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American History Reading List
1870 – 1900
Life on the Prairie, the Johnstown Flood, Orphan Trains, the Statue of Liberty, European Immigration
The well-loved Little House on the Prairie series is set in the 1870's, but don't miss other great pioneer books! Dakota Dugout will give your child a better idea of what living in a prairie "soddy" was like.
The 1880's and 1890's have varying themes, with selections on the Statue of Liberty, European immigration, the Johnstown Flood, and the Orphan Trains. Train to Somewhere is a good book to read to learn the story about the solution for America's orphans during this time period.
Centennial Celebration (The American Adventure #25) by Joann A. Grote. UE-JH
Christian historical fiction.
Dakota Dugout by Ann Turner, illus. Ronald Himler. Macmillan, 1985. E-UE
Despite the short narrative, the poetic words and the pencil sketches on each page truly give a renewed sense of the difficulties of the prairie pioneer living in a sod house.
The Little House Collection: Little House in the Big Woods/Little House on the Prairie/Farmer Boy/On the Banks of Plum Creek/By the Shores of Silver Lake/The Long Winter/Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. E-UE
The stories of Laura's experiences with her pioneer family in the Midwest have become classic American favorites. See My First Little House Books below, The Caroline Years & Farmer Boy in 1860s, and Little House on Rocky Ridge in 1890s.
My First Little House Books series:
Winter on the Farm
Prairie Day
Dance at Grandpa's
Going West
Winter Days in the Big Woods
County Fair
Sugar Snow
The Deer in the Wood illus. by R. Graef, H. Jones & J. Wheeler. K-E
Selected stories from the Little House series written & illustrated for the younger child.
Wagon Wheels (I Can Read Books) by Barbara Brenner, illus. Don Bolognese. Harper & Row, 1978. E
An African-American pioneer story. Three young brothers courageously travel alone in the frontier west to find their father. Based on a true account.
Beautiful Land: A Story of the Oklahoma Land Rush by Nancy Antle.
Building Liberty: A Statue is Born by Serge Hochain. National Geographic, 2004. E-UE
Watch the Statue of Liberty take shape through the eyes of 3 boys: a French apprentice, a French sailor, and an American newsboy. Color illustrations for every short paragraph tell the fascinating story. Pair this with a Statue of Liberty craft!
The Day It Rained Forever: A Story of the Johnstown Flood (Once upon America) by Virginia T. Gross.
Gold in the Hills by Laurie Lawlor. Walker, 1995. UE+
Julie by Catherine Marshall. HS
Fiction based on the Johnstown Flood. Good story, dramatizing how and why it happened.
Paperboy by Isabelle Holland. Holiday House, 1999. UE
Setting is New York City and the difficult existence of an Irish immigrant family. A boy learns that there is opportunity for all in America if you are willing to work hard and follow your dreams.
Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting, illus. Ronald Himler. Clarion Books, 1996. E-UE
A picture book based on the Orphan Trains with a hint of sadness, but a happy ending.
The Bite of the Gold Bug: A Story of the Alaskan Gold Rush (Once upon America) by Barthe DeClements, illus. Dan Andreasen. Viking, 1992. UE
A short chapter book. Story illustrates what it was really like for men (and in this story, a boy) to leave home to pan for gold in Alaska.
Chicago World's Fair by Joann A. Grote, illus. Adam Wallenta. UE-JH
Christian historical fiction.
Danger on the Flying Trapeze (Trailblazer Books) by Dave & Neta Jackson. E-JH
Christian historical fiction. Chicago World's Fair & D. L. Moody.
The-Forty-Acre Swindle (Trailblazer Books) by Dave & Neta Jackson. E-JH
Christian historical fiction. George Washington Carver.
Little House on Rocky Ridge by Roger Lea MacBride. Series includes:
Little Farm in the Ozarks,
In the Land of the Big Red Apple, On the Other Side of the Hill,
Little Town in the Ozarks,
New Dawn on Rocky Ridge, and
On the Banks of the Bayou.
This series of books takes up where the Little House on the Prairie (see 1870s) series ends. Written by the adopted grandson and heir of Rose Wilder Lane (Laura Ingalls Wilder's daughter).
Streets of Gold by Rosemary Wells, illus. by Dan Andreasen. Dial Books, 1999. E
A Jewish family suffers under the Russian Czar and must leave friends and family for a better life. Tells of their experiences in Russia, their journey, and their settling in America.
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