As fall begins, we start to think about Thanksgiving, Halloween and northern states (well, at least in Florida we do since we don’t have the beautiful changing of leaves). In many classrooms and at home, looking at the colonial period fits in perfectly with this time of year. As you study the First Thanksgiving, you can use the books on our list today to also look at life in the colonies. Enjoy fall and digging a little deeper into American History with a few of the books we listed below.
Books About Colonial America
More Resources for Little Book Lovers
The best way to encourage a love of reading is to provide kids with many opportunities to engage with a wide variety of books that are of interest to them. That’s why we share so many books lists on Fantastic Fun and Learning. We want to make it easy for you to find great books your kids will love. Over the years we’ve also discovered some helpful tools for connecting kids and books.
Digital libraries are one very handy way to do this. Epic! is one of our favorite online libraries. It’s full of over 25,000 books, learning videos, quizzes and more for kids 12 and under…and it’s free for educators. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Book Boxes are another fun way to get kids excited about reading. What kid doesn’t love to get a special delivery in the mail?! The crew over at Bookroo finds the best little known books that you won’t already have in your library, and they send them to you each month. Take a peak inside a Bookroo Box here.
Book-Based Activities are also a lot of fun for kids. Jodie over at Growing Book by Book has saved us all a ton of time and created a full year of Book-Based Activity Calendars so that you can extend the fun with a special book each week.
Colonial America Books
The Dreadful, Smelly Colonies: The Disgusting Details About Life in Colonial America by Elizabeth Raum – The Dreadful, Smelly Colonies takes a look at the ugly side of Colonial history. Readers of all ages will enjoy and be grossed out at the crazy facts of what daily life was like during the Colonial period. This a great book to use during the Thanksgiving season or a unit on the colonies.
If You Lived In Williamsburg in Colonial Days by Barbara Brenner – If You Lived in Williamsburg in Colonial Days is filled with questions kids might ask about this time period. Every few pages a new question is asked, such as; where did people get their clothing? and who did the cooking? Following the question is information that answers the question, along with illustrations that border the page.
Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak by Kay Winters – In Colonial Voices we meet Ethan, an errand boy making stops throughout Boston. At each stop Ethan learns more about the coming war that will forever change America. This is a great book to show different perspectives and how individuals changed our country.
A Horse’s Tale: A Colonial Williamsburg Adventure by Susan Lubner – A Horse’s Tale is a story of Garrick the Gardener’s horse. When the horse is sad, the people of Williamsburg work together to cheer him up with items they can give or do for the horse. Throughout the book, readers will learn about the people of Williamsburg and what they did.
You Wouldn’t Want to Be an American Colonist! by Jacqueline Morley – You Wouldn’t Want to Be an American Colonist is another book that teaches readers about the other side of life in the colonies. Another great read for units on the colonial period.
Our Colonial Year by Cheryl Harness – Our Colonial Year looks at each of the 13 colonies throughout the year and the jobs people did. From gardening, quilting bees, maple sugaring, and spinning readers will see all the many jobs that were completed in a year’s time. The illustrations are a beautiful paring with the information.
Hornbooks and Inkwells by Verla Kay – Hornbooks and Inkwells introduces readers to a school room in the colonial era. From hornbooks, inkwells, strict teaches and all ages learning in the same room, readers will see how different life was for kids.
Samuel Eaton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy by Kate Waters – Samuel Eaton’s Day is a great book, the photographs add to the story and make the setting come to life. The year is 1627 and Samuel Eaton is helping with his first rye harvest. We learn that even as a child, children were expected to work and contribute to the family. This series also includes the following books that are a great resource to use when studying the colonies.
Sarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl by Kate Waters
Tapenum’s Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy In Pilgrim Times by Kate Waters
Thy Friend, Obadiah by Brinton Turkle – Thy Friend, Obadiah tells the story of Obadiah, a colonial boy who finds a friend in a seagull. This is a sweet story that teaches readers to be kind, caring and that friends can come from the more unlikely places. There are several other books about Obadiah including: Obadiah the Bold and Rachel and Obadiah.
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