LibGuides: Children's Books: K-3 Social Studies

Economics K-3

A Birthday for Frances by Russell Hoban
Frances is jealous of her sister's birthday, but the birthday spirit moves her to reluctantly give her coveted gift.
A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert; Anita Lobel
After World Warr II items were hard to obtain. Even though there is no money, Anna's mother finds a way to make Anna a badly needed winter coat.
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst
Although Alexander and his money are quickly parted, he comes to realize all the things that can be done with a dollar.
Arthur's Funny Money by Lillian Hoban (Illustrator)
When Violet has a numbers problem and Arthur is penniless, they go into business and solve both problems.
Bobbin Girl by Emily Arnold McCully
A ten-year-old bobbin girl working in a textile mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1830s, must make a difficult decision--will she participate in the first workers' strike in Lowell?
Hundred Penny Box by Sharon Bell Mathis
Michael's love for his great-great-aunt who lives with them leads him to intercede with his mother, who wants to toss out all her old things.
If You Made a Million by David M. Schwartz
Describes the various forms which money can take, including coins, paper money, and personal checks, and how it can be used to make purchases, pay off loans, or build interest in the bank.
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Several animals sleep snugly in Nicki's lost mitten until the bear sneezes.
Pigs Will Be Pigs by Amy Axelrod
The hungry Pig family learns about money and buying power as they turn the house upside down looking for enough money to buy dinner at the local restaurant. Ages 4-9
Tony's Bread by Tomie dePaola
A baker loses his daughter but gains a bakery in the grand city of Milano after meeting a determined nobleman and baking a unique loaf of bread.
Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens
Hare turns his bad luck around by striking a clever deal with the rich and lazy bear down the road.
Caldecott Honor, 1996

General Social Studies K-3

Better Not Get Wet, Jesse Bear by Nancy White Carlstrom
Jesse Bear is admonished not to get wet under a variety of tantalizing circumstances, until finally he receives permission in his own wading pool
Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt; Oliver Jeffers
Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best?
Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
A punctuation mark feels bad that he does not fit in with the others until a friend reveals the possibilities that exist when differences are accepted.
Knight and the Dragon by Tomie dePaola
A knight who has never fought a dragon and an equally inexperienced dragon prepare to meet each other in battle.
A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza
A lonely little bird named Choco goes in search of a mother.
The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock; Mary GrandPré (Illustrator)
Describes how Vasya Kandinsky's creative life was profoundly shaped by a neurological condition called synesthesia which caused him to experience colors as sounds and sounds as colors.
Caldecott Honor Book, 2015
Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto
Maria tries on her mother's wedding ring while helping make tamales for a Christmas family get-together. Panic ensues when hours later, she realizes the ring is missing.

Geography K-3

All Kinds of Children by Norma Simon
Presents the things that all children over the world have in common, including their need for food, clothes, people to love them, and the opportunity to play.
A Country Far Away by Nigel Gray
Parallel pictures reveal the essential similarities between the lives of two boys, one in a western country, one in a tribal African village.
Everglades by Jean Craighead George
Describes the Florida Everglades, the evolution of this unique area, and the impact humans have had on its once-abundant life forms.
Here Is Antarctica by Madeleine Dunphy
Cumulative text describes the interdependence among the wildlife of Antarctica.
Holland by Charlotte Dematons
This pictorial introduction to Holland--a land of surprises, strange traditions, free-spirited people, and a rich history--is full of fascinating details that make the Netherlands so Dutch. It is also an armchair travel guide for anyone already fond of this small country known for its tulips and windmills.
How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz
As he spends hours studying his father's world map, a young boy escapes the hunger and misery of refugee life. Based on the author's childhood in Kazakhstan, where he lived as a Polish refugee during World War II.
Jemmy Button by Valerio Vidali
Provides a fictionalized account of Jemmy Button, a native boy from Tierra del Fuego who was brought to London to be educated and then returned home to his island.
Locomotive by Brian Floca
ISBN: 9781416994152

Learn what it was like to travel on the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s.
Mapping Penny's World by Loreen Leedy (Illustrator)
After learning about maps in school, Lisa maps all the favorite places of her dog Penny.
Over in the Arctic by Marianne Berkes
A counting book in rhyme presents various Arctic animals and their offspring, from a mother polar bear and her "little cub one" to an old father wolf and his "little pups ten." Includes related facts and activities.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost; Susan Jeffers (Illustrator)
Illustrations of wintry scenes accompany each line of the well-known poem.
A Walk in the Prairie by Rebecca L. Johnson
Describes the climate, soil, seasons, plants, and animals of the North American prairie and the ways in which the plants and animals depend on each other and their environment to survive.
A Walk in the Tundra by Rebecca L. Johnson
Takes readers on a walk in the tundra, showing examples of how the animals and plants of the tundra are connected and dependent on each other and the tundra's soil and climate.

