Sitting Bull: Dakota boy

Augusta Stevenson
Simon & Schuster; Paperback; 192 pp.

A biographical look at the childhood of Sitting Bull, one of the greatest Sioux warriors to fight against the white man, from the acclaimed series Childhood of Famous Americans.

Voices of American History: Westward expansion

Steven Traugh
Creative Teaching Press; Paperback and 2 CDs; 48 pp.

This exciting book and CD tells the story of western expansion from the time of Daniel Boone to the construction of the transcontinental railroad. Through this living version of history, your child will hear the actual words of presidents, pioneers, and explorers and relive historical events through the eyes of those who lived them. The package includes a 48-page resource book, two CDs of historical songs and narratives, and three full-color posters.

Ol’ Paul, the Mighty Logger

Glen Rounds
Holiday House; Hardcover;  96 pp.

Paul Bunyan, the greatest logger that ever lived—at least that’s what they say in the logging camps. This colorful saga of the great tall-tale hero of American folklore, gives an account of the incredible exploits of one of our national folk heroes.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

Jean Lee Latham
Houghton Mifflin; Paperback; 256 pp.

A true-story account of Nathaniel Bowditch who grew up in late 1700 and early 1800. He dreamed of becoming a sailor. After initial adversity his dreams were fulfilled and he sailed around the world, all the while studying the sea, ships, and astronomy. He eventually wrote The American Practical Navigator which taught sailors how to use astronomy and mathematics to navigate their ships.

The Amazing Impossible Erie Canal

Cheryl Harness
Simon & Schuster; Paperback; 32 pp.

The author gives a fascinating account the construction and workings of the Erie Canal, from the ground-breaking ceremony on the Fourth of July in 1817 to a triumphant journey down America’s first superhighway. Includes helpful  illustrations and helpful sidebars.

Daniel Boone: Young hunter and tracker

Augusta Stevenson
Simon & Schuster; Paperback; 192 pp.

Recreates the early life of the frontier hero who blazed a trail through the Cumberland Gap and led the first white settlers into Kentucky, from the acclaimed series Childhood of Famous Americans.

The Prairie Schooners

Glen Rounds
Holiday House; Paperback; 96 pp.

Of Courage Undaunted: Across the continent with Lewis and Clark

James Daugherty
Beautiful Feet Books; Paperback; 168 pp.

Daugherty, a Newberry Award winning author, has reconstructed in essence and detail one of the most splendid and daring exploits in American history. With simple, forceful, rhythmic language, he captures the disciplined bravery, the gusto and rollicking humor of the Corps of Discovery.

Amos Fortune, Free Man

Elizabeth Yates
Penguin; Paperback; 192 pp.

The simplicity and dignity of the human spirit and its triumph over degradation are movingly portrayed in this portrait of a slave who bought his freedom.  Amos was an eighteenth-century African prince who, after being captured by slave traders, was brought to Massachusetts where he was a slave until he was able to buy his freedom at the age of sixty.

The Moccasin Trail

Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Penguin; Paperback; 256 pp.

A pioneer boy, brought up by Crow Indians, Jim is reunited with his family and attempts to orient himself in the white man’s culture. This gripping story moves from the east of the 1800s to Wyoming and westward to Oregon.

Make Way for Sam Houston

Jean Fritz
Penguin Group; Paperback; 112 pp.

Colorful Sam Houston leaps to life in the pages of this fresh and funny biography, set against the story of Texas’s fight for independence from Mexico. Lively, readable, and solidly researched, this is the kind of biography every child needs.