LIFE IN THE AMERICAN COLONIES

The City of Once Upon a Time: A Children's True Story of Williamsburg in Virginia by Gilchrist Waring. Illustrated by Elmo Jones. Quality oversize paper. We first saw this book in the bookstore at Williamsburg, and were captivated by the intricate sketches and the overall quality of the book. It relates the history of Williamsburg from its beginning until its restoration-- at a reading level of about second or third grade. The 53 pages have lot of white space and drawings to make it attractive to early readers. A very good value for only $6.00* BTH-2374.

A Colonial Town: Williamsburg by Bobbie Kalman. Part of the Historical Communities Series, This book brings the 18th century to life in a visit to historical Williamsburg at a time when Virginia was still a part of England. Young readers will watch its founding and restoration and travel along the wide cobblestone streets of the restored town with its citizens. They will learn about the Governor's Palace, the church and school, the Goal, the apothecary, and the post mill . Cat.#CT-5092. $7.16-D

A Williamsburg Household by Joan Anderson. Photographed by George Ancona. This story, with full-color photos taken at Colonial Williamsburg, shows the stark contrast between the lives of the slaves and the people who owned them. For ages 9-12. Trade paper. I have one copy left at 5.95-D. Reorders will be $7.15-D

More General Books on Colonial Life

American Family of the Colonial Era: Paper Dolls in Full Color, by Tom Tierney. Dover, 32 pages. $4.46-D

Colonial America: 18 Fun-to-Create Reproducible Models That Bring the Colonial Period to Life by Donald Silvers and Patricia Wynne. Scholastic, 2002. Contains instructions and patterns for making models that introduce students to each of the 13 colonies with hands-on model projects. Here are some examples: Croatan Mystery Tree; 3-D Jamestown map; Boston Town Meeting Pop-UP Book; Dutch Windmill; New England Seaport Diorama; Look-Inside Log Cabin; Spinning Wheel, and more. At the beginning are general instructions on model making and a map of the 13 colonies. 80 pages. For grades 3-5. BTH-4220. $11.69-D

Colonial America: A New World, by Steven Traugh. Lessons cover Native American Peoples, Exploration and Trade; Coming to the New World; Separation; Farming the Land; Earning a Living from the Sea; Indentured Servitude; A People of Many Nations; Slavery; Home Life and Children; The Seeds of Democracy; Freedom of Speech; The French and Indian War. This includes 2 audio CDs and three posters. For grades 4-8. Cat. # BTH-19. $17.99-D. For a more complete description, click here.

Colonial and Early American Fashions, a Dover Coloring Book by Tom Tierney. Covers all the colonies from 1620 -1760, contrasting the the fashions of those with different life styles in the same time periods. Explanatory text for each picture to color. Suitable for grades 4 and up. May be reproduced for non-commercial graphics and craft applications. BTH-3500. $3.59-D

Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World by Laurie Carlson. As children ages 5-12 learn about life in the colonies, they can enjoy some hand-on activities such as stitching a sampler, pitching horseshoes, making an almanac, churning butter, and much, much more. The book begins with a time line and then introduces the people and how they came to America, with maps of the exploration of Columbus and of the earliest colonies. Ample historical background is provided with each activity. Topics covered, with related activities, include Sailing and Settling; Clothes and More; Home Sweet Home; Dinnertime; Everyday Life; Arts and Crafts; School and Learning ; Fun and Games; and What Happened to the Colonies. There is a much wider range of activities, and the crafts use a wider variety of materials than the activities in the Edupress book on the same subject. 160 pages. BTH-4033. $13.46-D

Colonial People Series: Shows life in the American colonies up close. Good for all ages, though reading level is about grade 3. Since the illustrations and photographs of people in period dress going about their daily tasks appeal to even adults, this series is a great resource for not only the elementary grades, but also for low level readers in the upper grades. Separate books cover colonial women, a slave family, the blacksmith, the woodworkers, the milliner, and the colonial cook. For ages 5-adult.

Early American Trades Coloring Book by Peter Copeland. Dover. Color wigmakers, glassblowers, hatters, 19 other colonial craftsmen, with their tools and products on facing pages. 44 illustrations and 22 descriptive captions. Captions explain what is happening in the pictures. For upper elementary and above. Useful for students and teachers. Not reproducible. 48 pages. BTH-2324. $3.59-D Click on image to enlarge it.

Early American Crafts and Occupations Coloring Book by Peter Copeland. Dover. Contains 40 illustrations of textile dyers, herdsman, potter, furniture makers, cannon founders, ship carver and more. Captions explain what's happening in the pictures. For upper elementary and older students. Copyright-free. BTH-2325. $3.59-D To enlarge image, please click on it

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ly Settler Life Series by Bobbie Kalman. This series is beautifully illustrated with photographs and etchings of early settler life from the National Archives and early issues of contemporary newspapers and magazines. The author also took over 1000 pictures of historic villages, illustrating every aspect of early settler life. Reading level is grades 3-4. Interest level is grades 2-9, though many adults also find these fascinating. There are 100 large illustrations in each book, and an index and glossary. Books in the series vary from 64-96 pages. Cover is four-color, text is two-color. Books are 8.95* each title. These are now out of print and supplies are limited to stock on hand.

