American Patriots & Heroes

When a nation turns its back on virtue and honor, those of its people who still hold those ideals in high regard seem to either voice their rage or lapse into sulky nostalgia for the "good old days." But rage only generates more rage, and the good old days (even if they were as great as everyone remembers) will never return. The only profitable response, then, is to remember and celebrate the heroes of the past as examples to imitate and guides toward the future.

Looking back to see ahead seems counterintuitive until you realize the current lack of genuine heroes in positions of political and legal authority. Not that there are none, but increasingly the leadership of the United States is less wise, less virtuous, and simply less fit to lead than has previously been the case. Whether this is because the American people are more apathetic and given to self-pleasure rather than goodness and stability, or because the quality of its leadership has declined, is unclear.

What is clear is that without a desire for virtue true patriotism is impossible—but without true patriotism a return to virtue is equally impossible. It's a vicious cycle....unless we uphold the honorable men and women of our nation's history as examples of good citizens and base our patriotism on their adherence to goodness and nobility.

Men like John Quincy Adams, who continued to serve as a U.S. Representative after his presidency expired, simply because he wanted to serve. Or Sgt. Alvin York, whose Christian pacificism led him to one of the most impressive examples of military heroism in the trenches of France during the First World War. Or Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, a Frenchman whose belief in American ideals led him to leave France in defiance of the king and enlist his services as a military commander in support of the Revolution.

Women like Mary McLeod Bethune, the daughter of former slaves who began a school for African-American students at a time when their education was considered of little importance. Or Mary Edwards Walker, the only woman to ever win the Medal of Honor (for services rendered in the American Civil War). Or the perennial favorite, Pocahontas, who converted to Christianity and married John Rolfe (and who may or may not have saved the life of the wild child John Smith, a notorious liar).

