Books like America is born:a history for Peter. by Gerald W. Johnson

A verse novel that follows a ten‑year‑old Vietnamese girl’s first year in the United States in 1975, as she navigates language, culture, bullying, and family change while yearning for home.

A compelling overview of American history through the eyes and experiences of its women, workers, African Americans, Native Americans, immigrants, and the working poor.

James W. Loewen critiques the portrayal of American history in leading textbooks, covering topics from pre‑Columbian peoples to Reconstruction, Helen Keller, Thanksgiving, and the Maimonides massacre, arguing for more accurate, inclusive teaching.

David McCullough’s *1776* chronicles the human drama surrounding the American Revolution’s pivotal year, tracing ordinary soldiers, notable leaders, and British forces as they shape the fate of the fledgling nation.

A collection of retold Greek and Roman myths from the Age of Fable by Thomas Bulfinch, drawing on classical literature and folklore for engaging retellings of ancient tales, including Venus and Adonis, Jupiter and Juno, and Daphne and Apollo.

Chicago, 1871: The Great Fire

A true‑story chronicle of the race to build the atomic bomb, following scientists, spies and commando raids across three continents in the years leading to World War II.

A teenage Spanish conquistador chronicles the European quest for gold in the New World and its impact on people and cultures.

Celebrates pivotal moments in human history leading to freedom and progress.

An unusual work horse raised in Vermont and known originally as "Little Bub" becomes the sire of a famous American breed and takes the name of his owner, Justin Morgan.

Raphael explains the central purpose of his "people's history" thusly: "By uncovering the stories of farmers, artisans, and laborers, we discern how plain folk helped create a revolution strong enough to evict the British Empire from the thirteen colonies. And by digging deeper still, we learn how people with no political standing -- women, Native Americans, African Americans -- altered the shape of a war conceived by others." After carefully reconstructing the histories of all these groups, he concludes: "The story of our nation's founding, told so often from the perspective of the 'founding fathers,' will never ring true unless it can take some account of the Massachusetts farmers who closed the courts, the poor men and boys who fought the battles, the women who followed the troops, the loyalists who viewed themselves as rebels, the pacifists who refused to sign oaths of allegiance, the Native Americans who struggled for their own independence, the southern slaves who fled to the British, the northern slaves who negotiated their freedom by joining the Continental Army". Raphael's account rings true: these people made the American Revolution. - Marcus Rediker, University of Pittsburgh.

Commodore Perry arrives in Japan, changing the course of history and introducing the West to the country in the late 19th century.

Kwame Alexander’s poetic tribute celebrates the resilience of Black Americans, from slavery to civil rights, with Kadir Nelson’s striking illustrations. The picture book earned the 2020 Caldecott Medal and a Newbery Honor.