1492 - Columbus

The Boy Who Sailed With Columbus by Michael Foreman and Richard Seaver JFIC FOR

Twelve year-old Leif, a Viking orphan, travels as a ship's boy with Columbus on his voyage of discovery.
 

Encounter by Jane Yolen. Illustrated By David Shannon JFIC YOL

A Taino Indian boy on the island of San Salvador recounts the landing of Columbus and his men in 1492.

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1620 - Mayflower

Across the Wide Dark Sea: The Mayflower Journey by Jean Van Leeuwen. Illustrated by Thomas B. Allen JFIC VAN

A boy and his family endure a difficult nine-week journey across the ocean and survive the first winter at Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts.

William's House by Ginger Howard. Illustrated by Larry Day JFIC HOW

Arriving in New England in 1637, William is determined to recreate his home in England but realizes that the climate requires modifications to his plans.

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Late 1600s - Colonial Era

Mollie Bannaky by McGill, Alice. Illustrated by Chris Soentpiet.JFIC MCG

Relates how Benjamen Bannekers' grandmother journeyed from England to Maryland in the late 17th century, worked as an indentured servant, began a farm of her own and married a free slave.

1760s - Colonial Era

The Chester Town Tea Party by Brenda Seabrooke. Illustrated By Nancy Coates JFIC SEA

In 1773, Amanda Wetherby was just 9 years old when the townspeople of Chester, Maryland decided not to buy, sell, or use tea as a sign of protest of the poeple of Boston. Amanda joins her brother George in an event that is still celebrated each May in modern Chester Town. (1991)

A Williamsburg Household by Joan Anderson. Photographs by George Ancona JFIC AND

Focuses on events in the household of a white family and its black slaves in Colonial Williamsburg in the 18th century.

Pioneer Church by Carolyn Otto. Illustrated by Megan Lloyd JFIC OTT

In the mid-1700's, four families build a log church on a hill in central Pennsylvania, and congregations worshiped in it and its replacement up through World War II. Based on the history of Old Zion Church in Brickerville, Pennsylvania.

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1776 - 1783 - American Revolution

Charlotte by Janet Lunn. Illustrated by Brian Deines. JFIC LUN

In 1783, Charlotte Haines was 10 years old. During the American Revolution her family had been divided between Loyalist and Patriot, so the hatred of war still lingered throughout her life.

The Hatmaker's Sign: A Story by Benjamin Franklin by Candace Fleming (retelling). Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker JFIC FLE

To heal the hurt pride of Thomas Jefferson as Congress makes changes in his Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin tells his friend the story of a hatmaker and his sign.

Katie's Trunk by Ann Turner. Illustrated by Ronald Himler. JFIC TUR

Katie, whose family is not sympathetic to the rebel soldiers during the American Revolution, hides under the clothes in her mother's wedding trunk when they invade her home.

Samuel's Choice by Richard Barleth. Illustrated by James Watling JFIC BAR

Samuel, a fourteen-year-old slave in Brooklyn in 1776, faces a difficult choice when the fighting between the British and the colonists reaches his doorstep and only he can help the rebels.

Sleds on Boston Common: A Story from the American Revolution by Louise Borden. Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker JFIC BOR

Henry complains to the royal governor, General Gage, after his plan to sled down the steep hill at Boston Common is thwarted by the masses of British troops camped there.

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1789 - 1830 - Early Republic

America's First Elephant by Robert McClung. Illustrated by Marilyn Janovitz. JFIC MCC

Recounts how the first elephant came to America in 1795, met President George Washington and toured the country.

Aurora means Dawn by Scott Sanders. Illustrated by Jill Kastner JFIC SAN

After traveling from Connecticut to Ohio in 1800 to start a new life in the settlement
Of Aurora, the Sheldons find that they are the first family to arrive there and realize that they will be starting a new community by themselves.

Barn by Debby Atwell JFIC ATW

Follows the life of a country barn from the late 18th century to the present day.

Bewildered for Three Days: As to why Daniel Boone never Wore his Coonskin Cap byAndrew Glass. JFIC GLA

With the help of what he learned from a Delaware Indian boy and an accommodating mother raccoon, young Daniel Boone escapes danger when a bear steals his coonskin cap.

A Big Cheese for the White House: The True Tale of a Tremendous Cheddar by Candace Fleming. Illustrated by S.D. Schindler. JFIC FLE

In 1801, in Cheshire, Massachusetts, Elder John Leland organizes his fellow townspeople to make a big cheese for President Jefferson, who up until that time had been forced to eat inferior cheeses.

