F r o n t i e r    a n d    P i o n e e r    L i f e

PICTURE BOOKS

Bunting, Eve.

Dandelions. Illustrated by Greg Shed. 1995.

Zoe and her family find strength in each other as they make a new home in the Nebraska territory.

Glass, Andrew.

Bewildered for Three Days: As to Why Daniel Boone Never Wore His Coonskin Cap. 2000.

With the help of what he learned from a Delaware Indian boy and an accommodating mother raccoon, young Daniel Boone escapes danger when a bear steals his coonskin cap.

Folks Call Me Appleseed John.1995.

A fictionalized account describing how John Chapman was joined in the western Pennsylvania wilderness by his half-brother Nathaniel, who was unprepared for John's spartan lifestyle and unusual ways.

Helldorfer, Mary-Claire.

Hog Music. Illustrated by S.D. Schindler. 2000.

Travelers along the National Road help make sure that the birthday gift that Lucy's great aunt has sent makes it all the way from Maryland to her family's farm in Illinois.

Isaacs, Anne.

Swamp Angel. Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. 1994.

Along with other amazing feats, Angelica Longrider, also known as Swamp Angel, wrestles with a huge bear, known as Thundering Tarnation, to save the winter supplies of the settlers in Tennessee.

Karim, Roberta.

Kindle Me A Riddle: A Pioneer Story. Pictures by Bethanne Andersen. 1999.

The riddles that a pioneer family share explain the origin of such things in their lives as their log cabin, johnnycakes, the broom, a cloak, candles, and more.

Kay, Verla.

Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails. Illustrated by S. D. Schindler. 2000

Illustrations and simple rhyming text follow a family as they make the difficult journey by wagon to a new home across the Rocky Mountains.

Levitin, Sonia.

Boom Town. Illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith. 1998.

After her family moves to California where her father goes to work in the gold fields, Amanda decides to make her own fortune baking pies and she encourages others to provide the necessary services -- from a general store to a school -- that enables her town to prosper.

Nine for California. Illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith. 1996.

Amanda travels by stagecoach with her four siblings and her mother from Missouri to California to join her father.

Taking Charge. Illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith. 1999.

When her mother has to leave home suddenly, Amanda learns how demanding it is to run a household and care for a baby.

Lindbergh, Reeve.

Johnny Appleseed: A Poem. Paintings by Kathy Jakobsen.

Rhymed text and illustrations relate the life of John Chapman, whose distribution of apple seeds and trees across the Midwest made him a legend and left a legacy still enjoyed today.

Reynolds, Marilynn.

The Prairie Fire. Illustrated by Don Kilby. 1999.

When a prairie fire threatens their homestead, Percy must face his fears and bravely joins in the efforts to save it.

Sanders, Scott R.

The Floating House. Illustrated by Helen Cogancherry. 1995.

In 1815, the McClures sail their flatboat from Pittsburgh down the Ohio River and settle in what would later become Indiana.

A Place Called Freedom. Illustrated by Thomas B. Allen. 1997.

After being set free from slavery in 1832, young James Starman and his family journey from Tennessee to Indiana to start a new life, and over the years they are joined by so many blacks that they start their own town.

Stanley, Diane.

Roughing It on the Oregon Trail. 2000.

Twins Liz and Lenny, along with their time-traveling grandmother, join a group of pioneers journeying west on the Oregon Trail in 1843.

Stutson, Caroline.

Prairie Primer: A to Z. Illustrated by Susan Condie Lamb. 1996.

Life on the prairie is depicted in this rhyming alphabet book.

Thomas, Joyce Carol.

I Have Heard of a Land.Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. 1998.

Describes the joys and hardships experienced by an African-American pioneer woman who staked a claim for free land in the Oklahoma territory.

Turner, Ann Warren.

Sewing Quilts. Illustrated by Thomas B. Allen. 1994.

A pioneer girl sees pieces of her life sewn into the quilts she, her sister, and her mother make.

Van Leeuwen, Jean.

A Fourth of July on the Plains. Pictures by Henri Sorensen. 1997.

Young Jesse and his family are with a wagon train traveling from Indiana to Oregon when they stop to celebrate the Fourth of July, but Jesse is too young to go hunting with the men so he comes up with his own contribution to the festivities.

Wilder, Laura Ingalls.

Christmas in the Big Woods.Illustrated by Renee Graef. 1995.

A young pioneer girl and her family celebrate Christmas in their cabin in the Wisconsin woods.

Dance at Grandpa's. Illustrated by Renee Graef. 1994.

A young pioneer girl and her family attend a wintertime party at her grandparents' house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin.

Going to Town. Illustrated by Renee Graef. 1995.

A little pioneer girl and her family, living in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, take their first trip into town to visit the general store.

Winter Days in the Big Woods. Illustrated by Renee Graef. 1994.

