buffs! When we are studying history during our morning time, I am often impressed by how much history my son has already learned from these books.

Ideal age range: 10 +