Of course none of these people were perfect, and not everything they did was good or worthwhile. We don't want to ignore their flaws. But we also don't want to dismiss them because they exhibited human characteristics and flaws. What we do want is to remember and learn from their virtues and self-sacrifice on behalf of their nation. Particularly, we want to pass this knowledge on to our children, who are our best hope for a return to goodness and a rejection of the shallowness and evil that pervades our society. This is the kind of patriotism we want to encourage, and the kind of national spirit such patriotism engenders.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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50 American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet
by Dennis Denenberg, Lorraine Roscoe
Revised from First Avenue Editions
for 4th-6th grade
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$5.60 (1 in stock)
A Weed Is a Flower
by Aliki
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
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Abraham Lincoln: The Man & His Faith
by G. Frederick Owen
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Adventures of Davy Crockett
by David Crockett, illustrated by John W. Thomason
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$18.00 (1 in stock)
Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow
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$8.00 (2 in stock)
Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider
by Jean Fritz; illustrated by Ian Schoenherr
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America's Paul Revere
by Esther Forbes
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Biography for 2nd-6th grade
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$11.04
And Long Remember
by Dorothy Canfield Fisher, illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
by Jean Fritz & Margot Tomes
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$8.99 $4.50 (3 in stock)
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Dover Thrift Editions
by Benjamin Franklin
from Dover Publications
for 9th-Adult
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$5.95
Ben Franklin
See and Read: Beginning to Read Biography
by Estelle Friedman, illustrated by James Caraway
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia
Landmark Series
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from Random House
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Benjamin Franklin
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$15.26
Benjamin Franklin
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$10.19
Benjamin Franklin
by R. Conrad Stein
from Rand McNally
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$3.00 (2 in stock)
Benjamin Franklin
Makers of America
by Ruth Cromer Weir, illustrated by Rus Anderson
from Abingdon Press
for 2nd-4th grade
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$4.80 (1 in stock)
Benjamin Franklin
by Carl Van Doren
from Library of America
for 10th-Adult
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$14.00 (1 in stock)
Benjamin Franklin: The Autobiography and Other Writings
Signet Classics
by Benjamin Franklin
Reprint from Signet Classics
Autobiography for 9th-Adult
in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
$5.06
Benjamin Franklin: Young Printer
by Augusta Stevenson
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Buffalo Bill
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Buffalo Bill and the Wild West
by Henry Blackman Sell and Victor Weybright
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt!
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 5th-8th grade
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$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Captain Edward L. Beach: Around the World Under Water
by Beril Becker
from Kingston House
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Captain John Smith
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
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$10.19
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$13.59
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by John O'Hara Cosgrave II
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
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$16.00 (1 in stock)
Charles A. Lindbergh
by James Cross Giblin
from Clarion Books
Biography for 5th-8th grade
1998 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
Christianity and the Constitution
by John Eidsmoe
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$15.00 (1 in stock)
Courage to Run
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
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$7.64 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Crispus Attucks: Black Leader of Colonial Patriots
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Dharathula H. Millender
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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$6.79
D'Aulaire American Biographies Package
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for Kindergarten-8th grade
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$111.86
Daniel Boone
by Daniel Boone
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Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Daniel Webster
Sowers Series
by Robert Allen
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Biography for 6th-8th grade
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$7.64
David Crockett: His Life and Adventures
by John S. C. Abbott
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Davy Crockett
by David Crockett
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Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Davy Crockett
Gallery of Great Americans
by Matthew G. Grant
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Picture Book Biography for Kindergarten-1st grade
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Davy Crockett
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
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Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$10.19
Douglas MacArthur
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
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Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$10.19
Escape to Freedom
by Ossie Davis
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Biographical Drama (play) for 4th-6th grade
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For You They Signed
by Marilyn Boyer
All-in-One Edition from Master Books
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in Master Books History (Location: HISCUR-MB)
$39.19
Four Great Americans
by James Baldwin
from Living Book Press
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$7.64
Freedom Train
by Dorothy Sterling
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Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Freedom's Children
by Ellen Levine
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Biography for 4th-8th grade
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George vs. George
by Rosalyn Schanzer
Reprint from National Geographic
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$6.95
George Washington
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$15.26
George Washington
by James Giblin & Michael Dooling
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Biography for 2nd-5th grade
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George Washington
by Cheryl Harness
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George Washington Carver
Sowers Series
by David Collins
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Biography for 5th-7th grade
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George Washington's Breakfast
by Jean Fritz
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Biography for 1st-4th grade
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George Washington: Soldier and Man
by North Callahan
from William Morrow & Company
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$2.40 (1 in stock)
Give Me Liberty
Leaders in Action Series
by David Vaughan
from Cumberland House
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA)
$17.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Go Free or Die
by Jeri Ferris
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
Biography for 4th-6th grade
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$9.99
Great Little Madison
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 5th-8th grade
1990 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.79
Great Little Madison
by Jean Fritz
1st edition from G.P. Putnam's Sons
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$7.20 (1 in stock)
Harriet Beecher Stowe and the Beecher Preachers
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 5th-8th grade
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$5.94
Harriet Tubman
by Ann Petry
from HarperCollins
Biography for 4th-6th grade
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$8.49
Harriet Tubman: Freedom's Trailblazer
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$6.79
Haym Salomon: Liberty's Son
by Shirley Milgrim, illustrated by Richard Fish
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Helen Keller
by Margaret Davidson
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 2nd-5th grade
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$5.09
Helen Keller: The Story of My Life
Signet Classics
by Helen Keller
Reprint from Signet Classics
Autobiography for 7th-10th grade
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Helen Keller: The Story of My Life
by Helen Keller
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How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning
by Rosalyn Schanzer
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I Have a Dream
by Martin Luther King, Jr.
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) (Location: HISA-20CIV)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King
by Ellen Levine
Updated from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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$4.50 (2 in stock)
In Their Own Words: Abraham Lincoln
In Their Own Words
by George Sullivan
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 3rd-4th grade
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In Their Own Words: Pocahontas
by George Sullivan
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Biography for 4th-6th grade
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
Jed Smith
by Frank Latham
from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 4th-8th grade
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$8.93
John Adams
by David McCullough
from Simon and Schuster
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$12.00
John Hancock
by Candice Ransom
from Barnes & Noble
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$2.40 (1 in stock)
John Hancock: A Signature Life
by Philip Koslow
from Franklin Watts
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$4.80 (1 in stock)
John Muir: Young Naturalist
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Montrew Dunham
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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$9.31
John Paul Jones
Sterling Point Books
by Armstrong Sperry
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in War of 1812 (Location: HISA-19WET)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
John Paul Jones
by Norma Jean Lutz
from Chelsea House Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
John, Paul, George & Ben
by Lane Smith
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
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$7.20 (1 in stock)
Life of General Stonewall Jackson
by Mary Williamson
from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
$8.23 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Life of George Washington
by Mary Williamson
from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
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$9.99 $4.80 (2 in stock)
Life of J.E.B. Stuart
by Mary Williamson
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
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$9.99
Life of Washington
by Josephine Pollard
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 3rd-8th grade
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$9.31 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Life of Washington
by Anna Reed
from Master Books
for 10th-Adult
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$12.74
Lincoln: A Photobiography
by Russell Freedman
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1988 Newbery Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.40 (3 in stock)
Luther the Leader
by Virgil Robinson
from A. B. Publishing, Inc.
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.46 $3.20 (2 in stock)
Martin Luther
by J. A. Morrison
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
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$4.80 (1 in stock)
Martin Luther
by J. A. Morrison
3rd edition from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
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$9.99 $4.80 (1 in stock)
Martin Luther King Day
by Linda Lowery
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 1st-2nd grade
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$1.20 (1 in stock)
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Young Man with a Dream
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Dharathula H. Millender
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$7.99
Meet George Washington
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
by Joan Heilbroner
from Random House
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$5.94 $2.40 (2 in stock)
Meet George Washington
Step Up Books
by Joan Heilbroner
from Random House
Biography for 1st-4th grade
in Step Up Books (Location: VIN-STEP)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Meet Martin Luther King, Jr.
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
by James T. de Kay
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.24
Meet Thomas Jefferson
by Marvin Barrett
from Random House
for Preschool-3rd grade
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$1.20 (3 in stock)
Molly Pitcher: Young Patriot
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Augusta Stevenson
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$7.64
Mountain Men and Fur Traders of the Far West
by LeRoy R. Hafen & Harvey L. Carter
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 9th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$21.95 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee
by David Crockett
Reprint from Bison Books
for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$14.41
One Giant Leap
by Don Brown
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 1st-3rd grade
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$5.91
Patrick Henry
The Founding Fathers
by Stuart A. Kallen
from ABDO Publishing Co.
for 2nd-5th grade
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$3.60 (1 in stock)
Paul Revere
First Biographies
by Jan Gleiter and Kathleen Thompson, Illustrated by Francis Balistreri
from Steck-Vaughn Company
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Paul Revere: Boston Patriot
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Augusta Stevenson
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant
Penguin Classics
by Ulysses S. Grant
from Penguin Classics
Autobiography for 10th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$19.00
Picture Book of Davy Crockett
by David Adler
from Holiday House
Picture Book Biography for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.79
Picture Book of George Washington
by David A. Adler
1st edition from Holiday House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr.
by David A. Adler
Reprint from Holiday House
Biography for Preschool-1st grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
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