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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101 Items found Print
Active Filters: 3rd grade (Ages 8-9), Perfectbound, In-Stock Books & Materials
500 Facts: American History for Kids
from Rockridge Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
ABC Book of Early Americana
by Eric Sloane
2012 Dover from Dover Publications
for Kindergarten-4th grade
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Alvin Ailey
by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated by Brian Pinkney
from Hyperion Books for Children
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America At War: Korean War
by John Perritano
from Scholastic Inc.
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
America in the Time of Lewis and Clark
by Sally Senzel Isaacs
from Heinemann-Raintree
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in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
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American History: The Civil Rights Movement & Vietnam 1960-1976
from Saddleback Educational Publishing
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Anno's China
by Anno
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Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: April 4, 1968
24 Hour History
by Terry Collins
from Capstone Press
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Bill of Rights
by Lucia Raatma
from Scholastic Inc.
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Brother Eagle, Sister Sky
by Chief Seattle, illustrated by Susan Jeffers
from Puffin Books
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Buffalo Bird Girl
by S. D. Nelson
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Building the Capital City
by Marlene Targ Brill
from Children's Press
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Canada from A to Z
from Crabtree Publishing
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Chief Joseph: Leader of Destiny
by Kate Jassem
from Troll Associates
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Children of Native America Today
by Yvonne Wakim Dennis and Arlene Hirschfelder
from Charlesbridge
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Countries Around the World: New Zealand
by Mary Colson
from Heinemann-Raintree
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Cowboys on the Western Trail
by Eric Oatman
from National Geographic
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$3.50 (1 in stock)
Creative God Colorful Us
by Trillia Newbell, Paintings by Chase Williamson
from Moody Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$12.99
D-Day: June 6, 1944
24 Hour History
by Agnieszka Biskup
from Capstone Press
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Dear Benjamin Banneker
by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
from Houghton Mifflin
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$9.99
Declaration of Independence
Documenting U.S. History
by Elizabeth Raum
from Heinemann-Raintree
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Early Settler Storybook
from Crabtree Publishing
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Electrical Wizard
by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Oliver Dominguez
from Candlewick Press
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Explore Native American Cultures!
by Anita Yasuda, illustrated by Jennifer K. Keller
from Nomad Press
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy)
by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Famous Presidents
Eyes on America
by Philip Koslow
from KidsBooks, Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$2.00 (3 in stock)
Farmland Innovator
Creative Minds Biographies
by Catherine A. Welch, illustrated by Jan Naimo Jones
from Lerner Publishing Group
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George Washington You Never Knew
by James Lincoln Collier
from Scholastic Inc.
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Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
from kahoku Shimpo Publishing Co
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Greece: The Culture
The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series
by Bobbie Kalman, Sierra Adare
from Crabtree Publishing
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in Europe (Location: HISMC-EUR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Greece: The Land
The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series
by Bobbie Kalman, Sierra Adare
from Crabtree Publishing
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Hannibal: A Wicked History
by Philip Brooks
from Franklin Watts
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Happy Birthday, Dr. King!
by Kathryn Jones, Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
from Modern Curriculum Press
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
If You Grew Up With George Washington
If You Were There
by Ruth Belov Gross
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
If You Were a Kid in the Thirteen Colonies
by Wil Mara, illustrated by Lluis Farre
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Incans, Aztecs, Mayans
by John Holzmann
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
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in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
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Incans, Aztecs, Mayans
by John Holzmann
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
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in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Jackie Robinson
Photo-Illustrated Biography
by Barbara Knox
from Capstone Press
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Jedediah Smith
by Sharlene and Ted Nelson
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John Hancock
by Candice Ransom
from Barnes & Noble
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Jungle Jack Hanna's Safari Adventure
by Jack Hanna and Rick A. Prebeg
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Lady Liberty: A Biography
by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Matt Tavares
from Candlewick Press
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Last River
by Stuart Waldman, illustrated by Gregory Manchess
from Mikaya Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$15.99
Life in a Fishing Community
Learn About Rural Life
by Helene Boudreau
from Crabtree Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
in Everyday Life in History (Location: HISV-EVERY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Life in Ancient Rome
by Joseph Farrell
from Running Press
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in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Life in the Far North
Native Nations of North America
by Bobbie Kalman and Rebecca Sjonger
from Crabtree Publishing
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in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Lincoln Memorial
by Deborah Kent
from Children's Press
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in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Louisa May Alcott: Her Girlhood Diary
by Louisa May Alcott
from Troll Medallion
for 2nd-5th grade
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Marco Polo
by Struan Reid
from Heinemann Library
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in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Marian Anderson
History Maker Bios
by Jane Sutcliffe
from Lerner Publishing Group
for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Marvelous Mammals From Down Under
by Heather Horn
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 3rd-6th grade
