Five Elementary Books About Pioneer Life and the Early 20th Century

If you're looking for a few books to supplement your pioneer days and early 20th century unit themes, the following five books will help you tremendously. Each book is filled with illustrations and photographs that explain how people lived without modern day luxuries. The following stories not only teach history, but character building and values. The only non-fiction book in the list is "Then and Now" an important book to show young children that shows pictures of homes and lifestyles of people from earlier times.

Children need to learn that life wasn't always easy for young kids. The fiction stories tell how all the members of the family, even the children, helped work. Food wasn't always readily available and clothing and blankets were handmade, not bought at a store. These books explore how people once made their own way through life and teach children in an easy to understand format.

Lewis and Papa, Adventure on the Santa Fe Trail by Barbara Josse and illustrated by Jon Van Zyle is a hardback book from Chronicle Books. While accompanying his father on the wagon train along the Santa Fe Trail, Lewis discovers what it is to be a man. Papa and Lewis decide to head west to sell some of their items and make some money. They stop through Independence, Missouri, the gateway of the west to stock up on supplies. The book speaks of the wagon trail and the wagon convoy that headed west, how the wagons formed a cirle at night, buffalo stampedes, and what Papa had to do when their oxen became sick. Lewis learned how to work hard and what it meant to become a man. The end of the book gives a definition list of words and places that are discussed in the book. There is also a map of The Santa Fe Trail. This is a good book for reading to young ones or for children who are in middle elementary school to read on their own.

The Log Cabin Church written by Ellen Howard and illustrated by Ronald Himler is a 29 page hardback book by Holiday House Publishing about pioneer life in Michigan. The main character is about a young girl and her family settling in Michigan and starting a new settlement. The young girl tries to remember her old home and the church she attended. Her father talks about building a church, but there is always other work to be done. On one particular day, after many new settlers arrived and established homes in the area, they all gathered at the girl's home. They ate food and prayed together. The girl then remembers her old church and how they all had a very strong fellowship. The water color and soft colored pencil illustrations show examples of pioneer life from chopping wood to cleaning pots and sewing quilts. Readers will learn how people traveled by covered wagons, cleared the land for plowing, and sowed seeds. Whether you want to explain pioneer days or the early pioneer church, this book is great for young students learning elementary social studies.

The Milkman's Boy written by Donald Hall and illustrated by Greg Shed is a 30 page book from Walker and Company. Set in the early 1900's, this book tells the story of the Graves family's milk delivering business. It explains how the whole family worked together to keep the business working. The reader learns how small businesses were modernized by the industrial revolution, were impacted by the expansion of towns, and were shut down by the rise of factories. This story is perfect for a social studies theme on the early 1900's for grades 3 to 5. The sepia-toned illustrations set the tone for this historical fiction piece, based on the author's ancestors' life story.

Then and Now written by Diana Freeman is a 16 page non-fiction paperback from Red Rocket Books. This book about life long ago shows young students how people lived before modern conveniences such as electricity was available. The author gives an introduction for teachers and parents to explain to students and children how things were different in people's homes long ago. There is a key word list with a teaching plan to incorporate the book into a unit lesson. Each page has beautiful photographs of lifestyles before our own modern age. Photographs of old-fashioned homes teach young ones how kitchens looked without fancy appliances. From photographs of gardening to fireplaces, young ones will learn how people cultivated food and heated their homes. There are also pages about entertainment and how people had fun. A glossary of words at the end of the book explains words that a child may not know. This small book packs a big punch by delivering the facts concisely and simply stated so that young minds may understand.

Yonder written by Tony Johnston and illustrated by Lloyd Bloom is a hardback book from Gibbs Smith. Year after year, the plum tree which the farmer planted is witness to the continuing generations of his family. The paintings of the story of this family are rich in detail and color. The pages show the seasons and the years passing as a farmer has a family and continues the long generation of descendants growing up on the same land with the same tree. This is a great book to talk of family, family history, descendants, and pioneering days.