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Historical Picture Books

Some of the best illustrations aren't realistic, at least not in the way the Digital Age generation has come to define realism (i.e., as perfect photographic replication). And we're not promoting Modern Art, either: far be if from us to prefer squiggles or big shapeless color patches to depictions of actual landscapes and people. What we are promoting is the exercise of the artist's art and skills, not simply as an imitator, but as a revelator and interpreter of facts.

This emphasis on artistic creativity has largely informed our selection of historical picture books. Do all of the d'Aulaire illustrations perfectly resemble key figures and events of the past? Not at all, but they do consistently capture the spirit of American history and historical figures, portraying each as they were perceived and not necessarily how they actually were. Purists may balk at this approach, but rest assured that the textual content of these books is accurate and trustworthy.

Which brings us to one of the essential aspects of history study: interpretation. If it's pure authenticity you want, photographs will do just fine, whether of individuals, places, artifacts, or buildings. But facts are only one side of history, and as far as one's worldview goes, probably not even the most important part. Not that you can do without them, but learning to read the facts and interpret them is the only reason learning about the past is a worthwhile endeavor.

Good historical picture books can help you cultivate this skill, especially when teaching younger students who aren't ready to make abstract connections between seemingly disparate facts. For instance, a picture book about the American Civil War could simply depict images of battle....or, the artist could use dark colors and heavy strokes to show both the evils of warfare as well as the deep racial themes and animosities shared by both sides throughout the War Between the States.

Some of our favorite books of the latter kind are those by Ingri and Edgar d'Aulaire. Each of these volumes is dedicated to an important American historical figure like Abraham Lincoln, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Leif Erickson, and each is well-known for its lovely lithograph prints. The accompanying text is poetic and accessible, offering a child's-eye view of people history has generally turned into mythic characters.

In a similar vein, though with cartoon-y illustrations, the Jean Fritz books are perennially popular, and justly so. These are a little more fact- and text-heavy, though still written in story form, and often focus on the more eccentric elements of famous peoples' personalities. Many of the figures covered in this series are heroes of the American War for Independence, and make excellent supplements to a study of the Colonial and New Nation eras.

A newer series from Banner of Truth Trust is destined to be among our favorites: the Heroes of the Faith books by Sinclair B. Ferguson, a Presbyterian pastor and theologian. Each book covers a covers an important church father (Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, Irenaeus) and is illustrated with somewhat stylized full-color pictures. Kids are introduced to famous saints, as well as to their basic ideas and significance, all in a format they'll welcome.