The Floating House by Scott Sanders. Illustrated by Helen Cogancherry JFIC SAN

In 1815, the McClures sail their flatboat from Pittsburgh down the Ohio River and settle in what would later become Indiana.

George Washington's Breakfast by Paul Galdone JFIC FRI

A young boy by the name of George Allen researches what our first president ate for breakfast when he lived in retirement at Mount Vernon.

Lottie's Dream by Bonnie Pryor. Illustrated by Mark Graham JFIC PRY

As a young girl in Kentucky, Lottie dreams of the distant ocean, but she doesn't get to live there until much later in her life.

Nothing Here but Trees by Jean Van Leeuwen. Illustrated by Phil Boatwright JFIC VAN

A close-knit pioneeer family carves out a new home amidst the densely-forested land of Ohio in early 19th-century America.

Old Bet and the Start of the American Circus by Robert McClung. Illustrated by Laura Kelly. JFIC MCC

Describes the performing career of the elephant Old Bet whose traveling exhibition under the management of Hackaliah Bailey in the early 19th century gave rise to the tradition of the American circus.

Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall. Illustrated by Barbara Cooney JFIC HAL

Describes the day-to-day life throughout the changing seasons of an early 19th-century New England family.

Pearl by Debbie Atwell. JFIC ATW

Events in the history of the United States, from George Washington's presidency through the beginning of the space program, are related to the experiences of one family.

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1800s - Slavery

Amistad Rising: A Story of Freedom by Veronica Chambers. Illustrated by Paul Lee JFIC CHA

A fictional account of the 1839 revolt of Africans aboard the slave ship Amistad and the subsequent legal case argued before the Supreme Court in 1841 by former President John Quincy Adams.

The Freedom Riddle by Angela Medearis. Illustrated by John Ward. JFIC MED

Master Brown agrees to grant Jim his freedom if Jim can stump him with a riddle.

In the Time of the Drums by Kim L Siegelson. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney JFIC SIE

Mentu, an American-born slave boy, watches his beloved grandmother, Tevi, lead the insurrection at Teakettle Creek of Ibo people arriving from Africa on a slave ship.

Jumping the Broom by Courtni C. Wright. Illustrated by Gersham Griffith JFIC WRI

Eight-year-old Lettie describes the preparations for her sister's wedding and the day itself, a day of celebration in the slave quarters, where free time for fun is inadequate. (1994)

Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney JFIC SCH

Young Harriet Tubman, whose childhood name was Minty, dreams of escaping slavery on the Brodas plantation in the late 1820s.

A Net to Catch Time by Sara Harrell Banks. Illustrated by Scott Cook. JFIC BAN

Depicts a day in the life of a boy on one of Georgia's barrier islands as sequenced by the Gullah terms for time.

Now Let me Fly: The Story of a Slave Family by Dolores Johnson. JFIC JOH

A fictionalized account of the life of Minna, kidnapped as a girl in Africa, as she endures the harsh life of a slave on a Southern plantation in the 1800s and tries to help her family survive.

A School for Pompey Walker by Michael J. Rosen. Illustrated by Aminah Robinson JFIC ROS

At the dedication of a school named after him, an old former slave tells the story of his life and how, with the help of a white friend, he managed to save money to build a school for black children in Ohio by being repeatedly sold into and escaping from slavery.

Sky Sash So Blue by Libby Hathorn. Illustrated by Benny Andrews JFIC HAT

This story in rhyme tells of the special sky-blue sash that a young slave girl offers to her older sister for her wedding dress. This becomes a tie that binds the family together when the sister moves away.

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1830 - Industrial Revolution

The Bobbin Girl by Emily Arnold McCully JFIC McC

A 10 year-old bobbin girl working in a textile mill in Lowell, Massachusetts in the 1830s must make a difficult decision: will she participate in the first workers' strike in Lowell?

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1835 - Santa Fe Trail

Lewis and Papa: Adventure on the Santa Fe Trail by Barbara Joosse. Illustrated by Jon Van Zyle JFIC JOO

While accompanying his father on the wagon train along the Santa Fe Trail, Lewis discovers what it is to be a man.

A Right Fine Line: Kit Carson on the Santa Fe Trail by Andrew Glass JFIC GLA

Shortly before his 16th birthday, Kit Carson leaves his home in Missouri, heads out for Sante Fe, and begins a series of adventures as a legendary mountain man.

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1840 - Concord, Massachusetts

Mr. Emerson's Cook by Judith Byron Schachner JFIC SCH

Annie Burns answers an ad requesting an extraordinary cook needed to get Mr. Emerson to eat real food to supplement the nourishment he derives from nature through his imagination.

