Recommended Reading

Hi Friends,

We are getting ready to celebrate summer and the birth of our nation.  July 4 is around the corner and it’s the perfect time to read up on America.  When the kids were younger, they would ask why we have a holiday for eating hot dogs and shooting fireworks. Of course this was before they watched Disney’s Hamilton the whole summer of 2020. 

To be honest, I don’t ever remember reading much non-fiction outside of the classroom.  History was never really that interesting to me as a child but I loved period fiction and historical fiction.  If you have a history buff, this list is for you. This one includes both non-fiction and historical fiction because they are fun and engaging for kids. 

This post shares with you some great book resources to celebrate America.  Book images in this post include amazon affiliate links and ads.  I may receive commission from clicks or purchases from the site links.  Clicking on the book image will open a new tab for shopping books from this list.  The book images also provide a reference for library or independent bookstore browsing. 

Here are 10 recommended books to celebrate the United States.

• America: A Patriotic Primer by Lynne Cheney

This ABC book is all about giving the very basics of America to readers.  It explains different aspects of America and American history through the alphabet.  This book is authored by former second lady Lynne Cheney and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser the illustrator of several Fancy Nancy book series.  This book is great for preschool and lower grade school children.

• Red, White and Blue the Story of the American Flag by John Herman

The story of the American flag is so interesting that it is a great book to read near July fourth.  We were fortunate enough to visit the National Museum of American History and got to view the 1814 garrison flag that survived the battle at Fort McHenry and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the “Star Spangled Banner”.  This book covers the general history of the flags origins and general flag history.  This is a leveled reader good for lower grade school.

• A Primary Source History of the American Revolution by Sarah Powers Webb

This is a great reference book for teaching the American Revolution and about primary source references.  I used this book while home schooling our fourth grader when we studied the Revolutionary War.  This book includes letters written during that time period that document the events that were occurring during the war.  Primary source teaching is really important during our current age of instant information. 

• The Split History of the American Revolution by Michael Burgan

This is another book we used for fourth grade history and language arts.  This book gives information about the American Revolution from the perspective of each side the Americans and the British.  This book is a good reference for using a compare and contrast writing technique.  This book discusses how the British were well dressed, well-funded, and well established in battle.  The Continental Army was very under dressed and under-funded.

• King George: What Was His Problem: Everything the History Books Didn’t Tell You About the American Revolution by Steve Sheinkin

We also used this chapter book as part of our American Revolutionary War studies for fourth grade.  This book by Steve Sheinkin is told in story teller style of some of the most interesting tales of the American Revolutionary war.  It features great detail about how and why Benedict Arnold became a traitor.  It also features key players in benefiting the Americans that are typically left out of history books.  Great heroes like James Armistead Lafayette are featured in this text.

• Susanna’s Midnight Ride by Libby Carty McNamee

Susanna’s Midnight Ride features the key story of Susanna Bolling and her brave journey to warn Lafayette of the British plan to capture him at Half Way House in Virginia.  Susanna Bolling learned of this plan from General Cornwallis who had taken over her family’s plantation.  This book tells the story of war heroes not typically found in school text books. 

• Robert Smalls: A Not Too Tall Tale by Patience Clay

Robert Smalls was a slave turned ship captain during the Civil War.  He freed himself and his crew and families from the confederate army and sailed the confederate transport ship into the union controlled harbor near Hilton Head Island South Carolina. Robert Smalls knowledge of the confederate signals and his steady composure provided the way for his chance at freedom. Celebrating independence means celebrating independence for all.

• I Survived: the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis

I Survived: the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis is part of the Scholastic “I Survived Series” of historical fiction books.  This book features the story of a young boy growing up during the American Revolution.  Life was very different back then.  This book give a perspective of what it might have been like to experience life during the turning point of American history.

• Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes

Johnny Tremain is the most famous historical fiction book that takes place during the American Revolution.  Johnny was working as a silversmith when a work place accident sends him looking for new work as a stable boy.  Now he is in the middle of the American Revolution.  This Newbery award winning classic historic fiction is the perfect read this Independence Day weekend. 

• Ben and Me by Robert Lawson

Did you ever think that a mouse could save the colony? In this historic fiction tale, fiction takes the front seat as this story is told from the perspective of Ben Franklin’s own mouse, Amos.  Amos is the smartest mouse there is, and is always helping Ben Franklin invent something or save the colonies from British rule. These funny adventures are a truly different perspective of one of our nation’s favorite patriots.

Remember what Gretchen Rubin says, “The [summer] days are long but the years are short”.  Spend those long days reading and those moments will never be wasted.