A little pioneer girl and her family spend the winter in their log cabin in the Big Woods of Wisconsin.

Williams, David.

GrandMa Essie's Covered Wagon. Illustrated by Wiktor Sadowski. 1993.

Grandma Essie describes how her family left Missouri by covered wagon looking for a better life and lived in Kansas and Oklahoma before returning to Missouri.

CHRISTMAS BOOKS

Harvey, Brett.

My Prairie Christmas. Illustrations by Deborah Kogan Ray. 1990.

On the first Christmas after Eleanor's family moves to a house on the prairie, everyone becomes worried when Papa goes out to cut down a Christmas tree and does not come back.

Howard, Ellen.

The Log Cabin Christmas. Illustrated by Ronald Himler. 2000.

Elviry decides that her family really needs to celebrate Christmas in their new home in the Michigan woods even though it will not be the same since her mother died.

Strand, Keith.

Grandfather's Christmas Tree. Illustrated by Thomas Locker. 1999.

A grandfather tells how the family's Christmas tradition of placing a carved wooden nest with a pair of geese and their babies in the large spruce tree started years ago when his parents first settled in Colorado.

EASY READERS

Byars, Betsy.

The Golly Sisters Go West. Pictures by Sue Truesdell. 1985.

May-May and Rose, the singing, dancing Golly sisters, travel west by covered wagon, entertaining people along the way.

The Golly Sisters Ride Again. Pictures by Sue Truesdell. 1994.

The Golly sisters take their show on the road again, finding a talking rock and a terrible thunderstorm, and take a much-needed vacation.

Hooray for the Golly Sisters! Pictures by Sue Truesdell. 1990.

In continued adventures, May-May and Rose take their traveling road show to more audiences.

Hays, Wilma Pitchford.

Little Yellow Fur. Illustrated by Richard Cuffari. 1973.

A young girl whose parents are homesteaders on the South Dakota prairie makes friends with the Indians despite her mother's fears.

Levinson, Nancy Smiler.

Snowshoe Thompson. Pictures by Joan Sandin. 1992.

One winter John Thompson skis across the Sierra Nevada Mountains and creates a path upon which mail and people may travel, thus earning the nickname "Snowshoe Thompson."

EASY FICTION

AMERICAN GIRL SERIES (The "Kirsten" books written by Janet Beeler Shaw, illustrated by Renee Graef, all shelved in Easy Fiction under AMERICAN)

Changes for Kirsten: A Winter Story. 1988.

A tough Minnesota winter brings many changes to Kirsten's frontier life, including the new responsibility of helping her brother Lars set his traps and a move into a new house for her family.

Happy Birthday, Kirsten!: A Springtime Story. 1987.

On a Minnesota farm in the mid -1800's, the hardworking members of the Larson family find time to celebrate Kirsten's tenth birthday.

Meet Kirsten, an American Girl. 1986.

Nine-year-old Kirsten and her family experience many hardships as they travel from Sweden to the Minnesota frontier in 1854.

Kirsten Learns a Lesson: A School Story. 1986.

After immigrating from Sweden to join relatives in an American prairie community, Kirsten endures the ordeal of a strange school through a secret friendship with an Indian girl.

Kirsten on the Trail. 1999.

Nine-year-old Kirsten keeps her friendship with a Sioux Indian girl a secret until Kirsten's little brother becomes lost in the woods. Includes a section on Sioux Indians and a project related to the story.

Kirsten Saves the Day: A Summer Story. 1988.

Ten-year-old Kirsten is proud and excited when she finds a bee tree full of honey, one of the natural treasures of her Minnesota frontier world, but she exposes herself to great danger by trying to harvest the honey by herself.

Kirsten's Surprise: A Christmas Story. 1986.

Kirsten and her family celebrate their first Christmas in their new home on Uncle Olav's farm in min-nineteenth-century Minnesota.

Antle, Nancy.

Beautiful Land: A Story of the Oklahoma Land Rush. Illustrated by John Gampert. 1994.

After a two-year-wait during which her mother died, twelve-year-old Annie Mae and her family join thousands of hopeful settlers as they race to claim land in the newly-opened Oklahoma Territory.

Hooks, William H.

Pioneer Cat. Illustrated by Charles Robinson. 1988.

When a young pioneer girl smuggles a cat aboad the wagon train heading for Oregon, it turns out to be the best thing she could have done.

Howard, Ellen.

The Chickenhouse House.Illustrated by Nancy Oleksa. 1991.

When Alena and her family move onto new farmland out on the prairie, they must live at first in the chickenhouse because there is no time to build a house before winter; then with the warm weather comes the excitement of watching the big new house go up.

Kudlinski, Kathleen V.

Facing West: A Story of the Oregon Trail.Illustrated by James Watling. 1994.

As his family sets out from Missouri to Oregon, young Ben wonders whether he will have more trouble with the dangers of the journey or his debilitating asthma.