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1850s - Underground Railroad

Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad by Pamela Duncan Edwards. Illustrated by Henry Cole JFIC EDW

A group of animals help a runaway slave escape his pursuers.

Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter JFIC WIN

By following the directions in a song, "The Drinking Gourd," taught them by an old sailor named Peg Leg Joe, runaway slaves journey north along the Underground Railroad to freedom in Canada.

Journey to Freedom by Courtni Wright. Illustrated by Gershom Griffith JFIC WRI

Joshua and his family, runaway slaves from a tobacco plantation in Kentucky, follow the Underground Railroad to freedom.

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson. Illustrated by James Ransome JFIC HOP

A young slave stitches a quilt with a map pattern which guides her to freedom in the North.

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Antebellum - Pre Civil War

Birdie's Lighthouse by Deborah Hopkinson. Illustrated by Kimberly Root JFIC HOP

The diary of a 10 year-old girl who moves with her family in 1855 from a town on the Maine coast to rugged Turtle Island where her father is to be the lighthouse keeper.

Nettie's Trip South by Ann Turner. Illustrated by Ronald Himler JFIC TUR

A 10 year-old northern girl encounters the ugly realities of slavery when she visits Richmond, Virginia, and sees a slave auction.

Sweetwater Run: The Story of Buffalo Bill Cody and the Pony Express by Andrew Glass. JFIC GLA

In 1860, thirteen-year-old Will Cody rides the Pony Express 320 miles to deliver news of the United States presidential election of Abraham Lincoln.

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1861 - 1865 - The Civil War

A. Lincoln and Me by Louise Borden. Illustrated by Ted Lewin. JFIC BOR

Sharing the same birthday, February 12th, with A. Lincoln, the young boy was awkward for his age. The boy studies the 16th president and that opens his mind to future possibilities. A poetic story that introduces the reader to a wonderful boy and a great president.

The Blue and the Gray by Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Ned Bittinger JFIC BUN

As a black boy and his white friend watch the construction of a house which will make them neighbors on the site of a Civil War battlefield, they agree that their homes are monuments to that war.

Drummer Boy: Marching to the Civil War by Ann Turner. Illustrated by Mark Hess JFIC TUR

A 13 year-old soldier coming of age during the American Civil War beats his drum to raise commands and spirits and muffle the sounds of the dying.

Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco JFIC POL

Say Curtis describes his meeting with Pinkus Aylee, a black soldier during the Civil War, and their capture by Southern troops.

Selina and the Bear Paw Quilt by Barbara Smucker. Illustrated by Janet Wilson JFIC SMU

When her Mennonite family moves to Upper Canada to avoid involvement in the Civil War, young Selina is given a special quilt to remember the grandmother she left behind. (1999)

The Tin Heart by Karen Ackerman. Illustrated by Michael Hays JFIC ACK

As the onset of the Civil War causes a rift between their fathers, Mahaley and Flora find a way to preserve their friendship.

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1865 - 1871 - Post Civil War

A Band of Angels: A Story Inspired by the Jubilee Singers by Deborah Hopkinson. Illustrated by Raul Colon JFIC HOP

The daughter of a slave forms a gospel singing group and goes on tour to raise money to save Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Freedom's Gifts by Valerie Wesley. Illustrated by Sharon Wilson JFIC WES

When a girl from New York visits her cousin in Texas, she learns the origin of June 19th, a holiday marking the day Texan slaves realized they were free.

The Mary Celeste: An Unsolved Mystery from History by Jane Yolen and Heidi Elisabeth Stemple. Illustrated by Roger Roth JFIC YOL

A young girl relates the facts that are known about the unexplained disappearance of the crew of the ship Mary Celeste in 1872 and challenges the reader to solve the mystery.

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1865 - Westward Expansion

Boom Town by Sonia Levitin. Illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith JFIC LEV

After her family moves to California where her father goes to work in the gold fields, Amanda decides to make her own fortune baking pies. She encourages others to provide the necessary services -- from a general store to a school -- that enables her town to prosper.

Crazy Horse's Vision by Joseph Bruchac. Illustrated by S.D. Nelson. JFIC BRU

A story based on the life of the dedicated young Lakota boy who grew up to be one of the bravest defenders of his people.

Dakota Dugout by Ann Turner. Illustrated by Ronald Himler. JFIC TUR

A woman describes her experiences living with her husband in a sod house on the Dakota prairie.

Dandelions by Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Greg Shed JFIC BUN

Zoe and her family find strength in each other as they make a new home in the Nebraska territory.

