The Common Core State Standards are being rolled out this fall, and teachers around the United States are looking for ways to incorporate more nonfiction books into their lessons. I have been devoting this week to helping teachers find excellent nonfiction books to incorporate into their lesson plans.
On Monday, I discussed the main goal of the Common Core language arts standards and the role of nonfiction children’s literature in helping teachers meet this goal. On Tuesday, I recommended science texts for teachers to incorporate into their lessons. Today, I share social studies texts for teachers to incorporate into their lessons.
Day 1. Introduction: The Common Core Standards are Here
Day 2. Common Core Science Texts
Day 3. Common Core Social Studies Texts
In Tuesday’s post about science texts, I recommended sixteen picture book series. While there are many high quality series of science picture books, the same cannot be said for social studies picture books. Thus, rather than recommend social studies series, I have decided to highlight ten authors who consistently write high quality nonfiction books about various social studies topics.
1. Barbara Kerley
Books: Those Rebels, John and Tom, Walt Whitman: Words for America, The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, What to Do About Alice?, The Extraordinary Mark Twain, One World, One Day, You and Me Together: Moms, Dads and Kids Around the World, A Cool Drink of Water, A Little Peace
- Lexile: 550-970
- Grade level: K+
2. Jeanette Winter
Books: The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq, Follow the Drinking Gourd, Biblioburro: A True Story from Columbia, Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa, The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps, Kali’s Song, Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, Diego, The Secret World of Hildegard, September Roses, My Name Is Georgia: A Portrait, Calavera Abecedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book, Beatrix, Emily Dickinson’s Letters to the World, Cowboy Charlie: The Story of Charles M. Russell
- Lexile: 580-780
- Grade level: K+
3. Monica Brown
Books: Tito Puente, Mambo King, Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People, Pele, King of Soccer, Waiting for the Biblioburro, My Name is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Side by Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez, My Name is Gabriela: The Life of Gabriela Minstral, My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz
- Lexile: 850-910
- Grade level: K+
4. Kadir Nelson
Books: Nelson Mandela, I Have a Dream, Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans, A Nation’s Hope, Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya, Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson, Coretta Scott, Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln, We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, Henry’s Freedom Box, Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led her People to Freedom
- Lexile: 380-1050
- Grade level: 1+
5. Deborah Hopkinson
Books: Apples to Oregon, Sky Boys, Annie and Helen, A Boy Called Dickens, Michelle, John Adams Speaks for Freedom, Susan B. Anthony: Fighter for Women’s Rights, A Band of Angels, Sweet Land of Liberty, Titanic: Voices From the Disaster, Shutting Out the Sky, Up Before Daybreak, Who Was Charles Darwin?
- Lexile: 590-950
- Grade level: 1+
6. Betsy and Giulio Maestro
Books: The Discovery of the Americas, Exploration and Conquest: The Americas After Columbus, 1500-1620, The New Americans: Colonial Times, 1620-1689, Struggle for a Continent: The French and Indian Wars, Liberty or Death: The American Revolution, 1763-1783, A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution, A New Nation: The United States: 1783-1815, The Story of Clocks and Calendars, The Story of Money, The Story of Religion, The Story of the Statue of Liberty, Coming to America: The Story of Immigration
- Lexile: 740-1110
- Grade level: 2+
7. Andrea Davis Pinkney
Books: Bill Pickett: Rodeo-Ridin’ Cowboy, Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa, Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra, Alvin Ailey, Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down, Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America
- Lexile: 500-1000
- Grades: 2+
8. Joseph Bruchac
Books: A Boy Called Slow, Buffalo Song, Crazy Horse’s Vision, Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path, Many Nations: An Alphabet of Native America, Navajo Long Walk, Rabbit’s Snow Dance, Rachel Carson, Raccoon’s Last Race, Squanto’s Journey, 13 Moons on Turtle’s Back, Turtle’s Race with Beaver, The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story, Children of the Longhouse, Sacajawea
- Lexile: 690-950
- Grade level: 2+
9. Jean Fritz
Books: Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?, Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?, Who’s That Stepping on Plymouth Rock?, Where Was Patrick Henry on the 19th of May?, What’s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?, And Then What Happened Paul Revere?, Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George?, George Washington’s Breakfast, George Washington’s Mother, Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution, The Double Life of Pocahontas, The Great Little Madison
- Lexile: 780-1030
- Grade level: 3+
10. Russell Freedman
Books: The Boston Tea Party, Buffalo Hunt, Lincoln: A Photobiography, Out of Darkness, The Wright Brothers, The Adventures of Marco Polo, Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery, Children of the Great Depression, Children of the Wild West, Immigrant Children, Give Me Liberty!: The Story of the Declaration of Independence, In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America’s Bill of Rights
- Lexile: 1000-1110
- Grade level: 4+
Delightful Children's Books 
This is great! Thank you :-)
Thank for this list, great ideas!
Great list! Perhaps Shana Corey’s women’s biography picture books would work well too. http://www.shanacorey.com/books/
Yes! One of Shana Corey’s books will be on the next Read Through History booklist that’s in the works.