Catalog #	Title	Description
CT-0031	Early Christmas	Much hard work went into making Christmas special.
CT-004X	Early Stores and Markets	The general store was the center of village life.
CT-0066	Early Loggers and the Sawmill	This was important because the settlers lived in a world made from wood.
CT-0082	Early Travel	Travel then was dangerous and full of hardships.
CT--104	Early Village Life	This discusses the place of the store, the mill and the other important components of village life.
CT--0120	Food for the Settler	Tells how the settlers, caught, grew, and prepared their food.
CT-0147	Early Schools	Education was much different then, and the rules were different for both students and teachers.
CT-0163	Early Family Home	Each family made its own necessities, whether they lived in a log cabin or a plank house.
CT-018X	Early Settler Children	Children had a harder life then, and many more chores, but life was exciting.
CT-0201	Early Settler Storybook	Stories about pioneer life that settler children read.
CT-0228	Early Artisans	Old lithographs and photos show various craftsmen at work.
CT-0244	Early Pleasures and Pastimes	Watch the settlers dunk for apples, make music, dance, and celebrate the holidays.
CT-0260	Early Farm Life	Watch early farmers go through the challenge of each new season.
CT-0287	Early City Life	City life was full of surprises -- both good and bad.
CT-0309	Early Health and Medicine	People had reason to be afraid of the doctor back then. Sometimes the treatment was worse than the disease.

Everyday Dress of the American Colonial Period, a Dover Coloring Book by Peter Copeland. This covers the dress of those in different occupations in the American colonies of the 1770''s. It is a bit simpler to color and has easier captions than Colonial and Early American Fashions. It is not legally reproducible. I have a couple of older copies with minor cover blemishes for $2.00.(BTH-2322) Reorders of new copies are $3.59-D (BTH-2323.)

Four Colonial Girls Sticker Paper Dolls by Shanahan. Dover, 32 pages. Full color, easy to use. $4.05-D

Hands-On Heritage: Colonial American Activity Book. A book of hands-on activity ideas that help students in grades 1-6 explore colonial times through art, crafts, cooking, and historical aids. Activities include making a papier-mâché Plymouth Rock, bartering with corn, making paper quilts, making tops, making a hornbook, and many more. Each activity is introduced with its historical background. Cat. #EP3, $6.25-D. A companion volume is Read and Respond: Colonial American Literature and it introduces children's books related to the period, including some of those described above. Cat.#EP28, $7.15-D. A new read and color book has recently been introduced to accompany this book High interest topics are coupled with lower level reading (third grade target). This is not a reproducible book. Colonial America Read and Color, Cat. #EP204. $3.59-D

Life as a Colonist by Bo Rybak. Frank Schaffer / McGraw-Hill, 1994. For middle and upper grades. 122 pages. This book provides clear information that helps students compare their own lives with those of the American colonists. The ten chapters include background information, classroom activities, and reproducible worksheets. The book covers home, food, family, women, children, education, health, recreation, crime and punishment, and crafts. Many colonial recipes are included, as well as instructions for making candles and colonial storage chests. There is also a literature list and a resource list for teachers and a chapter-by-chapter activity list. BTH-1771. $12.59-D

Life in Colonial America Coloring Book by Peter Copeland. Dover. 44 detailed, ready-to-color illustrations portray the drama of American life before the Revolution. Images include arrival from Europe, encounters with Native Americans, the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, the deck of a slave ship, a frontier fort, a colonial kitchen, a Spanish priest in California, and much more. Descriptive captions provide brief history lessons for educational entertainment. For upper elementary and older students. 48 pages to color. Reproducible for noncommercial use. BTH-2327. $3.59-D Please click on image to enlarge it.

Historical Communities Series: This series is beautifully illustrated with photos from Living History museums such as Williamsburg. Although they're written at third grade reading level, the interest level spans many grades, and even adults will find these fascinating. Having these books is the next best thing to being there. Follow the link for available titles.

Settlement and Colonization. Written by Jim McAlpine, Betty Weineek, Sue Jeweler, and Marion Findbinder. The three units in this book are Issues, People, and Places. Among the 27 topics covered are The Mayflower Compact, Salem Witch Trials, Colonial Cash Crops, Slavery, Indentured Servants, Native Americans and Settlers, Ann Hutchinson, Roger Williams, Phyllis Wheatley, Puritans, Chief Powhatan Peter Stuyvesant, Jamestown, Plymouth, Plantations, Lost Colony, St. Augustine, Quebec, and more. Cat #EI-047-5AP. $5.45-D Part of the As It Was series.

Paper Dolls

American Family of the Colonial Era Paper Dolls in Full Color by Tom Tierney. Dover, 1995. Spanning 3 generations, an American family of 8 is shown in period attire worn for housework, farming, and formal occasions. Wardrobes include lace-and-ruffle embellished gowns, a judge's robe, military uniforms, an elegant suit of green velvet, Indian-inspired frontier attire and much more. 8 paper dolls. 32 costumes.. BTH-3494. $6.26-D

Colonial Fashions Paper Dolls by Tom Tierney. Dover, 1995. Has 21 outfits depicting court gowns, capes, "playne" clothing, lace-trimmed dresses, Cavalier-styled hats, plus other splendid European apparel. Contains 16 pages of color plates on heavy stock, printed on one side only. BTH-3493. $5.36-D

Paper Models

Dover Cut and Assemble: These books are 9 1/4' x 12 1/4', saddlewired. The are printed in color on one side only, 32 pages each except as noted. H-O Scale. They may need some adult supervision in the elementary grades. Available titles:

    Cut and Assemble Early American Buildings, $5.36-D
    Cut and Assemble Paul Revere House, 19 pages, $4.46-D
    Cut and Assemble an Early New England Village, Printed in full color on heavy cardboard stock. 12 authentic buildings in H-O scale: Adams home in Quincy, Mass., Oliver Wight house in Sturbridge, smithy, store, church, others.
48 pages, BTH-2318. $-8.99-D
    Cut and Assemble a Southern Plantation, 40 pages, $6.36-D
    Cut and Assemble an Early American Seaport, 48 pages, $7.16-D
    Cut and Assemble House of the Seven Gables, 16 pages, $4.46-D

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