Trailblazers

Books for Readers in the Primary Grades

To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our OPAC. Happy Reading!

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Across the Wide Dark Sea: The Mayflower Journey by Jean Van Leeuwen.
RC 43568.
A fictionalized account of a young boy's trip to America with his family on the Mayflower in 1620. Once there, the settlers begin making a new life for themselves. For grades K-3.

Akiak: A Tale from the Iditarod by Robert J. Blake.
BR 12007.
Akiak is the lead dog in Mick's sled team for the ten-day iditarod race. When she is injured and pulled out of the race, Akiak refuses to quit and instead follows the team on her own. Print/Braille. For grades K-3.

Folks Call Me Appleseed John by Andrew Glass.
RC 42557.
Fictionalized account of John Chapman, a young man from Massachusetts who planted and sold trees to settlers in the wilderness. In this story, John has sent for his younger half-brother, Nathaniel, to help him with his work. Nathaniel doesn't take to the rugged outdoor life as well as John does. An overview of John's life follows the story. For grades 2-4.

Frederick Douglass Fights for Freedom by Margaret Davidson.
LP 1204.
A biography of the man who, after escaping slavery, became an orator, writer, and leader in the anti-slavery movement of the early nineteenth century. For grades 3-6.

Going for Gold ! by Andrew Donkin.
BR 12816.
Provides a brief history of the Olympic Games and discusses six sporting events that are part of the Games. Includes information on athletes in each sport, including track legend Jesse Owens, gymnast Kerri Strug, and tennis champ Jennifer Capriati. For grades 2-4.

Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say.
BR 9907.
A Japanese American tells of his grandfather's journey to America. Grandfather loves California, but he also loves Japan and later returns there to live. In Japan, however, he is homesick for America. The narrator, born in Japan, moves to California as a young man. Yet he often returns to visit his birthplace. When in one country, he feels homesick for the other--just like his grandfather. Print/Braille. Caldecott Medal. For grades K-3 and older readers.

Heroes of the Game: True Baseball Stories by Terry Egan.
BR 13251 or RC 51190.
In this companion to The Good Guys of Baseball (RC 46409/BR 11625), the authors highlight 19 players who exemplify sportsmanship and the love of the game. Includes major leaguer Roberto Clemente, who died on a mercy mission, and Jim Eisenreich, who plays with Tourette's syndrome. For grades 3-6.

Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg.
RC 33072 or LP 50147.
Presents the life of John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, describing his love of nature, his kindness to animals, and his physical fortitude. For grades 2-4.

Klara’s New World by Jeanette Winter.
RC 44388.
Klara and her parents live in Sweden, but her father is having a hard time with the rocky farm. When friends write them of the rich land in America, Klara's family decides to move there. For grades 2-4.

Lives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull.
BR 11431 or RC 45894.
Portraits of 20 well-known athletes, filled with information about
their childhood and how they handled fame and fortune. Includes Jim Thorpe, Babe Ruth, Sonja Henie, Jackie Robinson, Arthur Ashe, and Bruce Lee. For grades 3-6.

Louis Braille, the Boy Who Invented Books for the Blind by Margaret Davidson.
RC 41325 or LP 925.
A simple biography of Louis Braille, who invented an alphabet that enables blind people to read when he was only 15. For grades 3-6.

The Man Who Made Time Travel by Kathryn Lasky.
BR 15020.
Explains the eighteenth-century need for an instrument to determine a ship's position at sea and the lifelong efforts of John Harrison, an uneducated clockmaker, to create such a device. His desire for perfection and the simplicity of his sea clock solution worked against his receiving the offered prize. Print/Braille. For grades 3-6.

Meet Kirsten: An American Girl by Janet Shaw.
RC 43751.
Kirsten, who is nine, comes to America aboard the Eagle from Sweden in 1854. She describes her voyage, the time she got lost in New York City, and her trip to Minnesota to be with some family members who arrived several years earlier. For grades 2-4.

Oliver and Albert, Friends Forever by Jean Van Leeuwen.
BR 13493 or RC 52117.
Albert, the new student in Oliver's school, is taller than his pig classmates and he can read. But at recess Oliver and his friends realize that Albert can't play kickball and that he likes bugs. Soon the whole class is studying the critters. For grades K-3.

