Children's Books to Inspire Reading and Foster Imagination
Historical fiction is a great way for children to learn history, and be engaged at the same time.
Published: 2010
Theme: Irish Fairies
Best for: 7 to 9
“Strange, sweet music came from the whistle. The music was both sad and happy. It was full of beauty and hope, pain and sorry. Like the fog over the river, the music seems to blend everything together.” I personally learned a lot more about leprechauns and Irish fairytales after I read this delightful children’s book.
Published: 2006
Theme: Historical Fiction Hero
Best for: 7 and up
“Once there was a boy who could not claim his Father. Kil Dong, as he was called, was the second son of a wealthy and powerful advisor to the king, Minister Hong. But Kil Dong’s mother was not the noble wife of the minister…” This historical fiction, beautifully illustrated ‘graphic’ novel, set in 16th century Korea, tells of the Korean Robin Hood…
Published: 1975
Theme: Historical Fiction
Best for: 12 to 14
“Why, people ask, why did Leonardo da Vinci choose to paint the portrait of the second wife of an unimportant Florentine merchant when dukes and duchesses all over Italy and the King of France as well, were all begging for a portrait by his hand? Why, they ask, why?” This is quite a lovely way to introduce older children to the world of Leonardo da Vinci, and his painting of the Mona Lisa, and history of the Renaissance.
Published: 2000
Theme: Social Justice
Best for: 9 and up
“Abuelita smiled, reached over, and pulled the yarn, unraveling all of Esperanza’s rows. “Do not be afraid to start over,” she said.” What better way for children to become true citizens of the world than by reading honestly written books about serious issues, in this case the treatment of Mexican immigrant farmworkers during the depression…
Published: 2015
Theme: Power of Music
Best for: ages 10 and up
“Have you ever considered that one person might play the mouth harp and pass along her strength and vision and knowledge? So that the next musician who plays it might feel the same? It is true…” The thread that weaves the three main characters together is the power of music to redeem even the darkest of situations…
Published: 2010
Theme: Live your dream
Best for: 8 and up
“He peeked out… and saw that the wind had also possessed his mittens. They looked like ghostly hands waving good-bye in the Chilean sky. Where were they headed? Whose hands would they cover next? ..’Where is the storehouse of lost and found?'” As I put this exquisite children’s book down, I wiped my eyes, and marveled at the quick journey I had just taken into the heart and mind of Pablo Neruda…
Published: 1972
Theme: Cultural Survival
Best for: 9 and up
“Miyax pushed back the hood of her sealskin parka and looked at the Arctic sun. It was a yellow disk in a lime-green sky; the colors of six o’clock in the evening and the time when the wolves awoke.” Part of the fifth grade Waldorf curriculum, this authentic story allows a glimpse into a world where people were one with wild nature.
Published: 2014
Theme: Parental Love
Best for: 8 and up
“An ache spread through Lexie, blurring her thoughts and stabbing her heart. All she really knew was how desperately she missed Mama. Grandma blamed Mama for everything. It wasn’t fair.”
What makes good parenting? Is love enough, or is something else needed? We address this head on…
Published: 2003
Theme: Faith in Goodness
Best for: 9 and up
“Tears spilled out of my eyes. With no more thought of caution, I poured out our story. “My parents have both been arrested and sent to Siberia. My papa has been sent to a coal mine, and my mama has been exiled to Dudinka… We are going to her…” In this riveting historical fiction children’s book, we journey across Russia to Siberia, in search of Mayra and Georgi’s exiled parents during Stalin’s regime.
Published: 2005
Theme: Genuine Sacrifice
Best for: 10 and up
“In so loud a voice I was sure her words carried over the hills, Nai Nai said, “Send us a boy to care for us in our old age and not another worthless girl.” I, Chu Ju, was that worthless girl. Nai Nia’s harsh words made my eyes sting with tears.” In another beautifully written children’s book of historical fiction, Whelan brings alive a foreign culture and foreign era, making us live and breathe with it.
Published: 2014
Theme: Prejudice
Best for: 11 and up
“It struck Tomi then that Mom had changed a little just in the months since Pop was arrested. She had always done what everyone else wanted. Now for the first time in her life, she was in charge.” More and more, I’m struck with the power of literature to educate children about injustice, and this book is a great example…
Published: 2012
Theme: Overcoming Hardships
Best for: 5th grade
“We are going to Colorado! Pa told us. He just came home from his first trip to Colorado Territory and announced that he and Ma and I were moving west to strike it rich.'” Set in 1858, this delightful historical fiction is an easy and informative read, based on a real incident in Colorado history…
Published: 2015
Theme: Melting Pot
Best for: 9 and up
“Sarah’s parents had been planning their escape to America for two years before the attack on their village. To prepare for their new life, Sarah had been studying English with the son of the village wool merchant.” In a fresh new children’s book, we revisit America through the eyes of a new immigrant, a young girl who has just lost both her parents…
Published: 2011
Theme: Family
Best for: 12- 14
“Everything changes, child,” Grandmama observed calmly. “Me, you, the world… Who knows what the future will bring? The one thing that doesn’t change is the family. It always comes first. Keep everyone in it safe. Keep them happy.” Laurence Yep is a fabulous chronicler of Chinese culture and Chinese American culture This particular children’s book includes both, as it traces a family from 1835 in China to 2011 in America…
Published: 2010
Theme: Adapting to Change
Best for: 8 and up
“I’m Turtle,” I say. “Turtle?” the boy, Beans, says, “What kind of name is that?” “At least I’m not named after something that gives you gas,” I say. In this historical fiction, a humorous and plucky girl narrates her life during the 1935 depression demonstrating just how important a good attitude is for survival.