Lottridge, Celila Barker.

The Wind Wagon. Illustrated by Daniel Clifford. 1995.

Sam Peppard, a blacksmith in 1860s Kansas, builds a prairie schooner that sails to Denver, Colorado, powered by wind.

Moss, Marissa.

Rachel's Journal: The Story of a Pioneer Girl. 1998.

In her journal, Rachel chronicles her family's adventures traveling by covered wagon on the Oregon Trail in 1850.

Nixon, Joan Lowery.

You Bet Your Britches, Claude. Pictures by Tracey Campbell Pearson. 1989.

Shirley and Claude lead a settled life with their adopted son, Tom, until Shirley goes to town to retrieve Tom's sitter, Bessie, and the two run into more than their share of trouble with criminals.

Osborne, Mary Pope.

Ghost Town at Sundown. Illustrated by Sal Murdocca. 1997.

The Magic Tree House whisks Jack and Annie back to a ghost town in the Wild West of the 1880's.

Waters, Kate.

The Mysterious Horseman: An Adventure in Prairietown, 1836. Photographs by Marjory Dressler. 1994.

Andrew hopes for excitement when his family moves from their farm in Prairietown in 1836, but things seem pretty tame until he overhears talk about a mysterious night rider.

Weidt, Maryann N.

Wild Bill Hickok. Illustrations by Steve Casino. 1992.

A fictionalized account of the life and adventures of the scout, marshall, and showman known as Wild Bill Hickok.

Whelan, Gloria.

Next Spring an Oriole. Illustrated by Pamela Johnson. 1987.

In 1837 ten-year-old Libby and her parents journey by covered wagon to the Michigan frontier, where they make themselves a new home near friendly Indians and other pioneers.

Night of the Full Moon. Illustrated by Leslie Bowman. 1993.

When she sneaks away to visit her friend, a young girl living on the Michigan frontier is caught up in the forced evacuation of a group of Potawatomi Indians from their tribal lands in the 1840s.

Shadow of the Wolf. Illustrated by Tony Meers. 1997.

In 1841 thirteen-year-old Libby and her family begin a new life on the shores of Lake Michigan where her father works as a surveyor for the Ottawa Indians and Libby is reunited with her Indian friend Fawn.

Wilder, Laura Ingalls.

The Adventures of Laura and Jack. Illustrated by Renee Graef. 1997.

Laura and her beloved bulldog, Jack, share some wild adventures as the Wilder family moves from Wisconsin to Kansas and later to Minnesota.

J FICTION

Applegate, Stanley.

The Devil's Highway. Illustrated by James Watling. 1998. In 1811, on the Natchez Road, fourteen-year-old Zeb finds ten-year-old Hannah, who has been kidnapped from her Choctaw people, and together they face natural and human threats with their combines skills and courage.

Natchez Under-the-Hill. Illustrated by James Watling. 1999. Fourteen-year-old Zeb survives skirmishes with horse thieves and other outlaws as he travels the dangerous Natches Trace in 1811 while searching for his grandmother.

Arbuckle, Scott.

Zeb, the Cow's on the Roof Again! And Other Tales of Early Texas Dwellings. 1996. A collection of stories introducing the dwellings of some early Texas inhabitants, including the Comanche tipi, the settlers' dugouts and dogtrots, and the Greek Revival mansion of the Civil War period.

Armstrong, Jennifer.

Black-Eyed Susan. Illustrated by Emily Martindale. 1995. Ten-year-old Susie and her father love living on the South Dakota prairie with its vast, uninterrupted views of land and sky, but Susie's mother greatly misses their old life in Ohio.

Auch, Mary Jane.

Frozen Summer. 1998. In 1816, twelve-year-old Mem's new home in the wilderness of western New York is disrupted when the birth of another baby sends her mother into "spells" that disconnect her from reality.

Journey to Nowhere. 1997. In 1815, while traveling by covered wagon to settle in the wilderness of western New York, eleven-year-old Mem experiences a flood and separation from her family.

The Road to Home. 2000. In 1817, after her mother has died and her father abandoned his children, thirteen-year-old Mem searches for a new home for Joshua, herself, and their little sister.

Ayers, Katherine.

Silver Dollar Girl. 2000. In 1885, unhappy living with her aunt and uncle in Pittsburg, Valentine Harper disguises herself as a boy and runs away to Colorado determined to find her father, who has gone there in search of gold.

Blakeslee, Ann R.

A Different Kind of Hero. 1997. In 1881 twelve-year-old Renny, who resists his father's efforts to turn him into a rouch, tough, brawling boy, earns the disapproval of the entire mining camp when he befriends a newly arrived Chinese boy.

Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker.

Weaver's Daughter. 2000. In 1791, after her family's journey from Pennsylvania, ten-year-old Lizzie suffers from the disease of asthma in her new home in the Southwest Territory (present-day Tennessee.)