The Pony Express: Fastest Mail in the West by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler.
LP 50175.
An introduction to the Pony Express presenting basic information about the legendary mail service and the riders who participated. For grades 3-6.

The Real McCoy: The Life of an African American Inventor by Wendy Towle.
RC 37158 or LP 50095.
Elijah McCoy was born in Canada in 1844 to parents who had escaped slavery in the United States. McCoy exhibited an unusual aptitude for mechanical devices, and in his teens he went to Scotland to study engineering. However, because of racism in the United States, he could only find work as a railroad oilman. Nevertheless, McCoy patented more than 50 inventions. For grades 3-6.

Seven Brave Women by Betsy Hearne.
RC 45778.
The author tells of her great-great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth, a Mennonite immigrant from Switzerland. She also recalls six other female forebears, including her mother, and concludes that all of them "made history by not fighting wars." For grades K-3.

Shipwrecked! The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy by Rhoda Blumberg.
BR 13732.
A biography of the first Japanese person to live in the United States. The book recounts Manjiro's adventures including a fishing accident and rescue by a whaling ship. Adopted by the captain, the teenager arrived in Massachusetts in 1843. Eventually returning to Japan, Manjiro worked for understanding between the two cultures For grades 4-7.

A Small Tall Tale from the Far Far North by Peter Sis.
RC 38565.
Retells the adventures of Jan Welzl, a folk hero in Czechoslovakia who, as a young man, undertook a perilous journey to the Far North. Befriended by Eskimos who taught him how to live in the harsh Arctic, Welzl would later try to defend them against exploitation by foreigners who came for the gold rush and the fur trade. For grades K-3 and older readers.

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner.
BR 7825 or RC 48664.
Ten-year-old Willy enjoys life with his grandfather on a small potato farm in Wyoming, until the elderly man seems to give up on life. Willy is determined to keep the farm going and harvests an entire crop with just his dog, Searchlight. Now he must earn $500 to pay the taxes. For grades 3-6.

The Story of Johnny Appleseed by Aliki.
BR 2142.
The adventures of Johnny Appleseed, the pioneer folk hero who planted apple seeds all across the Middle West. For grades K-3.

Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges.
RC 52540.
Ruby Bridges recounts her experiences as the six-year-old first African American to integrate an all-white school in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1960. She also discusses her reactions to the chants and the jeers and how that year changed her. For grades 3-6 and older readers.

Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg.
BR 12010.
Two ants join a sugar expedition, leaving their outdoor world to enter a human's kitchen. They decide to stay near the tasty treasure, but surviving in this new world is full of unexpected dangers. Print/Braille. For grades K-3.

Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner.
RC 39060.
The story of a black family that travels from Kentucky to Kansas after the Civil War to establish a homestead. They build a dugout house and barely survive a bitter winter, saved from starvation by generous Indians. A picture of pioneer life for grades 2-4.

What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? by Jean Fritz.
RC 10461 or LP 50088.
A brief biography of the eighteenth-century printer, inventor, and statesman who played an influential role in the early history of the United States. For grades 3-6.

Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus? by Jean Fritz.
RC 19724 or LP 50089.
A colorful account of the life and voyages of Christopher Columbus, the fifteenth-century seaman who was obsessed with beating everyone else in the race to the Indies. For grades 3-6.

Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? by Jean Fritz.
RC 12490 or LP 867.
To the astonishment of everyone, young Patrick Henry, unsuccessful at school and storekeeping, becomes the famous orator and Virginia governor. A brisk, authentic account. For grades 2-4.

Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? by Jean Fritz.
RC 11807 or LP 50114.
An affectionate biography of the first signer of the Declaration of Independence presents a humorous picture of the patriot's charm, ambition, and vanity. For grades 3-6.

Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman by Kathleen Krull.
RC 43739.
African American Wilma Rudolph weighed only four pounds when she was born in 1940, and she had nineteen older brothers and sisters. Childhood polio left her leg paralyzed, but Wilma exercised until she not only walked but became an Olympic gold medal runner. For grades 2-4.