Regional History

Once upon a time, schoolchildren could be expected to know the name of the mountains separating France from Spain, the location of the Nile River, the capitals of all fifty states, and what and where the Pampas could be found. Now, even adults have a hard time naming the most populous city in the U.S. or the countries of Asia. These are, indeed, sad times, and doomed to become sadder if this geographic ignorance is not turned to knowledge.

Without a firm grasp on geography, how can we expect to know anything about history? History is rooted in a sense of place. Why did the Union troops lose the Battle of Cold Harbor? Because they were attacking Confederate fortifications uphill. And if you don't know anything about the Alps, the fact that Hannibal's army crossed them with elephants won't surprise you near as much as it should. Understanding the physical terrain and the demographics of an area are essential to understanding the history of that region.

Which is why studying history by place is such a good idea. There are cultural considerations, of course, and these can be immensely helpful guides in their own right, but simply looking at the lay of the land so to speak will provide a sense of context more abstract boundaries never can. African history, for instance, makes so much more sense if you know what the continent is like.

Even cultures are influenced by geography. Take the United States: some of the most important advances in transportation technology happened within her borders largely due to necessity. The steam engine train was perfected here, automobiles and airplanes were invented here, and in the last few decades we've led the world in space exploration.

It's not that no one traveled before the 19th and 20th century, or outside the North American continent—it's just that because the new nation was so vast, and there were so many natural barriers (the Mississippi River, the Grand Tetons and Great Smokey Mountains, the Mojave Desert), new forms of getting from here to there were not only a good idea, they were a necessity.

There probably isn't one instance in the history of the world in which geography and events weren't directly tied. Certainly this is true for military history, and exploration, and agriculture, but it's also true of ideas and ideologies. Part of the reason slavery was such an important part of Southern culture in the U.S. was that cotton was an immensely growable crop and only armies of slaves could be counted on to get all the work done; in order to justify the use of forced labor, however, a philosophical ethos was developed.

Other instances may be more obscure, but no less true. In France, the mild climate and fertile country led to a series of approaches to thought that emphasized experience and the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake (particularly existentialism); in ancient Greece, the geographical isolation enforced by mountains and seas allowed democratic polity to emerge among the city states.

Geography and history are pretty much Siamese twins, and academic technology has not advanced to the point where they can be separated without risk of life to both. We've organized the subcategories in this section along pretty standard lines (continents, countries, and the like), but standards arise because they work. Explore a region you're unfamiliar with; you're likely to uncover quite a few surprises.