Calvert, Patricia.

Bigger. 1994. When his father disappears near the Mexican border at the end of the Civil War, twelve-year-old Tyler decides to go after him and bring him home, acquiring on the joourney a strange dog, which he names Bigger.

Conrad, Pam.

Prairie Songs. Illustrations by Darryl S. Zudeck. 1985. Louisa's life in a loving pioneer family on the Nebraska prairie is altered by the arrival of a new doctor and his beautiful, tragically frail wife.

Couloumbis, Audrey.

The Misadventures of Maude Marche, or Trouble Rides a Fast Horse. 2005. After the death of the stern aunt who raised them since they were orphaned, eleven-year-old Sallie and her fifteen-year-old sister escape their self-serving guardians and begin an adventure resembling those in the dime novels Sallie loves to read.

Creel, Ann Howard.

Water at the Blue Earth. 1998. In 1854, twelve-year-old Wren and her parents move from Boston to the New Mexico territory, where she befriends a blind Ute boy and ultimately must decide whether or not to disobey her father and warn her friend of a surprise attack planned by the settlers.

Cushman, Karen.

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple. 1996. In 1849, twelve-year-old California Morning Whipple, who renames herself Lucy, is distraught when her mother moves the family from Massachusetts to a rough California mining town.

DeFelice, Cynthia C.

Weasel. 1990. Alone in the frontier wilderness in the winter of 1839 while his father is recovering from an injury, eleven-year-old Nathan runs afoul of the renegade killer known as Weasel and makes a surprising discovery about the concept of revenge.

Durbin, William.

Song of Sampo Lake. In 1900, as a family of Finnish immigrants begins farming on the edge of a Minnesota lake, Matti works as a store clerk, teaches English, and works on the homestead, striving to get out of is older brother's shadow and earn their father's respect.

Fleischman, Paul.

The Borning Room. 1991. Lying at the end of her life in the room where she was born in 1851, Georgina remembers what it was like to grow up on the Ohio frontier.

Garland, Sherry.

A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence. 1998. In the journal she receives for her thirteenth birthday in 1835, Lucinda Lawrence describes the hardships her family and other residents of the "Texas colonies" endure when they decide to face the Mexicans in a fight for their freedom.

Gray, Dianne E.

Holding Up the Earth. 2000. Fourteen-year-old Hope visits her new foster mother's Nebraska farm, and through old letters, a diary, and stories, gets a vivid picture of the past in the voices of four girls her age who lived there in 1869, 1936, and 1960.

Gregory, Kristiana.

Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell. 1997. In her diary, thirteen-year-old Hattie chronicles her family's arduous 1847 journey from Missouri to Oregon on the Oregon Trail.

The Great Railroad Race: The Diary of Libby West. 1999. As the daughter of a newspaper reporter, fourteen-year-old Libby keeps a diary account of the exciting events surrounding her during the building of the railroad in the West in 1868.

Jimmy Spoon and the Pony Express. 1994. Having returned from living with his friends the Shoshoni, seventeen-year-old Jimmy Spoon grows restless again and seeks adventure by taking a job with the Pony Express.

Hahn, Mary Downing.

The Gentleman Outlaw and Me -- Eli: A Story of the Old West. 1996. In 1887, twelve-year-old Eliza, disguised as a boy and traveling towards Colorado in search of her missing father, falls in with a Gentleman Outlaw and joins him in his illegal schemes.

Harrell, Beatrice Orcutt.

Longwalker's Journey: A Novel of the Choctaw Trail of Tears. Illustrated by Tony Meers. 1999. When the government removes their tribe from sacred homeland in 1831, ten-year-old Minko and his father endure terrible hardships on their journey from Mississippi to Oklahoma, where Minko receives the name Longwalker.

Hart, Alison.

Anna's Blizzard. 2005. Having never excelled at schoolwork, twelve-year-old Anna discovers that she may know a few things about survival when the 1888 Children's Blizzard traps her and her classmates in their Nebraska schoolhouse.

Hermes, Patricia.

Calling Me Home. 1998. Twelve-year-old Abbie struggles to accept her father's desire to make a new home for his family on the Nebraska prairies of the late 1850s.

Westward to Home: Joshua's Diary. 2001. In 1848, nine-year-old Joshua Martin McCullough writes a journal of his family's journey from Missouri to Oregon in a covered wagon. Includes a historical note about westward migration.

Hite, Sid.

Stick and Whittle. 2000. In 1872, while journeying from Texas to Kansas, a Civil War veteral named Melvin meets a sixteen-year-old orphan, another Melvin, and they give each other nicknames and become partners and traveling companions on an exciting adventure.

Holland, Isabelle.

The Promised Land. 1996. Orphaned by their mother's death, two Irish Catholic sisters find a home with a kind Protestant couple on the Kansas frontier, but their new life is suddenly threatened by the appearance of their uncle, who is determined to take them back to New York and their "true" religion.

