As a child, I loved history lessons. I relished hearing stories from the past and learning about cultures different from mine. But, looking back, I don’t remember reading from a textbook—instead, the lessons that made a lasting impression involved projects, discussions, simulations, and books.
Once I became a teacher, I dreamt of bringing history to life for my students, as my favorite teachers did for me. But creating powerful history lessons can seem impossible with all the demands placed upon teachers these days.
I want to help you find simple, high-quality, and engaging resources to help you (and your students!) fall back in love with history! One of my favorite ways to bring magic into history lessons is through historical picture books.
Below, I will share my best resources and tips so you can confidently teach with U.S. History picture books.
Why Use Historical Picture Books?
A historical picture book is a story written for young children in which the text and illustrations work together to tell a story about the past. Historical picture books can be:
- Nonfiction: A story based on facts, including a real-time period, natural events, and real people.
- Or, historical fiction: A story that did not happen but is based on an actual historical event. Some events, places, or characters may be made up in this story.
But WHY use historical picture books, anyway?
Picture books bring an energy to the classroom that captivates young and old students! Through simple stories, students can immerse themselves in history and learn about (sometimes tricky) historical concepts in age-appropriate and meaningful ways.
How to Teach with U.S. History Picture Books
Often, students see history as a series of isolated dates, events, and people. But through historical picture books, students can see history as a continuous record of human struggle and growth. Here are some tips to help you find success using picture books in your classroom!
How to Incorporate Historical Picture Books in Your Instruction
Historical picture books can be used in a variety of ways. Here are a few suggestions!
Read Aloud – Take your “read aloud” time to the next level and read a picture book that correlates with the topic you are currently teaching in your history class.
Teach a Topic – Ditch the textbook and use a historical picture book instead! Picture books can be a great tool to teach about a specific event or person, to give more context about a time period, or to share different perspectives. An excellent book for this is George vs. George by Rosalyn Schanzer.
Introduce a New Unit – Picture books are an incredible way to capture student attention as you introduce a new history unit.
Guided Reading – Use a picture book to teach and practice literacy skills in small groups. Or assign students to analyze the book independently. You can even have them read it virtually!
Language Arts Lessons – Whether using historical fiction or nonfiction titles, integrating history books with ELA provides substantial opportunities for students to apply reading strategies as they read and analyze these powerful stories. You can find more tips here for planning U.S. History lessons!
Example U.S. History Picture Book
Disclosure: The links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. This means I may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak by Kay Winters
Book Description:
Hours before the Boston Tea Party, an errand boy named Ethan delivers messages for the Sons of Liberty about a secret meeting. As he delivers the messages, he talks to people living in Boston. Each page of this book is from a different perspective: a printer, a baker, a Native American trader, an enslaved person, and more. In addition, each person shares their thoughts on King George’s tea tax.
The Bostonians’ views vary. Some are Patriots; others are Loyalists or Neutralists.
Each person tells about their work and daily life. This paints a picture of what life was like during Colonial times.
This book is appropriate for ages eight and up.
Ideas for Using this Book:
This book would be a great way to show how not all colonists had the same ideas and thoughts during the American Revolution.
You could also use this book to learn about Colonial trades. Several are listed in this book: from wigmakers to milliners. Ask students which jobs they would like to do if they lived in 1776. Which jobs would they not like?
Activity idea: List all the people in the book and sort them by their political views (Loyalist, Patriot, or Neutralist).
Where to Find Historical Picture Books
If you search Google for “historical picture books,” you will get a LOT of results. But sifting through all of those websites, ads, and book titles to find high-quality historical picture books?
To help save you time, I’ve done some of the sifting for you! Here are a few of my favorite U.S. History picture books.
I’d love to know what some of YOUR favorite historical picture books are and how you have used them in your classroom. Please share your ideas in the comments below!
How to Use Picture Books Without Spending Money!
Picture books are a fantastic tool. But, let’s be honest… They cost money! And as a former 5th grade teacher, I know how limited teachers’ resources can be. So before you go out and buy a picture book, try these first:
- Check your school or local library! Although this may seem obvious, I often head straight to Amazon before even checking the library first.
- You can find many historical picture books on YouTube! Read-aloud videos are a quick and easy way to include picture books in your instruction. Start by simply searching for the book title and author. In my experience, almost every book can be found here. Just be sure to watch the whole video before using it in your classroom! Some videos can be pretty low quality.
- If you are interested in learning more about using YouTube videos for read-alouds, check out my post How to Use American History Read-Aloud Books During Distance Learning.
- If there is a great book you can’t find a YouTube video for, consider recording one yourself! Even better, make the video public so other teachers can use it.
How to Use American History Read-Aloud Books during Distance Learning
U.S. History Teaching Guides
I have also created teaching guides for several U.S. History topics! Each guide will give you a detailed overview of the topic, a pacing guide, engaging lesson and activity ideas, and more!
- The Ultimate Guide to Teaching the Age of Exploration
- The Ultimate Guide to Teaching the 13 Colonies
- The Ultimate Guide to Teaching the American Revolution
- The Ultimate Guide to Teaching the Revolutionary War
- The Ultimate Guide to Teaching the U.S. Constitution
- The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Westward Expansion
- The Ultimate Guide to Teaching the Early Republic
- The Ultimate Guide to Teaching the Civil War
More U.S. History Resources
Are you looking for additional resources to help you teach U.S. History? As a former 5th grade teacher, I know how impossible it can feel to find high-quality and engaging resources for teaching U.S. History. That is why I have created these interactive units. With high-quality content and exciting lesson plans and activities, these all-inclusive units will help you bring history to life in your classroom!
- Geography of the Western Hemisphere
- Intro. to U.S. History / Think Like a Historian
- Native American Regions Unit
- Age of Exploration Unit
- 13 Colonies Unit
- American Revolution / Declaration of Independence Unit
- Revolutionary War Unit
- U.S. Constitution Unit
- Presidential Elections Unit
- Early Republic Unit
- Westward Expansion Unit
- Civil War Unit
U.S. History Quote of the Week Resources:
Do you have any recommendations for American history picture books for kindergarten-2nd grade (ages 4-6)? My young kids seem to love history, but I have a hard time finding books that are simplified enough for them. I’ll definitely come back to your book lists when my kids are a bit older, as many of them appear to be geared for kids 8 and up. Thank you!
Hi, Thanks for your comment! My website is primarily geared toward 5th – 8th graders. But I would love to expand that one day. I’m sorry I can’t help you more right now. Best, Becca