Suggested Pre-Visit Reading List

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, © 1943 Esther Forbes Hoskins

Sarah Bishop  by Scott O’Dell , New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1980.

George Washington’s Socks by Elvira Woodruff, New York:  Scholastic, Inc., 1991.

The Gristmill - Historic Communities Series

Home Crafts - Historic Communities Series

The Kitchen - Historic Communities Series

A Colonial Town:  Williamsburg - Historic Communities Series

Colonial Life - Historic Communities Series

18th Century Clothing - Historic Communities Series

by Bobbie Kalman, New York:  Crabtree Publishing, 1990.

Colonial Kids:  An Activity Guide to Life in the New World by Laurie Carlson, Chicago:  Chicago Review Press, Inc., 1997. Distributed by Independent Publishers Group ages 5 - 12.

More Than Moccasins:  A Kid’s Activity Guide to Traditional North American Indian Life by Laurie Carlson, Chicago:  Chicago Review Press, Inc. Distributed by Independent Publishers Group ages 5 - 12.

American Made:  The Colonial Child of 1740 Written by Marcia Fann and Illustrated by Betsy Farr Ordering Information:  Great American Coloring Book, Inc. P.O. Box 3077 Crofton, MD  21114

The Winter of Red Snow:  The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart by Kristiana Gregory, New York:  Scholastic, Inc., 1996.

 If You Lived in Colonial Times by Ann Mc Govern, illustrated by Brinton Turkle, New York:  Four Winds Press, 1964.    Illustrated by June Otani,  New York:  Scholastic, Inc., 1992.

The Baker’s Dozen:  A Saint Nicholas Tale   Retold by Aaron Shepard, pictures by Wendy Edelson   New York:  Athenaeum Books for Young Readers, 1995.

If You Grew Up With George Washington by Ruth Belov Gross Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully,  New York:  Scholastic, Inc., 1982.

A Williamsburg Household by Joan Anderson,  New York:  Clarion Books, 1988. Grades 3 - 6. 

Sophie du Pont:  A Young Lady in America Sketches, Diaries, & Letters 1823-1833 by Betty-Bright Low and Jacqueline Kinsley New York:  Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1987

Watchwords of Liberty:  A Pageant of American Quotations Text and Illustrations by Robert Lawson Boston:  Little Brown and Company, 1943

 *Puss In Boots    by Charles Perrault Illustrated by Fred Marcellino Translated by Malcolm Arthur New York:  Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1990.

 *Perrault’s Fairy Tales with Thirty-Four Illustrations by Gustave Dore Translated by A.E. Johnson  New York:  Dover Publications, 1969.

 *Any version of Perrault’s classic fairy tales would be appropriate for the time period of Van Cortlandt House.  Charles Perrault’s stories based on French popular tradition were first published in 1697.  Perrault’s classics include: Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Blue Beard, Puss in Boots, The Fairies, Cinderella, Ricky of the Tuft, and Tom Thumb.  The 1990 Farrar edition of Puss in Boots is included  for its wonderful illustrations that led to it's designation as a Caldecott Honor Book for 1990.