Holm, Jennifer L.

Our Only May Amelia. 1999. As the only girl in a Finnish American family of seven brothers, May Amelia Jackson resents being expected to act like a lady while growing up in Washington state in 1899.

Hoobler, Dorothy.

Julie Meyer: The Story of a Wagon Train Girl. Illustrations by Robert Gantt Steele. 1997. Julie and her family join a wagon train traveling from Indiana to Oregon during the 1800s, enduring many challenges while on the difficult five-month journey.

Hughes, Holly.

Hoofbeats of Danger. 1999. In 1860, eleven-year-old Annie, who lives at the Red Buttes Pony Express station in the Nebraska Territory, asks Pony Express rider Billy Cody to help her find the person responsible for sabotaging her favorite pony Magpie.

Hulme, Joy N.

Through the Open Door. 2000. Nine-year-old Dora, who has been kept out of school because of her speech impediment, dreams of learning to speak normally as her family joins a group of other Mormons journeying from Utah to New Mexico in 1910.

Irwin, Hadley.

Jim Dandy. 1994. Living after the Civil War on a Kansas homestead with his stern stepfather, thirteen-year-old Caleb raises a beloved colt and becomes involved in General Custer's raids on the Cheyenne.

Karr, Kathleen.

Oh, Those Harper Girls, or Young and Dangerous. 1992. In West Texas in 1869, Lily and her five older sisters participate in a series of misguided schemes to save their father's ranch.

Ketchum, Liza.

Orphan Journey Home. Illustrated by C. B. Mordan. 2000. In 1828, while traveling from Illinois to Kentucky, twelve-year-old Jesse and her two brothers and sister lose their parents to the milk sickness and must try to finish the dangerous journey by themselves.

Kimmel, Elizabeth Cody.

In the Eye of the Storm. Illustrated by Scott Snow. 2003. With the threat of further violence from pro-slavery border ruffians ever-present, nine-year-old Bill must run the farm, even after his father comes home to recuperate from his knife wound, and go to school.

Kurtz, Jane.

I'm Sorry, Almira Ann. Illustrations by Susan Havice. 1999. Eight-year-old Sarah's high spirits help make her family's long journey from Missouri to Oregon more bearable, though they do cause both her and her best friend Almira Ann some problems.

Lawlor, Laurie.

Addie's Dakota Winter. Illustrated by Toby Gowing. 1989. In her new pioneer home of Dakota, ten-year-old Addie finds an unlikely friend, and stranded alone during a blizzard, learns about courage.

Addie's Forever Friend. Illustrated by Helen Cogancherry. 1997.

While her father is looking for a homestead in the Dakotas, Addie and her mother and brothers spend the summer with her aunt and uncle in Sabula, Iowa, where Addie and her best friend have an exciting adventure o the Fourth of July.

Addie's Long Summer. Illustrated by Toby Gowing. 1992. Twelve-year-old Addie eagerly awaits her cousins' summer visit to her prairie home, but once they arrive, she finds things much more complicated than she ever imagined. Her cousins don't seem to appreciate Addie's home on the Great Plains. For Addie's family and all families living on the prairie in the 1880s, life is uncertain and difficult. However, in spite of the hardships, there is happiness and a sense of pride.

Adventure on the Wilderness Road, 1775. 1999. Everyone warns of Indian ambushes as Elizabeth Pogue, her nine-year-old sister, Martha, and their family begin the dangerous trip on foot to Daniel Boone's new settlement in Kentucky, but the only thing bothering Elixabeth is her bratty younger sister, until Martha suddenly disappears.

George on His Own. Illustrated by Toby Gowing.1993. Addie's twelve-year-old brother, George, doesn't think anyone appreciates his musical talent, and when his father threatens to sell his trombone, George decides to run away from the family's prairie home.

Gold in the Hills. 1995.

When they are left with relatives while their father goes prospecting for gold in the Colorado mountains, ten-year-old Hattie and her older brother depend on their friendship with a recluse who lives nearby to make their lives bearable.

West along the Wagon Road, 1852. 1998. Everyone on the wagon train knew Harriet "Duck" Scott was looking for adventure as they left Illinois for the faraway Oregon Territory, but nothing could have prepared the Scott family for the dangers they were about to meet.

Lightfoot, D. J.

Trail Fever: The Life of a Texas Cowboy. Illustrated by John Bobbish. 1992. A fictionalized biography of George Saunders, a cowboy who endured cattle drives, stampeded, and skirmishes with Indians on the Texas frontier during and after the Civil War.

Liles, Maurine Walpole.

Kitty of Blossom Prairie. Illustrated by Pat Finney. 1992. In the mid 1800s, twelve-year-old Kitty and her family demonstrate a pioneer spirit and bold courage as they struggle to create a homestead on the prairie in northeast Texas.