There are so many other excellent historical picture books we'd like to introduce you to, but it's probably easier for us and you to just let you browse our collection. For the most part, only narrative histories (history in story form) have made their way into this category, though there are a few exceptions. The important thing to remember is that it's never too early to introduce kids to the study of the past, and when they're particularly interested in pictures is as good a time as any to start.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes 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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Active Filters: 3rd grade (Ages 8-9), Hardcover, Used Books & Materials
Abraham Lincoln: A Man for All the People
by Myra Cohn Livingston, illustrated by Samuel Byrd
from Holiday House
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Animals Robert Scott Saw
by Sandra Markle
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in 20th Century Exploration (Location: HISW-20EXP)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Black Elk's Vision
by S. D. Nelson
from Abrams Books for Young Readers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Boy Who Drew Birds
by Jacqueline Davies
from Houghton Mifflin
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.29 $9.20 (1 in stock)
Breaking Into Print
by Stephen Krensky, illustrated by Bonnie Christensen
from Little, Brown & Company
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in History of Books & Language (Location: HISV-BOOK)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Christopher Columbus
by Elaine Murray Stone
500 Anv from Tyndale House
Biography for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.20 (1 in stock)
Coast Mappers
by Taylor Morrison
from Walter Lorraine Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Columbus: The Triumphant Failure
by Oliver Postgate & Naomi Linnell
from Franklin Watts
for 2nd-5th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Coming to America
by Betsy Maestro
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Duke Ellington
by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 3rd-6th grade
1999 Caldecott Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Enemies of Slavery
from Holiday House
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Exploration and Conquest
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
1st edition from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for 3rd-7th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Exploration and Conquest
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
1st edition from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for 3rd-7th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
First Step
by Susan E. Goodman, illustrated by E. B. Lewis
from Bloomsbury Publishing
for Preschool-3rd grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Flight
by Robert Burleigh; illustrated by Mike Wimmer
from Philomel Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1992 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in Aviation History (Location: HISV-AVIA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Galileo
by Leonard Everett Fisher
from Macmillan
for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Going West
by Jean Van Leeuwen, illustrated by Thomas Allen
from Dial Books for Young Readers
Historical fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Hairdo!
by Ruth Freeman Swain, illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith
from Holiday House
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Everyday Life in History (Location: HISV-EVERY)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Hedy Lamarr's Double Life
People Who Shaped Our World #4
by Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by Katy Wu
from Union Square Kids
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning
by Rosalyn Schanzer
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Joan of Arc
by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Robert Rayevsky
1st edition from Holiday House
Picture Book Biography for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
John Brown: One Man Against Slavery
by Gwen Everett, Illustrated by Jacob Lawrence
from Rizzoli International Publications
for 1st-3rd grade
in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
John Hancock
Weekly Reader Heroes of the Revolution
by Susan & John Lee, illustrated by Chuck Mitchell
from Children's Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$1.60 (1 in stock)
John, Paul, George & Ben
by Lane Smith
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
Juan Ponce de Leon
by Tamara Green
from World Almanac Library
for 2nd-4th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Karl, Get Out of the Garden!
by Anita Sanchez
from Charlesbridge
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.29 $7.20 (1 in stock)
King George's Head Was Made of Lead
by F. N. Monjo
from Coward McCann
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$9.60 (1 in stock)
Kubla Khan: The Emperor of Everything
by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Robert Byrd
from Viking Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
Last Princess
by Fay Stanley; illustrated by Diane Stanley
from HarperCollins
Picture Book Biographies for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Legend of Saint Nicholas
by Demi
from Margaret K. McElderry Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Librarian Who Measured the Earth
by Kathryn Lasky
from Little, Brown & Company
Biography for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.99 $9.60 (2 in stock)
Lights! Camera! Alice!
from Chronicle Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.20 (2 in stock)
Little Ships
by Louise Borden, illustrated by Michael Foreman
from Margaret K. McElderry Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in WWII: European Theater (Location: HISA-20WW2E)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Mark Twain and the Queens of the Mississippi
by Cheryl Harness
from Simon and Schuster
Biography for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.60 (1 in stock)
Marvelous Mattie
by Emily Arnold McCully
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$14.44 $6.80 (1 in stock)
My Brothers' Flying Machine
by Jane Yolen
from Little, Brown & Company
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Oversized Biographies (Location: BIO-OVER)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
My Fellow Americans
by Alice Provensen
1st edition from Harcourt Children's Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$4.00 (3 in stock)
Pass Go and Collect $200
by Tanya Lee Stone, Illustrated by Steven Salerno
from Henry Holt and Company
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14 $7.60 (1 in stock)
Patrol
by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated by Ann Grifalconi
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vietnam War (1957-1975) (Location: HISA-20VIE)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Peter the Great
by Diane Stanley
from William Morrow & Company
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.29 $9.60 (1 in stock)
Peter the Great
by Diane Stanley
from William Morrow & Company
Biography for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.60 (1 in stock)
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)
Pilgrims Plantation
by June Behrens and Pauline Brower
from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Poor Richard in France
by F. N. Monjo, illustrated by Brinton Turkle
from Henry Holt and Company
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Prince Henry the Navigator
by Leonard Everett Fisher
1st edition from Atheneum
for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Right Word
by Jen Bryant
from Eerdmans
for 1st-4th grade
2015 Caldecott Honor Book, 2015 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.14 $7.60 (1 in stock)
Rutherford B. Who Was He?
by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by John Hendrix
from Disney-Hyperion
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Sieur de La Salle
by John Paul Zronik
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$1.60 (1 in stock)
Sky Pioneers
by Jeanne LeMonnier Gardner, illustrated by Douglas Gorsline
from Harcourt, Brace & World
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
So You Want To Be President?
by Judith St. George
from Philomel Books
for 2nd-5th grade
2001 Caldecott Medal winner
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Song to Demeter
by Cynthia & William Birrer
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Sparky & Spike
by Barbara Lowell, illustrated by Dan Andreasen
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Picture Biography for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$14.41 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Starry Messenger
by Peter Sis
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Picture Book Biography for 1st-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Story of D-Day
by R. Conrad Stein & Tom Dunnington
from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Mount Rushmore
by Marilyn Prolman
from Children's Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Story of Old Ironsides
by Norman Richards
from Children's Press
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Story of the Flight at Kitty Hawk
by Len W. Meents, R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Story of the Gettysburg Address
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Kenneth Richards & Tom Dunnington
from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Story of the Mayflower Compact
from Children's Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Story of the Spirit of St. Louis
Cornerstones of Freedom
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Story of the Trail of Tears
Cornerstones of Freedom
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Story of the Underground Railroad
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Struggle for a Continent
The American Story Series
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
from HarperCollins
Historical Reference for 3rd-6th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$16.14 $9.60 (1 in stock)
Ten Kings and the Worlds They Ruled
by Milton Meltzer
1st edition from Orchard Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-7th grade
in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
$16.00 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Thanksgiving Story
by Alice Dalgliesh, illustrated by Helen Sewell
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
1955 Caldecott Honor Book
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Thomas Jefferson
by James Cross Giblin
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Tomas and the Library Lady
by Pat Mora, illustrated by Raul Colon
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Uncle Sam and Old Glory
by Delno C. West, Jean M. West
1st edition from Atheneum
for 3rd-6th grade
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Unfading Beauty
by Tracy M. Leininger
from His Seasons
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Vinnie and Abraham
by Dawn FitzGerald, illustrated by Catherine Stock
from Charlesbridge
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged!
by Jody Nyasha Warner, Richard Rudnicki
from Groundwood Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) (Location: HISA-20CIV)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
War Boy
by Michael Foreman
1st U.S. edition from Arcade Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
$6.80 (1 in stock)
When Washington Crossed the Delaware
by Lynne Cheney
from Simon & Schuster Macmillan
for Preschool-3rd grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
World Made New
by Marc Aronson & John W. Glenn
from National Geographic
for 3rd-7th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$15.26 $7.20 (2 in stock)
World of Composers: Bach
by Greta Cencetti
from Peter Bedrick Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Writing it Down
by Vicki Cobb, Illustrated by Marylin Hafner
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 1st-3rd grade
in How Things Work (Location: SCIREF-HOW)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Yankee Doodle
by Gary Chalk
from DK Publishing
for Preschool-3rd grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
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