Cocoa Ice
Have you ever wondered how chocolate is made? This picture book goes into detail about how the farmers pick the pods, dry the insides between banana leaves and turn the beans as they dry. One girl lives in Santo Domingo and tells about her life in creating chocolate, and how excited she is when the sailors bring ice to trade for cocoa beans Another girl lives in Maine and shares about her life where her father cuts ice from the river and packs the ice house. It was fascinating to hear about how these everyday things we love used to be made.
![]() | author: Diana Karter Appelbaum rating: ![]() asin: 0531300404 binding: Hardcover list price: $17.95 USD amazon price: $17.95 |
A New Coat for Anna (Dragonfly Books)
![]() | author: Harriet Ziefert rating: ![]() asin: 0394898613 binding: Paperback list price: $6.99 USD amazon price: $6.99 USD |
Illus. in full color. "A fresh and moving story of a mother's dedication to acquire a coat for her daughter in post-World War II hard times. Anna's mother decides to trade the few valuables she has left for wool and for the services of a spinner, a weaver, and a tailor. Lobel's pictures do a tremendous job of evoking the period. Insightful and informative, this may make children consider how precious the ordinary can become in times of turmoil."--(starred) Booklist.
Felicity: An American Girl (The American Girls Collection)
We listened to the audio version of this book and we all really enjoyed it. I love how we are learning about history in this gentle way. This book is just at the eve of the American Revolution and it's fascinating the way people started splitting up, some in favor, some not.
![]() | author: Valerie Tripp rating: ![]() asin: 1562470442 binding: Paperback list price: $39.95 USD amazon price: $38.75 USD |
Kirsten: An American Girl : 1854 (The American Girls Collection/Boxed Set)
We all really enjoyed this book about Kirsten. Learning history through these gentle American Girls stories is wonderful, and our girls are so interested in the stories as well as all the facts at the end of the book.
![]() | author: Janet Beeler Shaw rating: ![]() asin: 0937295760 binding: Paperback list price: $39.95 USD amazon price: $26.37 USD |
My America: Our Strange New Land, Elizabeth's Jamestown Colony Diary, Book One
Elizabeth is 9 years old and has just arrived in Jamestown with 4 ships full of pilgrims - 5 other ships were lost in the hurricane. She begins her diary and tells the tale of the first 2 months, gathering food, meeting Native Americans - including Pocahontas. This book was interesting and a little scary - a lot of people get summer sickness and die, none of Elizabeth's family dies but her friends do. There is a burial every day near the end, so many people are dying. Elizabeth's mother is pregnant and spends 2 days in labor where Elizabeth worries about her and wonders if the baby will be born dead. However, the diary ends on a good note, the baby is healthy and everyone in her family is well.
![]() | author: Patricia Hermes rating: ![]() asin: 0439368987 binding: Mass Market Paperback list price: $4.99 USD amazon price: $4.99 USD |
In May 1607, three ships sailed up the James River in Virginia. In the riverbank marshes, they made land and hung the flag England¹s flag establishing the first permanent English colony in Jamestown Virginia. In 1609, the first ship carrying women and children arrived. After 71 days at sea, nine-year-old Elizabeth Baker is thrilled to be on dry land. Lizzie keeps a diary for Caleb, her twin brother who stayed in England because of his weak lungs. In her buoyant entries, Lizzie tells of the abundant forests, trading with and learning from the Indians, and adventures with her new friends.
Seven Brave Women
![]() | author: Betsy Hearne rating: ![]() asin: 0688145027 binding: Hardcover list price: $15.99 USD amazon price: $10.87 USD |
Take a journey through time with seven women who left their indelible imprints on the past. Their history is a story and more. They were farmers and artists and missionaries and storytellers. They fought many battles but never in any wars. They were devout and determined and tireless and beloved. They were brave beyond compare. Betsy Hearne and Bethanne Andersen both make their picture-book debuts in this empowering, beautifully illustrated account of seven unforgettable women.
Little House in the Highlands
This is truly an outstanding book that will appeal to a large audience. Our girls (then 10 and 7) hung on every word. I loved that this was about Laura Ingalls Wilder's great grandmother! There was a lot of research put into it and I loved reading all about Scotland, as my own mother was born there. I especially enjoyed how the author wove in retellings of fairy stories and myths. This is the first the series and we are very excited to continue on. PLEASE NOTE I am referring to the unedited version with the painted cover, not the one with the photographed cover (which amazon insists on linking to). I have not read both but I have heard that the 2nd version is considerably abridged.
![]() | author: Melissa Wiley rating: ![]() asin: 0061148172 binding: Paperback list price: $5.99 USD amazon price: $18.82 USD |
It's 1788 and Martha lives in a little stone house in Glencaraid, Scotland. Her father is Laird Glencaraid, which means Martha must behave like a young lady even when she would much rather run around the Scottish hillside!
The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2: The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the
This is the 2nd book in the series of Story of the World, which our family really enjoys. Be sure to start with the first book. If your children are sensitive to violence, you may want to pre-read this book or edit it as you go.
![]() | author: Susan Wise Bauer rating: ![]() asin: 1933339098 binding: Paperback list price: $16.95 USD amazon price: $11.53 USD |
This read-aloud series is designed for parents to share with elementary-school children. Enjoy it together and introduce your child to the marvelous story of the world's civilizations.Now more than ever, other cultures are affecting our everyday livesand our children need to learn about the other countries of the world and their history. Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of other lands.
Charlotte in Paris
This book is Charlotte's diary (from 10 months in 1893 and 1894) and it is full of pasted in postcards, little sketches, copies of famous art, and maps of Paris. Charlotte's father is a painter and so she ends up meeting other painters, including Monet, Lilla Cabot Perry, and Edgar Degas. The story of her artistic explorations is cheerful and fun to read.
![]() | author: Joan MacPhail Knight rating: ![]() asin: 0811837661 binding: Hardcover list price: $16.99 USD amazon price: $11.55 USD |
It's 1893. Charlotte and her family have lived abroad in the famous artist colony in Giverny, France, for a year, when an exciting invitation arrives. The celebrated impressionist Mary Cassatt is having an exhibition in Paris. While in Paris, Charlotte dines at a cafe on the Champs-Elysees, watches a marionette show in the Tuileries gardens and celebrates her birthday at the Eiffel Tower. Illustrated with stunning museum reproductions of works by artists such as Monet, Degas, Cassatt, Renoir and Rodin as well as lovely watercolor collages, this sequel to Charlotte in Giverny also includes biographical sketches of the featured painters. Charlotte's charming scrapbook will leave fans of the first book, art lovers, Francophiles and readers of all ages shouting, "Vive Charlotte!"
The Mutiny on the Bounty
We really enjoyed the illustration style of this book, similar to a comic book. This is a great retelling of the event, but be forewarned it's a little graphic about men getting lashed and so on. Pre-read it if you and/or your child are sensitive to such things.
![]() | author: Patrick O'Brien rating: ![]() asin: 0802795870 binding: Hardcover list price: $17.95 USD amazon price: $19.07 USD |
As the return journey began, Captain Bligh’s crew proved reluctant to leave. His temper began to flare, and his second-in-command and old friend Fletcher Christian suffered the worst of Bligh’s outbursts.