Love, D, Anne.

Bess's Log Cabin Quilt. Drawings by Ronald Himler. 1995. With her father away and her mother ill with fever, ten-year-old Bess works hard on a log cabin quilt to save the family farm in the Oregon Territory.

Dakota Spring. Drawings by Ronald Himler. 1995. Caroline and Jess struggle to get along with their prim grandmother, who has come to their prairie home to help take care of them while their father recovers from a barn-building accident..

A Year Without Rain. 2000. Her mother's death and a year-long drought has made life difficult for twelve-year-old Rachel and her family on their farm in the Dakotas, but when she learns that her father plans to get married again, it is almost more than Rachel can bear.

MacBride, Roger Lea.

In the Land of the Big Red Apple. Illustrated by David Gilleece. 1995. A year after moving to their farm in the Ozarks, Laura and Almanzo Wilder and their young daughter, Rose, have settle into their new home with a successful vegetable harvest and the beginnings of an apple orchard.

Little Farm in the Ozarks. Illustrated by David Gilleece. 1994. Laura and Almanzo Wilder and their eight-year-old daughter Rose continue to work to make Rocky Ridge farm in Missouri their new home.

Little House on Rocky Ridge. Illustrations by David Gilleece. 1993. In 1894 Laura Ingalls Wilder, her husband, and her seven-year-old daughter Rose leave the Ingalls family in Dakota and make the long and difficult journey to Missouri to start a new life.

New Dawn on Rocky Ridge. Illustrated by Dan Andreasen. 1997. While living on the Rocky Ridge Farm in Missouri, thirteen-year-old Rose Wilder celebrates the turn of the twentieth century and begins to wonder about her future.

On the Other Side of the Hill. Illustrated by David Gilleece. 1995. In the early 1900s, young Rose Wilder and her parents struggle with a series of natural disasters on their farm in Missouri.

MacLachlan, Patricia.

Sarah, Plain and Tall. 1985. (shelved with Newbery Awards) When their father invites a mail-order bride to come live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are captivated by her and hope that she will stay.

Skylark.1994. When a drought tests the commitment of a mail-order bride from Maine to her new home on the prairie, her stepchildren hope they will be able to remain a family.

McClung, Robert M.

Hugh Glass, Mountain Man. 1990. A fictionalized biography of the legendary hero of the Old West, who was a fur trapper in 1823, and survived an attack by a grizzly bear.

Meyer, Carolyn.

Where the Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker. 1992. Having been taken as a child and raised by Comanche Indians, thirty-four-year-old Cynthia Ann Parker is forcibly returned to her white relatives, where she longs for her Indian life and her only friend is her twelve-year-old cousin Lucy.

Moeri, Louise.

The Devil in Ol' Rosie 2001. Sent into the wilderness of eastern Oregon in 1907 to round up the family's escaped horses, twelve-year-old Wart struggles against great dangers before gaining his father's respect.

Murphy, Jim.

West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi. 1998. While traveling in 1883 with her Italian American family (including a meddlesome little sister) and other immigrant pioneers to a utopian community in Idaho, fourteen-year-old Teresa keeps a diary of her experiences along the way.

The Longest Ride. 1999. At the end of the Civil War, a fourteen-year-old black cowboy and runaway slave named Midnight who nurtures the dream of being reunited with his family, finds his destiny linked with that of two Arapaho Indians.

Paulsen, Gary.

Call Me Francis Tucket. 1995. Having separated from the one-armed trapper who taught him how to survive in the wilderness of the Old West, fifteen-year-old Francis gets lost and continues to have adventures involving dangerous men and a friendly mule.

Mr. Tucket. 1994. In 1848, while on a wagon train headed for Oregon, fourteen-year-old Francis Tucket is kidnapped by Pawnee Indians and then falls in with a one-armed trapper who teaches him how to live in the wild.

Tucket's Gold. 1999. Fifteen-year-old Francis and the two children he has adopted travel across the Old West, evade Comanchero outlaws, discover a treasure, and wind up rich beyond their wildest dreams.

Tucket's Home. 2000. Francis, Lottie, and Billy survive a series of hair-raising adventures while on their way west to the Oregon Trail, where they hope to find the Tucket family.

Pryor, Bonnie.

Luke: 1849 -- On the Golden Trail. Illustrated by Bert Dodson. 1999. In 1849, eleven-year-old Luke leaves his family's farm home in Iowa, accepts his uncle's offer of a chance for an education, and travels with his relative to Boston.

Thomas. Illustrated by Bert Dodson. 1998. In the early years of the Revolutionary War, eleven-year-old Thomas and his family escape a bloody massascre at Wyoming Valley and endure innumerable hardships as they try to make their way to Philadelphia.

