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Early American History Reading List

Early Explorers — 1000 - 1600

Eric the Red, Leif Ericson, Christopher Columbus, & more

The list of explorers starts with Leif Ericson, circa 1000 AD. More reading selections for kids on the Vikings can be found in our World History Reading List.

Next comes several suggested books on various Explorers, followed by some favorite titles on Columbus in the 1490s. Historical fiction on early American explorers is scarce, but we found a few more selections for the 1520s and 1540s.

Reading List Grade Levels

Download PDF Teachers Worksheets from our eBookstore!

AMERICAN HISTORY: 1000s

Eric the Red (What's Their Story series) by Neil Grant, illus. Victor Ambrus. Oxford Univ. Press, 1997. E-UE
The story of this father & son (Leif Ericson) reveals Viking life & culture, and tells of their early visit to North America.

Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky (Adventures in the New World) by Barbara Schiller. E-UE

Leif The Lucky by Ingri & Edgar D'Aulaire. E-JH+
The D'Aulaires' books are richly illustrated, historically thorough, and entertaining.

AMERICAN HISTORY: Explorers, 1400-1600

The Discovery of the Americas : From Prehistory Through the Age of Columbus by Betsy and Giulio Maestro. E-UE+

Exploration and Conquest : The Americas After Columbus: 1500-1620 by Betsy & Giulio Maestro . Mulberry Books, 1994. E-UE+
Factual account of early explorers. Colorful illustrations and short paragraphs per page keep a child's interest. Covers the important names, giving a well-rounded understanding of the age of exploration.

AMERICAN HISTORY: 1490s

Christopher Columbus (Step into Reading, Step 3) by Stephen Krensky, ill. Norman Green. Random House, 1991. E
Story is limited to Columbus' first voyage, but includes behind-the-scenes details such as the sailors' fears, the boring diet on board ship, and the close mutiny.

A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus by David A. Adler, ill. illus. John & Alexandra Wallner. Holiday House, 1991. E-UE
Not forgotten here is that Columbus sailed across the ocean on 4 separate occasions. All the voyages are told in this thorough, easy-to-understand biography and illustrated with black & white line drawings.

History Hands-On!
Creative Activities,
Songs, Map Making,
Games, and more
based on
Christopher Columbus

Columbus by Ingri & Edgar Parin D'Aulaire. Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1955. E-JH+
This story keeps going where most others end, giving the complete scenario of his life both before & after 1492. Every page is illustrated, some color and some black and white.

Garfield Discovers America (created by Jim Davis) by Jim Kraft, illus. Mike Fentz. Watermill Press, 1992. E-UE
If you need a little humor to keep school fun, this is it! Learn about Columbus through the eyes of a favorite comic character: Garfield--well, actually, one of his ancestors. This is not in comic strip format, just large, colorfully illustrated pages.

Pedro's Journal: A Voyage With Christopher Columbus August 3, 1492-February 14, 1493 by Pam Conrad. Scholastic, 1991. UE

Westward With Columbus: Set Sail on the Voyage That Changed the World (Time Quest Book) by John Dyson

Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus? By Jean Fritz, illus. Margot Tomes. UE-JH