History Books

A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert; Anita Lobel
After World Warr II items were hard to obtain. Even though there is no money, Anna's mother finds a way to make Anna a badly needed winter coat.
Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride by Pam Muñoz Ryan; Brian Selznick
A fictionalized account of the night Amelia Earhart flew Eleanor Roosevelt over Washington, D.C. in an airplane.
Bobbin Girl by Emily Arnold McCully
A ten-year-old bobbin girl working in a textile mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1830s, must make a difficult decision--will she participate in the first workers' strike in Lowell?
Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
A Japanese American man recounts his grandfather's journey to America which he later also undertakes, and the feelings of being torn by a love for two different countries.
If you lived in colonial times by Ann McGovern
This book tells you what it was like to live in the New England colonies during the years 1565 to 1776.
Katie's Trunk by Ann Warren Turner
Katie, whose family is not sympathetic to the rebel soldiers during the American Revolution, hides under the clothes in her mother's wedding trunk when they invade her home.
Mary Geddy's Day by Kate Waters
It is May 15,1776. Today, the colony of Virginia will cast their votes for independence from Britain. Mary Geddy anxiously awaits the results, because freedom will mean her best friend will move back to England, and her father might go to war.
Mumbet's Declaration of Independence by Gretchen Woelfle
Mumbet's Declaration of Independence tells the story of a Massachusetts slave from the Revolutionary era--in 1781, she successfully used the new Massachusetts Constitution to make a legal case that she should be free.
On the Mayflower by Kate Waters
A twelve-year-old apprentice and a seven-year-old passenger experience the first voyage of the Mayflower.
Samuel Eaton's Day by Kate Waters
Text and photographs follow a six-year-old Pilgrim boy through a busy day during the spring harvest in 1627: doing chores, getting to know his Wampanoag Indian neighbors, and spending time with his family.
Sarah Morton's Day by Kate Waters
Text and photographs of Plimouth Plantation follow a Pilgrim girl through a typical day as she milks the goats, cooks and serves meals, learns her letters, and adjusts to her new stepfather.
So Far from the Sea by Eve Bunting
When seven-year-old Laura and her family visit Grandfather's grave at the Manzanar War Relocation Center, the Japanese American child leaves behind a special symbol.
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson
A young slave stitches a quilt with a map pattern which guides her to freedom in the North.
Tapenum's Day by Kate Waters
Explores the life of Tapenum, a Wampanoag Indian boy in the 1620s.
Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges recounts the story of her involvement, as a six-year-old, in the integration of her school in New Orleans in 1960.
Uncle Sam and Old Glory by Delno C. West; Jean M. West
Presents the backgrounds of such American symbols as Uncle Sam and the Liberty Bell.
We the People by Peter Spier
A redesigned and updated visual celebration of the Constitution and its framers includes an illustrated Preamble, an explanation of the Constitution's significance, the story of its ratification, and a reproduction of the original document.
Vision of Beauty by Kathryn Lasky
Presents the life of Sarah Breedlove Walker who, though born in poverty, pioneered in hair and beauty care products for black women, and became a great financial success.
Then and Now by Heather Amery
Shows how things have changed in the last hundred years.
Unspoken by Henry Cole (Illustrator)
In this wordless picture book, a young Southern farm girl discovers a runaway slave hiding behind the corn crib in the barn and decides to help him.

Sociology

Appelemando's Dreams by Patricia Polacco
Because he spends his time dreaming, the villagers are convinced that Appelemando will never amount to much but in time his dreams change the village and all the people in it.
Arnie and the Stolen Markers by Nancy Carlson
After spending his allowance at Harvey's Toy Shop, Arnie steals a set of markers and suffers the consequences of his action
Chickens Build a Wall by Jean-François Dumont
When a friendly hedgehog visits the farm, the chickens build an enormous wall to keep out "prickly invaders."
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
When Ms. Albert teaches a lesson on kindness, Chloe realizes that she and her friends have been wrong in making fun of new student Maya's shabby clothes and refusing to play with her.
Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee
A nearly wordless picture book in which a farmer rescues a baby clown who has bounced off the circus train, and takes very good care of him until he can reunite the tot with his clown family
My Neighbor Is a Dog by Isabel Minhós Martins
When a saxophone-playing dog moves in next door to a young girl, the girl is thrilled, but her parents, who do not like the noise or the other animals the dog attracts, feel otherwise.
Ruby the Copycat by Peggy Rathmann
Ruby insists on copying Angela, until her teacher helps her discover her own creative resources.
The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman
Follow a girl's perusal of her great-grandfather's collection of matchboxes and small curios that document his poignant immigration journey from Italy to a new country.
What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick
A child learns that there are consequences for thoughtless behavior, from feeding popcorn to a bear at the zoo to dropping an empty can out of a car window.