in GATB Science & Health (Location: CUR-GABSc)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Mystery of the Maya
by Peter Lourie
from Boyds Mill Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
by Robert D. San Souci
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Nathan Hale
Hidden History: Spies
by Aaron Derr, Illustrated by Tami Wicinas
from Red Chair Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
National Parks of the USA - Activity Book
by Claire Grace; inspired by the book by Kate Siber, illustrated by Chris Turnham
from Quarto Publishing
for 2nd-6th grade
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$10.99
Nations of the Northwest Coast
by Kathryn Smithyman and Bobbie Kalman
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Paul and the Wolf
by Margo Lemieux, Illustrated by Bill Nelson
from Silver Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Picture Book of Florence Nightingale
by David A. Adler, illustrated by John & Alexandra Wallner
Repackaged from Holiday House
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Polycarp of Smyrna
Heroes of the Faith
by Sinclair B. Ferguson
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$10.00
Primary Source History of the American Revolution
Fact Finders
by Sarah Powers Webb
from Capstone Press
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in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Reconstruction and the Aftermath of the Civil War
Understanding the Civil War
by Lisa Colozza Cocca
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Gilded Age & Progressive Era (1877-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Remembering John McCrae
by Linda Granfield
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Revolutionary Soldier: 1775-1783
Illustrated Living History Series
by C. Keith Wilbur
2nd edition from The Globe Pequot Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Riding on a Caravan
by Laurie Krebs, illustrated by Helen Cann
from Barefoot Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Robert Fulton
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Robert Patterson
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 3rd-5th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$5.00 (4 in stock)
Roman Life
by John Guy
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Rosa
by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier
from Square Fish Publishing
for 1st-4th grade
2006 Caldecott Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
Ruby Bridges Goes to School
Scholastic Reader Level 2
by Ruby Bridges
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Scholastic / Hello Reader! (Location: EAR-SCH)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Salmon's Journey and More Northwest Coast Stories
by Robert James Challenger
from Heritage House Publishing Company
for 1st-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Sea Lion
by Ken Kesey, Illustrated by Neil Waldman
from Puffin Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Secrets in Stone
by Laurie Coulter, illustrated by Sarah Jane English
from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Smokestacks and Spinning Jennys
American History Through Primary Sources
by Sean Price
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Industrialization & Organized Labor (Location: HISA-19IND)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Sophie Takes to the Sky
by Katherine Woodfine, illustrated by Briony May Smith
from Kane Miller
for 1st-3rd grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Spindle Whorl
by Nan McNutt, illustrated by Roger Fernandes and Susan Point
from Sasquatch Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Step Into Mesopotamia
by Lorna Oakes
from Hermes House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Ancient Mesopotamia & Persia (Location: HISW-ANME)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Step Into the Aztec & Maya Worlds
by Fiona Macdonald
from Hermes House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Step Into the Inca World
by Philip Steele
from Hermes House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Storm in the Night
by Mary Stolz
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Story of Alice Ball
by Jennifer Lerud
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 1st-3rd grade
in GATB Science & Health (Location: CUR-GABSc)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Story of the Spirit of St. Louis
Cornerstones of Freedom
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Story of the Thirteen Colonies
by Helene Guerber
from Nothing New Press
History Reference for 3rd-8th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$16.50 (1 in stock)
Swimming with Sea Lions and Other Adventures in the Galapagos Islands
by Ann McGovern, author and photographer
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Tank Man
by Michael Burgan
from Compass Point Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in China (Location: HISMC-CHI)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Tea With Milk
by Allen Say
from Houghton Mifflin
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Teddy Roosevelt: The People's President
Ready-to-Read Level 3
by Sharon Gayle, illustrated by Bob Dacey & Debra Bandelin
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Ready-to-Read (Location: EAR-R2R)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
True Book: The Declaration of Independence
A True Book
by Elaine Landau
from Children's Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
True Stories of the Civil War
Graphic Library: Stories of War
by Nel Yomtov, illustrated by Carlo Molinari
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
True Stories of the Revolutionary War
Graphic Library: Stories of War
by Elizabeth Raum, illustrated by Pat Kinsella
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
True Stories of World War I
Graphic Library: Stories of War
by Nel Yomtov, illustrated by Jon Proctor
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
True Stories of World War II
Graphic Library: Stories of War
by Terry Collins, illustrated by Pat Kinsella
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Usborne Book of Peoples of the World
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Anna Claybourne, Gillian Doherty
from Usborne
for 3rd-6th grade
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
What Was the Holocaust?
What Was?
by Gail Herman
1st edition from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-7th grade
in Holocaust (Location: HISW-20WW2H)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$3.50 (2 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)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Where the Poppies Now Grow
by Hilary Robinson, illustrated by Martin Impey
from Strauss House
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Who Was Julius Caesar?
by Nico Medina
from Penguin Random House
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.99
Who Were the First North Americans?
Usborne Starting Point History
by Phillippa Wingate & Struan Reid
from Usborne
for 1st-6th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$2.50 (2 in stock)
Why is the White House White?
by Peter & Connie Roop
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Writing for Freedom
Creative Minds Biographies
by Erica Stux, illustrated by Mary O'Keefe Young
from Lerner Publishing Group
for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
You Are There! London 1666
by Dona Herweck Rice
from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Natural Disasters: Fires and Floods (Location: SCI-EARFI)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
12