We’ve been studying the American Revolution and the formation of the government.  We’ve found some great books at our level (my kids are 7, 5, and 3 ½).

Jean Fritz is a writer of historical books for children—we’ve really enjoyed her work.  (Incidentally, she is the daughter of missionaries and was born in China.)  We liked her What’s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?, Where was Patrick Henry on the 29^th of May?, And then what happened, Paul Revere?, and Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?  She also wrote books about the writing of the Constitution, Samuel Adams, Roanoke colony, Jamestown, and Pocahontas, Columbus, Sam Houston, Lincoln… she was quite prolific!he series In Their Own Words is an excellent concept in biographies for children.  They intertwine a person’s own writings with a more compact biography.  We enjoyed the Benjamin Franklin biography.

As I mentioned before, my kids discovered Schoolhouse Rock, and now we’re all singing No More Kings and The Preamble to the Constitution all day long.

Other books (though not strictly historical) that piqued my children’s interest in the figures of this era were Ben and Me by Robert Lawson (being the story of Ben Franklin’s life as recorded by his mouse, Amos); The Joke’s on George, and Mr. Revere and I also by Robert Lawson (the story from Revere’s horse’s perspective.) 

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Latham begins just after the Revolution and mentions some historical figures. We loved this book. I had planned for us to read Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, but we’re going to wait on this.  I think it’s for a more mature child—at least 10?—not because of the war or the writing, but because the main character is seriously injured (and recovers) and my children are so sensitive to that.

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