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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470 Items found Print
Active Filters: 2nd grade (Ages 7-8), Used Books & Materials
1, 2, 3, Go!
by Huy Voun Lee
from Henry Holt and Company
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in China (Location: HISMC-CHI)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
A Christmas Carol Audio Drama - 2 CD set
by Charles Dickens
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A is for Abigail
by Lynne Cheney
1st edition from Simon and Schuster
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Abraham Lincoln
A Rookie Biography
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Acadia National Park
Road Trip: National Parks
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Adventures of Munford: Munford Meets Lewis & Clark
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Airplanes of the Second World War - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Algonquin
by Natalie M. Rosinsky
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Alvin Ailey
by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated by Brian Pinkney
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Always Room for One More
by Sorche Nic Leodhas
from Henry Holt and Company
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1966 Caldecott Medal winner
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America in the Time of Abraham Lincoln
by Sally Senzell Isaacs
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America in the Time of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
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America in the Time of Lewis and Clark
by Sally Senzel Isaacs
from Heinemann-Raintree
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America is....
by Louise W. Borden, illustrated by Stacey Schuett
from Margaret K. McElderry Books
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America: A Patriotic Primer
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America: A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne Cheney
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American Made: The Colonial Child of 1740
by Marcia Fann
from Great American Coloring Book, Inc.
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American Moments
by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Bruce Strachan
from Henry Holt and Company
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Amzat and His Brothers
by Paula Fox (reteller), illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
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And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
by Jean Fritz & Margot Tomes
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Biography for 2nd-4th grade
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Angel Child, Dragon Child
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Anne Frank's Story
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Anne of Jamestown
by Anne Price-Hardister, illustrated by Ruby Gardner
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Aquila's Drinking Gourd
by Pamela Dell
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Around the World in a Hundred Years
by Jean Fritz
from Penguin Putnam
Biography for 2nd-5th grade
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$6.00 (2 in stock)
Astrid the Unstoppable
by Maria Parr, translated from the Norwegian by Guy Puzey
from Candlewick Press
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Aztecs & Incas
Sightseers Essential Travel Guides to the Past
by Camilla Reid
Har/Map from Kingfisher
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B is for Beaver
by Marie & Roland Smith, illustrated by Michael Roydon
from Sleeping Bear Press
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Bad River Boys
by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth
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Be a King
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Bears, Pirates and Silver Lace
by Anne B. Fisher; illustrated by Phil Nesbitt
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Beatrice's Goat
by Page McBrier
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
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Ben and Me
by Robert Lawson
from Little, Brown & Company
Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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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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Benjamin Franklin
Makers of America
by Ruth Cromer Weir, illustrated by Rus Anderson
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Benjamin in the Woods
Wonder Books Easy Reader
by Eleanor Clymer, illustrated by William Russell
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Biography of a Rhino
by Alice L. Hopf; illustrated by Kiyo Komoda
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Birds of Killingworth
by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Kimberly Bulcken Root
1st edition from Sun Dial Press
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Blue Lotus
Adventures of Tintin
by Herge
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Book About Christopher Columbus
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Brave Harriet
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Brer Rabbit and His Tricks
by Ennis Rees; illustrated by Edward Gorey
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Bringing in the New Year
by Grace Lin
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
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Brothers in Hope
by Mary Williams, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
from Lee & Low Books
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2006 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award
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Caleb's Story
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
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California Plant & Animal Communities
by Barbara J. Collins
from California State Department of Education
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Canada
Discovering Cultures
by Patricia J. Murphy
from Benchmark Books
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in Canada (Location: HISMC-CAN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Canada Geese Quilt
by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
from Cobblehill Books
Realistic Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
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Cassie's Journey
by Brett Harvey; illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray
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Chang's Paper Pony
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Eleanor Coerr
from HarperCollins
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Child's Geography Volume IV (old)
by Terry Johnson
from Knowledge Quest
for 1st-8th grade
in Old Edition History & Geography (Location: OHIS)
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Child's Geography Volume V
by Terry Johnson
from Knowledge Quest
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Children from Australia to Zimbabwe
by Anna Rhesa Versola, Maya Ajmera
Revised ed. from Charlesbridge
for 1st-3rd grade
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Children Just Like Me
by Anabel Kindersley, Barnabas Kindersley
from DK Publishing
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Children of Foreign Lands
by Elizabeth F. McCrady, verses by Kate Cox Goddard, illustrated by Ninon Macknight
from Platt and Munk Publishers
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Children of Mount Vernon
by Miriam Anne Bourne, illustrated by Gloria Kamen
from Doubleday & Company
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Children of the Civil War
Picture the American Past
by Candice F. Ransom
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
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Children of the Earth and Sky
by Stephen Krensky, Illustrated by James Watling
from Scholastic Inc.
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Children of the Emancipation -1860s to 1890s
Picture the American Past
by Wilma King
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
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Children's Color Book of Jamestown in Virginia
by Priscilla Hunt
from The Dietz Pres, Inc.
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Children's Illustrated Jewish Bible
by Laaren Brown & Lenny Hort
Revised Edition from DK Children
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Chin Chiang and the Dragon's Dance
by Ian Wallace
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
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Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes
by Selected and Edited by Robert Wyndham, Illustrated by Ed Young
from Philomel Books
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Christmas on the Prairie
by Joan. Anderson
from Clarion Books
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Christopher Columbus
by Elaine Murray Stone
500 Anv from Tyndale House
Biography for Preschool-3rd Grade
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Civil War Artist
by Taylor Morrison
from HMH Books for Young Readers
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Cliff Dwellers of Walnut Canyon
by Carroll Lane Fenton and Alice Epstein, illustrated by Albert Orbaan and Carroll Lane Fenton
from The John Day Company
for 1st-3rd grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Colombia
Discovering Cultures
by Sarah De Capua
from Benchmark Books
for 2nd-4th grade
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
Colonial America
by Donald M. Silver, Patricia J. Wynne
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Colonial America Cooperative Learning Activities
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Colonial People: The Silversmith
by Wil Mara
from Marshall Cavendish Education
for 2nd-5th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Colonial Times 1600-1700
by Joy Masoff
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Colonial Town: Williamsburg
by Bobbie Kalman
Revised from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Coloring Book of American Indians
from Bellerophon Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Native American Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAM)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Coloring Book of Incas, Aztecs & Mayas
from Bellerophon Books
for 1st-5th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Coloring Book of the Civil War
from Bellerophon Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$2.50 (2 in stock)
Columbus Discovers America - Coloring Book
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
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$4.99 $3.00 (2 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)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Coming On Home Soon
by Jacqueline Woodson
1st edition from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
Coming to America
by Betsy Maestro
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Coming to America
by Betsy Maestro
from Scholastic Inc.
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Conrad Elroy, Powder Monkey
by Alvin Robert Cunningham
from Perfection Learning
for 2nd-6th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Cornstalks and Cannonballs
by Barbara Mitchell
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Countries Around the World: New Zealand
by Mary Colson
from Heinemann-Raintree
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Countries of the World: Sweden
by Janet Riehecky
from Bridgestone Books
for 2nd-4th grade
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Crow Boy
by Taro Yashima
1972 Printing from Viking Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Cuba
Discovering Cultures
by Sharon Gordon
from Benchmark Books
for 2nd-4th grade
in Latin & South America (Location: HISMC-LAT)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Cuba
Countries of the World
by William P. Mara
from Bridgestone Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Latin & South America (Location: HISMC-LAT)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Dakota Dugout
by Ann Turner; illustrated by Ronald Himler
from Macmillan
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in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Daniel Boone
by Carol Greene
from Children's Press
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Declaration of Independence
by Carole Marsh
from Gallopade International
for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Declaration of Independence
Documenting U.S. History
by Elizabeth Raum
from Heinemann-Raintree
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Design Line: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
by Chris Oxlade, Edited by Jenny Broom, Illustrated by Mike Lemanski
from Candlewick Press
for 2nd-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Drinking Gourd
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by F. N. Monjo
from HarperCrest
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Drum Dream Girl
by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Rafael Lopez
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Early Settler Storybook
from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-4th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Electing Our Presidents
by Nancy Gill
from Fearon Teacher Aids
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Eliza Pinckney
Weekly Reader Heroes of the Revolution
by Susan & John Lee
from Children's Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Emperors and Gladiators
All in a Day's Work
by Anita Ganeri
from Peter Bedrick Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Empire State Building
by Meish Goldish
from Bearport Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
in Landmarks & Symbols of the United States (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
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