Civil War Reading

Here at our house we are easing our way back into school after a nice vacation by reading some new books on the Civil War. Some are Christmas gifts and some are library picks by our favorite librarian, Grandma Susan.  I thought I'd share some of our favorite finds with you.

The Drinking Gourd and Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt are gentle introductions to the subject of slavery for young readers.  Both focus on the Underground Railroad.  Amistad Rising: A Story of Freedom is also good, and brings in a little bit of the legal and political history surrounding the Amistad trial. 

We just read Pink and Say last night.  Based on the true story of Patricia Polacco's great-great-grandfather, it is powerful but has a very sad ending.  We also enjoyed Dadblamed Union Army Cow, a funny and touching fictionalized account of an actual cow who traveled with a Union company in the Civil War.

Aine is currently reading the My America series Virginia's Civil War Diary.  These three books are light on battle, blood and gore, but describe one family's experience living in Washington DC during the Civil War.  They are written by Mary Pope Osborne, author of the Magic Treehouse series. My kids have read all of the "Jack and Annie" books, and the two on the Civil War (Abe Lincoln at Last and Civil War on Sunday) are among my favorites in the series.  These make great read-alouds, especially if you can make your third grader read them to your first grader and preschooler.  School for everyone!

While they're busy with that, make yourself some coffee and read the The Killer Angels, a novel of the Civil War that is powerful, informative, and serious enough to impress my hubby, who is something of a Civil War buff.  If you are feeling more scholarly, he recommends you read the three-volume series by Bruce Catton. 

(Or, you could just re-read Gone with the Wind.  Come on, you know you want to.)

For older kids (9 and up), I love Rifles for Watie and one of my best elementary school memories is of preparing to act out the amputation scene with my fourth grade classmates.  Another memorable read from my late elementary years is The Root Cellar. I have not read either of these with my kids yet, so do give them a preview.  I remember Rifles for Watie being quite graphic, The Root Cellar less so.

Okay, that's all I have for you tonight.  Happy reading! I just added eight items to my amazon cart, so you should be hearing back from me again soon...