Thomas in Danger. Illustrated by Bert Dodson. 1999. Having lost their home when the Revolutionary War reached their part of rural Pennsylvanis, Thomas and his family start a new life running an inn in Philadelphia, where Thomas finds new danger that takes him into captivity among the Iroquois.

Rinaldi, Ann.

The Second Bend in the River. 1997. In 1798 Rebecca, a young settler in the Ohio territory, meets the Shawnee called Tecumseh and later develops a deep friendship with him.

Ruckman, Ivy.

In Care of Cassie Tucker. 1998. When her teenage cousin moves in with her family on their Nebraska farm in 1899, eleven-year-old Cassie learns a lot, including the meaning of "heathen" and "bigot."

Seely, Debra.

The Last of the Roundup Boys. 1983. In 1885 in Kansas, seventeen-year-old Tom, the son of a poor farmer, is hired as a cowboy on a cattle ranch and faces the challenges of both herding work and a forbidden romance with sixteen-year-old Evie, the ranch owner's independently-minded daughter. Sequel to: Grasslands.

Speare, Elizabeth George.

The Sign of the Beaver. 1983. Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in eighteenth-century Maine, a boy is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach hiom their skills.

Whelan, Gloria.

Farewell to the Island. 1998. In 1816, sixteen-year-old Mary O'Shea accepts her married sister's invitation to visit her in London and experiences much of the world beyond her beloved family farm on Mackinac Island.

Once on this Island. 1995. Twelve-year-old Mary and her older brother and sister tend the family farm on Michigan's Mackinac Island while their father is away fighting the British in the War of 1812.

Return to the Island. 2000. In 1818 Mary O'Shea must decide whether to remain on Michilmackinac Island and marry her dear Indian friend White Hawk or to accept the proposal of James, an English nobleman, and go with him to London.

Wilder, Laura Ingalls.

On the Banks of Plum Creek. 1937. Laura and her family move to Minnesota where they live in a dugout until a new house is built and face misfortunes caused by flood, blizzard, and grasshoppers.

Wilkes, Maria D.

Little Town at the Crossroads. Illustrations by Dan Andreasen. 1997. Young Caroline Quiner, who would grow up to become Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother, and her family have new adventures as the frontier outpost of Brookfield, Wisconsin, grows into a bustling town.

Little Clearing in the Woods. Illustrations by Dan Andreasen. 1998. Young Caroline Quiner, who would grow up to be Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother, and her family move to a new farm near Concord, Wisconsin.

Wisler, G. Clifton.

Jericho's Journey. 1993. As his family makes the long and difficult journey from Tennessee to their new home in Texas in 1852, twelve-year-old Jericho Wetherby, teased by his sister and brothers about his size, learns there are many ways to grow.

NON-FICTION

300s

Alter, Judy.

Women of the Old West. 1989. J 305.4209 ALT

Kalman, Bobbie.

A Child's Day. 1994. J 305.23 KAL

Customs and Traditions. 1994. J 390 KAL

A One-Room School. 1994. J 370.19 KAL

Nirgiotis, Nicholas.

West by Waterway: Rivers and U. S. Expansion. 1995. J 386.0973 NIR

600s

Hodges, Margaret.

The True Tale of Johnny Appleseed. 1997. J 634.11092 HOD

Walker, Barbara Muhs.

The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Classic Stories. Illustrated by Garth Williams. 1979. J 641.5 WAL

Gunderson, Mary.

Cooking on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 2000. J 641.5973 GUN

Oregon Trail Cooking. 2000. J 641.5973 GUN

700s

Cobb, Mary.

The Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days: With Projects Kids Can Make. Illustrated by Jan Davey Elllis. 1995. J 746.97 COB

Paul, Ann Whitford.

The Seasons Sewn: A Year in Patchwork. Illustrated by Michael McCurdy. 1996. J 746.46 PAU

Silverman, Jerry.

Singing Our Way West: Songs and Stories of America's Westward Expansion. 1998. J 782.42 SIL

800s

Boulton, Jane.

Only Opal: The Diary of a Young Girl. Illustrations by Barbara Cooney. 1994. J 813 WHI

Collins, Carolyn Strom.

Inside Laura's Little House: The Little House on the Prairie Treasury. Illustrations by Garth Williams and Cathy Holly. 2000. J 813.52 COL

Walton, Rick.

Dance, Pioneer, Dance! Illustrated by Brad Teare. 1997. J 811.54 WAL

Wilder, Laura Ingalls.

A Little House Reader: A Collection of Writing by Laura Ingalls Wilder. 1998. J 813.52 AND

900s

Bacon, Melvin.

Bent's Fort: Crossroad of Cultures on the Santa Fe Trail. 1995. J 978.895 BAC

Baker, Susan.

Explorers of North America. 1990. J 973.04 BAK

Barr, Roger.

The American Frontier. 1996. J 974.45 BAR

Bial, Raymond.