Published: 1993
Theme: African-American History
Best for: ages 8-11
Sarah looked at Addy. “You is coming to school, ain’t you?” “Momma say I can go,” Addy answered. “That’s good,” said Sarah. “We learn to read and write…You gonna like school. You’ll see.” Written in dialect, an African-American girl’s journey from slavery to freedom unfolds in this series of historical fiction children’s books.
Published: 2002
Theme: Baseball
Best for: Baseball fans, ages 10 and up
“I looked at my mother. A few minutes ago, she was refusing to give me permission to travel through time because it was so dangerous. Now she was asking me to go..”. This book is a cross between fantasy– time travel; and historical fiction– we go back to Shoeless Joe’s time…
Published: 1956
Theme: Survival, War
Best for: ages 9 and up
“The family pig, the three ducklings, and the little stone mill to grind the rice for the baby sister– these they have saved from the mud house of the family of Tien…Besides these they had saved absolutely nothing, except Beauty-of-the-Republic, Tien Pao’s baby sister.” It’s never easy to read a story about war, even if it’s packaged in a children’s book. Yet there’s no denying that it is important to help children understand just how difficult war can be.
Published: 2006
Theme: Historical Fiction
Best for: 10 and up
“Any outrage as big as hiring a librarian was bound to bring everybody out of the woodwork. The hitching rail was chock-a-block with horses and wagons, and there was a farmer’s tin Lizzie…a Ford Model T.” Humor, eccentric characters, and a love of old cars flows through this historical fiction children’s book. The story unfolds creatively and unpredictably…
Published: 2010
Theme: Bravery
Best for: ages 11 and up
“Mattie felt a sudden dizziness. Just for a second or two, it was almost as if she herself were tumbling through the air. And once again the boundaries that separated human beings from birds seemed to dissolve.” A wonderful creative look at the early life of Robin Hood and Maid Marian, with lots of equality for women thrown in…
Published: 1999
Theme: Resilience
Best for: 9 and up
“We were all standing in line waiting for breakfast when one of the caseworkers came in and tap-tap-tapped down the line. Uh-oh, this meant bad news, either they’d found a foster home for somebody or somebody was about to get paddled.” Humor, pathos, drama, history, and emotion create an intensely beautiful and impactful piece of children’s literature…
Published: 1995
Theme: Family
Best for: 11 and up
“”Lona, what you teach these babies up North? Don’t they know how to give no one a proper hug?” Grandma Sands reached up over Byron’s head. “A little short on hair but we gonna get on just fine, what you think, By?” Country kids meet city kids. Northern kids meet life in the South, circa 1963. Sibling rivalry. Delinquency. Parental decisions. The ground this book covers is astounding…
Published: 2007
Theme: Freedom and Slavery
Best for: 12 and up
“I’d started with ten fish and now I was down to six, and even though I ain’t particular worthy at my schooling, it’d take a whole lot of doggone humbug algebra and trickaration geometry to make ten percent of ten come out to four.” In this skillfully written historical fiction children’s book, we see the world through the eyes of a freeborn child, whose parents had been slaves.
Published: 1954
Theme: Wonder and Hope
Best for: 8 to 12
“We can’t think much when we don’t know much. But we can wonder!..For sometimes, when we wonder, we can make things begin to happen.” With a wise teacher at their helm, five young children in the Netherlands begin to wonder, and act. And through that, the town changes, all for the better.
Published: 2001
Theme: Queen of England
Best for: 12 to 14
“So my sister was now queen. And because she had triumphed, I was next! This was the moment, standing in the knot garden, when I realized that someday I, too, would become queen of England…” In this historical fiction children’s book, we get a very good look at the way power can corrupt even the best of people…
Published: 1998
Theme: Peace at all costs
Best for: 9 and up
“There they go,” a voice said. “There go the cowards.” Samuel Russsell clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white but he did not look around…”Cowards”, that was what many people called him and his father and all his people.” This very informed historical fiction children’s book depicts an actual event involving the Quakers in New York State, and their encounter with French Canadian Indians, told through the eyes of two young boys.
Published: 1963
Theme: Historical Fantasy
Best for: 8 and up
“The only thing a cat worries about is what’s happening right now. As we tell the kittens, you can only wash one paw at a time.” This time-travel, historical fantasy stands out through the heart-felt and accurate portrayal of cats and their behavior, sharing traits that are often missed by non-cat lovers.
Published: 1998
Theme: Native American lifestyle
Best for: 9 and up classrooms
“I believe that in many instances where the white settlers had trouble with the Indians it all started because the Indians were just curious to know what in the world the white settlers were doing, and not be because they …even knew they were doing any damage.” This nonfiction children’s book is simple and informative, giving a full and loving picture of a culture that tragically has disappeared.
Published: 2014
Theme: Faith
Best for: 11 and up
“Everyone in Chile has an explanation for earthquakes. I say that the earth has the right to yawn and stretch just as I do in my bed when I don’t want to wake early for school, and also has the right to sneeze as we all do when covered in dust.” Profound and poetical are the best two words to capture the new children’s book by Chilean author Marjorie Agosin about a young girl forced into exile from Chile…
Published: 1960
Theme: Coming of Age
Best for: ages 8-11
” One sheep does not think. He does this and he does that and there is no sense to it. But the flock thinks. And what the flock thinks each and every one sheep in the flock knows at once and altogether. It is strange but it is so…” I was surprised and enchanted by this children’s book from start to finish. It is a quick read, compelling, informative, and even moving at the end…