Book picks similar to
Journey to the Bottomless Pit: The Story of Stephen Bishop & Mammoth Cave by Elizabeth Mitchell
non-fiction
historical
history
slavery
Who Was Sacagawea?
Judith Bloom Fradin - 2002
Through this engaging book, kids will understand the reasons that today, 200 years later, she is still remembered and immortalized on a golden dollar coin.
The Stout-Hearted Seven: Orphaned on the Oregon Trail (Sterling Point Books)
Neta Lohnes Frazier - 1973
In the 1840s, the Sager family set off on the Oregon Trail, a dangerous and adventure-filled journey. Tragedy struck when both the mother and father succumbed to fever, orphaning the youngsters—one just a newborn. The entire wagon train adopted them, until they arrived at the Whitman Mission in Oregon. There, the Sagers settled into an ordinary life…until the day of an Indian massacre. The bravery of the Stouthearted Seven will amaze today’s young readers.
Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky
Faith Ringgold - 1992
in full color. Cassie, who flew above New York in Tar Beach, soars into the sky once more. This time, she and her brother Be Be meet a train full of people, and Be Be joins them. But the train departs before Cassie can climb aboard. With Harriet Tubman as her guide, Cassie retraces the steps escaping slaves took on the real Underground Railroad and is finally reunited with her brother at the story's end.
Heart of a Samurai
Margi Preus - 2010
Its crew is forced to swim to a small, unknown island, where they are rescued by a passing American ship. Japan’s borders remain closed to all Western nations, so the crew sets off to America, learning English on the way.Manjiro, a fourteen-year-old boy, is curious and eager to learn everything he can about this new culture. Eventually the captain adopts Manjiro and takes him to his home in New England. The boy lives for some time in New England, and then heads to San Francisco to pan for gold. After many years, he makes it back to Japan, only to be imprisoned as an outsider. With his hard-won knowledge of the West, Manjiro is in a unique position to persuade the shogun to ease open the boundaries around Japan; he may even achieve his unlikely dream of becoming a samurai.
The Kidnapped Prince: The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Olaudah Equiano - 1789
Illustrated with black-and-white archival engravings with an introduction by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie
Peter Roop - 1985
In the winter of 1856, a storm delays the lighthouse keeper's return to an island off the coast of Maine, and his daughter Abbie must keep the lights burning by herself.
Let the Children March
Monica Clark-Robinson - 2018
Martin Luther King Jr. speak. They protested the laws that kept black people separate from white people. Facing fear, hate, and danger, these children used their voices to change the world.
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
Daniel James Brown - 2009
Seven months later, after joining a party of emigrants led by George Donner, they reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains as the first heavy snows of the season closed the pass ahead of them. In early December, starving and desperate, Sarah and fourteen others set out for California on snowshoes and, over the next thirty-two days, endured almost unfathomable hardships and horrors. In this gripping narrative, Daniel James Brown sheds new light on one of the most infamous events in American history. Following every painful footstep of Sarah's journey with the Donner Party, Brown produces a tale both spellbinding and richly informative.
In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse
Joseph M. Marshall III - 2015
When he embarks on a journey with his grandfather, Nyles High Eagle, he learns more and more about his Lakota heritage—in particular, the story of Crazy Horse, one of the most important figures in Lakota history. Drawing inspiration from the oral stories of the Lakota tradition and the Lakota cultural mechanism of the “hero story,” Joseph Marshall provides readers with an insider’s perspective on the life of Tasunke Witko, better known as Crazy Horse. Through his grandfather’s tales about the famous warrior, Jimmy learns more about his Lakota heritage and, ultimately, himself.
So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth's Long Walk Toward Freedom
Gary D. Schmidt - 2018
Schmidt comes a picture book biography of a giant in the struggle for civil rights.Sojourner Truth was born into slavery but possessed a mind and a vision that knew no bounds. So Tall Within traces her life from her childhood through her emancipation to her leadership in the movement for rights for both women and African Americans.
Lost on a Mountain in Maine
Donn Fendler - 1978
After hours of trying to find his way back, a nervous and tired Donn falls down an embankment, making it impossible for him to be found. One sleepless night goes by, followed by a second . . . and before Donn knows it, almost two weeks have passed, leaving him starving, scared, and delirious.With rainstorms, black bears, and his fear of being lost forever, Donn's journey is a physically, mentally, and emotionally charged story told from the point of view of the boy who lived it.
Abraham Lincoln: God's Leader for a Nation
David R. Collins - 1976
The life of Abraham Lincoln is well recorded for history - through his own journals and the detailed research of countless historians. But sadly, the spiritual side of Abraham Lincoln has seldom been reported, partly because he held no formal church membership. This book explores the spiritual side of Abraham Lincoln, relying on his own words and the observations of his family, his friends, and historians. To add a more personal dimension, his story is told as a first person account.
Wonder Horse: The True Story of the World's Smartest Horse
Emily Arnold McCully - 2010
Believing in the power of kindness and patience, Doc taught Jim to spell, recognize the primary colors, and even make change from a cash register!Performing in shows across the country, Jim stunned audiences with his incredible skills. But when some people called Jim a fake, Doc set out to prove them wrong and to show the world that, thanks to the power of kindness and patience, Jim was truly a wonder horse.Caldecott Medalist Emily Arnold McCully’s account of this fascinating, true story comes alive in her striking illustrations.Wonder Horse is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Little Leaders: Exceptional Men in Black History
Vashti Harrison - 2019
Among these biographies, readers will find aviators and artists, politicians and pop stars, athletes and activists. The exceptional men featured include writer James Baldwin, artist Aaron Douglas, filmmaker Oscar Devereaux Micheaux, lawman Bass Reeves, civil rights leader John Lewis, dancer Alvin Ailey, and musician Prince.The legends in Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History span centuries and continents, but each one has blazed a trail for generations to come.
Stories of the Pilgrims
Margaret B. Pumphrey - 1910
The Brewster children and other Pilgrim boys and girls are the center of interest. A wonderful book to read aloud in the weeks before Thanksgiving. Suitable for ages 6 and up.