The Divide by Bedard Michael. Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully JFIC BED

Unhappy when her family first moves west to the plains of Nebraska, the young Willa Cather comes to appreciate the beauty of her new home.

A Fourth of July on the Plains by Jean Van Leeuwen . Illustrated by Henri Sorensen JFIC VAN

Young Jesse and his family are with a wagon train traveling from Indiana to Oregon when they stop to celebrate the Fourth of July. Jesse is too young to go hunting with the men so he comes up with his own contribution to the festivities.

Ghost Train by Paul Yee. Illustrated by Harvey Chan JFIC YEE

When young Choon-Yu leaves China to join her father in America where he is working on the railroad, she discovers that he has died.

I Have Heard of a Land by Joyce Carol Thomas. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper JFIC THO

Describes the joys and hardships experienced by an African-American pioneer woman who staked a claim for Free Land in the Oklahoma Territory.

Nine for California by Sonia Levitin. Illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith JFIC LEV

Amanda travels by stagecoach with her four siblings and her mother from Missouri to California to join her father.

The Prairie Train by Antoine O'Flatharta. Illustrated by Eric Rahmann. JFIC OFL

As a young Irish immigrant boy travels by steam engine across the American prairie to a new life in San Francisco, memories of the old country pull at his heart.

Red Flower goes West by Ann Turner. Illustrated by Dennis Nolan JFIC TUR

As they journey west, a family nurtures the red flower they have carried with them from their old home.

Taking Charge by Sonia Levitin. Illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith JFIC LEV

When her mother has to leave home suddenly, Amanda learns how demanding it is to run a household and care for a baby.

Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Ronald Himler JFIC BUN

In the late 1800s, Marianne travels westward on the Orphan Train in hopes of being placed with a caring family.

The Wagon by Tony Johnston. Illustrated by James E. Ransome JFIC JOH

A young boy is sustained by his family as he endures the difficulties of being a slave, but when he finally gains his freedom his joy is tempered by the news of the death of President Lincoln.

Wagon Train by Courtni C. Wright. Illustrated by Gersham Griffith JFIC WRI

Ginny and her African-American family travel by wagon train from Virginia to California at the end of the Civil War.

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1880 - Women's Rights

The Ballot Box Battle by Emily Arnold McCully JFIC McC

On Election Day, a young girl comes to the rescue of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the famous leader in the struggle for women's rights.

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1890 - 1900 - Immigration

American Too by Elisa Bartone. Illustrated by Ted Lewin JFIC BAR

When Rosie arrived in New York City, the first thing she saw was the Statue of Liberty. Shortly after the end of World War I, her imagination made her American dream come true on the Italian feast of St. Genna's.

The Dream Jar by Bonnie Pryor. JFIC PRY

After emigrating to America, each member of a Russian family works hard to contribute to the family's dream of someday owning and running a store.

Dreaming of America: An Ellis Island Story by Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Ben F. Stahl JFIC BUN

Annie Moore cares for her two younger brothers on board the ship sailing from Ireland to America where she becomes the first immigrant processed through Ellis Island, on January 1, 1892, her 15th birthday.

An Ellis Island Christmas by Maxinne Rhea Leighton. Illustrated by Dennis Nolan JFIC LEI

Having left Poland and braved ocean storms to join her father in America, Krysia arrives at Ellis Island on Christmas Eve.

Klara's New World by Jeanette Winter JFIC WIN

A Swedish family faces many hardships when they immigrate to America in search of a better life.

The Memory Coat by Elvira Woodruff. Illustrated by Michael Dooling JFIC WOO

In the early 1900s, two cousins leave their Russian small town with the rest of their family to come to America, hopeful that they will all pass the dreaded inspection at Ellis Island.

Molly's Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen. Illustrated by Daniel Mark Duffy JFIC COH

Told to make a Pilgrim doll for the Thanksgiving display at school, Molly is embarrassed when her mother tries to help her out by creating a doll dressed as she herself was dressed before leaving Russia to seek religious freedom.

My Name is not Gussie by Mikki Macklin. JFIC MAC

A young girl describes the difficulties and joys that she and her family experience when they come from Russia to settle in New York City in the early 20th century.

Peppe the Lamplighter by Elisa Bartone. Illustrated by Ted Lewin JFIC BAR

Peppe's father is upset when he learns that Peppe has taken a job lighting the gas street lamps in his New York City neighborhood.

When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest. Illustrated by P. J. Lynch JFIC HES

A 13 year-old Jewish orphan reluctantly leaves her grandmother and immigrates to New York City, where she works for three years sewing lace and earning money to bring Grandmother to the United States too.