Ghost Towns of the American West. 2001. J 978 BIA

Frontier Home. 1993. J 978 BIA

Blackwood, Gary L.

Life on the Oregon Trail. 1999. J 979.5 BLA

Fox, Mary Virginia.

The Story of Women Who Shaped the West. 1991. J 978.02 FOX

Gibbons, Gail.

Yippee-yay!: A Book about Cowboys and Cowgirls. 1998. J 978 GIB

Gillespie, Sarah.

A Pioneer Farm: The Diary of Sarah Gillespie, 1877-1878. 2000. J 977.7385 GIL

Glass, Andrew.

Bad Guys: True Stories of Legendary Gunslingers, Sidewinders, Fourflushers, Drygulchers, Bushwackers, Freebooters, and Downright Bad Guys and Gals of the Wild West. 1998. J 978 GLA

Greenwood, Barbara.

A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840. 1995. J 971.3 GRE

Gunby, Lise.

Early Farm Life. 1983. J 978 GUN

Hester, Sallie.

A Covered Wagon Girl: The Diary of Sallie Hester, 1949-1850. 2000. J 978.02 HES

Isaacs, Sally Senzell.

Life on a Pioneer Homestead. 2001. J 973.5 ISA

Kalman, Bobbie.

The Early Family Home. 1982. J 978 KAL

Early Schools. 1982. J 978 KAL

Early Settler Storybook. 1982. J 978 KAL

Early Stores and Markets. 1981. J 978 KAL

Early Travel. 1981. J 978 KAL

Early Village Life. 1981. J 978 KAL

King, David C.

Pioneer Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes. 1997. J 978 KIN

Knight, Theodore.

A Pioneer Woman. 1994. J 978.0082.

Loeper, John J.

Meet the Drakes on the Kentucky Frontier. 1999. J 976.9 LOE

Meet the Wards on the Oregon Trail. 1999. J 978 LOE

Macdonald, Fiona.

First Facts about the American Frontier. 1996. J 978 MAC

Marrin, Albert.

Cowboys, Indians, and Gunfighters: The Story of the Cattle Kingdom. 1993. J 978 MAR

McGowen, Tom.

African-Americans In the Old West. 1998. J 978.00496073 MCG

Miller, Brandon Marie.

Buffalo Gals: Women of the Old West. 1995. J 978.02 MIL

Miller, Robert H.

The Story of "Stagecoach" Mary Fields. 1995. J 978 MIL

Morley, Jacqueline.

How Would You Survive in the American West? 1995. J 978 MOR

Murphy, Claire Rudolf.

Children of the Gold Rush. 1999. J 971.21 MUR

O'Hara, Megan.

Frontier Fort: Fort Life on the Upper Mississippi, 1826. 1998. J 977.657 OHA

Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw.

Homesteading: Settling America's Heartland. 1998. J 978 PAT

Pelta, Kathy.

Cattle Trails: "Git Along Little Dogies--" 1997. J 978 PEL

Penner, Lucille Recht.

Westward Ho!: The Story of the Pioneers. 1997. J 978 PEN

Reef, Catherine.

Buffalo Soldiers. 1993. J 978 REE

Ritchie, David.

Frontier Life. 1996. J 978 RIT

Ross, Stewart.

Cowboys. 1995. J 978.02 ROS

Royce, Sarah.

Sarah Royce and the American West. 1996. J 978.02 ROY

Sherrow, Victoria.

Life During the Gold Rush. 1998. J 979.4 SHE

Stanley, Jerry.

Frontier Merchants: Lionel and Barron Jacobs and the Jewish Pioneers Who Settled the West. 1998. J 979.1 STA

Steedman, Scott.

A Frontier Fort on the Oregon Trail. 1993. J 978.02 STE

Stefoff, Rebecca.

Children of the Westward Trail. 1996. J 978.042 STE

The Story of the Oregon Trail. 1984. J 979.503 STE

Stienecker, David.

A Frontier Teacher. 1994. J 978.0082 STE

Sundling, Charles W.

Mountain Men of the Frontier. 2000. J 978.0082 SUN

Women of the Frontier. 2000. J 978.0082 SUN

Thrasher, Thomas.

Gunfighters of the American West. 2000. J 978.02 THR

Warren, Andrea.

Pioneer Girl: Growing Up on the Prairie. 1998. J 978.2 WAR

Wood, Tim.

The Wild West. 1998. J 973 WOO

EASY READER NON-FICTION

Isaacs, Sally Senzell.

Life on the Oregon Trail. J Easy Reader 978.02 ISA

Lowery, Linda.

Aunt Clara Brown: Official Pioneer. J Easy Reader 978.8 LOW

There are Easy Reader Biographies about Johnny Appleseed, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Daniel Boone.

www.webrary.org/Kids/jbibfrontier.html
First published on the Web: 6/29/2001
Last updated: 9/8/2006