I have heard of a land
Where the imagination has no fences
Where what is dreamed one night
Is accomplished the next day

In the late 1880s, signs went up all around America - land was free in the Oklahoma territory. And it was free to everyone: Whites, Blacks, men and women alike. All one needed to stake a claim was hope and courage, strength and perseverance. Thousands of pioneers, many of them African-Americans newly freed from slavery, headed west to carve out a new life in the Oklahoma soil.

Drawing upon her own family history, National Book Award winner Joyce Carol Thomas has crafted an unforgettable anthem to these brave and determned people from America's past. Richly illustrated by Coretta Scott King Award honoree Floyd Cooper, I Have Heard of a Land is a glorious tribute to the Afrian-American pioneer spirit.

00-01 Sequoyah Children's Book Award Masterlist

Rachel is refreshingly unconventional: she dons her brother's shirt and britches when one of the oxen makes "a nice meal" of her only wool dress, learns to crack a whip, and makes friends with a young American Indian brave. Children will delight in the day-to-day accounts of life on the trail, enhanced by the notes and colorful drawings Rachel has added to the journal's margins. Based on real diaries kept by courageous pioneers between 1846 and 1868, Rachel's Journal is an excellent choice for third graders and older, and can also be successfully read aloud to younger children, who will enjoy imagining themselves as pioneering adventurers. An intimate look at a momentous journey, this book will not fail to move and inspire readers of all ages. --Aimée Damman

Price: $7.00

Spend a year with the Mayhews, a family living in the Massachusetts colony of 1732. Ten-year-old Nathan and his twelve-year-old sister, Sarah, are eager to share all the fun and adventure—and the hard work—of their daily lives. Along the way, they'll show you how to play games, make toys and crafts, and perform lots of interesting and challenging everyday activities.

Churn your own butter and whip up a batch of tasty Maple Cream treats. Write with a quill pen you can make yourself, learn how to dip candles, and play popular games like Jackstraws, Crack the Egg, and Sheep Over the Fence.

Colonial Days is filled with interesting historical information and fun facts about growing up in days gone by. Discover how different—and how similar—life was for American kids in history.

Join twelve-year-old Sam Butler and his nine-year-old sister, Liz, on the American frontier in 1843. Discover the hard work, fun, and adventure of their daily lives, and along the way learn how to play games, make toys and crafts, and perform everyday activities just like Liz and Sam.

You can make your own homemade soda pop and cook up a batch of johnnycakes. Use clay to create your own pottery and design a string of African trade beads, or learn the Native American art of sandpainting. You can even make your own holiday decorations out of dough or pinecones—if you're not too busy playing tangram, a Chinese puzzle game, or a beanbag target game.

Pioneer Days is filled with interesting bits of historical information and fun facts about growing up in days gone by. Discover how different—and how similar—life was for American kids in history.

Watch for Colonial Days the next exciting book in the American Kids in History^TM series!

Price: $12.95

American history is rife with stories of our founding fathers, but what of the women who lived and worked alongside these men? This fun and exciting book whisks young readers back to early America, introducing them to a refreshing assortment of brave and unique American women of colonial times. Readers will be amazed by the stories of such remarkable colonial women as Mumbet, a slave who won her freedom in a Massachusetts courtroom in the 1780s; Mercy Warren, whose passionate plays about the Revolution thrust her onto the theater scene as America's first female playwright; and Peggy Arnold, the wife of Benedict Arnold, who was as formidable a spy as her notorious husband. With these enlightening profiles, Mary Rodd Furbee brings these strong and influential women to life to encourage, inspire, and delight young readers.

Mary Rodd Furbee (Morgantown, WV) is a part-time writing and journalism instructor at West Virginia University School of Journalism and has written for many publications. She is the author of five children's books, including Anne Bailey, Frontier Scout; and Mary Ingles, Indian Captive.

Price: $12.95

The author answers many intriguing questions that children are likely to ask. "What did colonial boys and girls wear?" "What happened if they didn't behave in school?" "What did they do on Sunday?" "Were there special laws about fun? "What happened to people who broke the laws?"

This book provides a unique opportunity to enrich the young reader's understanding of American history. 52 entertaining questions and answers about what it was like to live in the New England colonies during the years 1650 - 1730

Price: $5.99

In 1707, young Sarah Noble and her father traveled through the wilderness to build a new home for their family. "Keep up your courage, Sarah Noble," her mother had said, but Sarah found that it was not always easy to feel brave inside. The dark woods were full of animals and Indians, too, and Sarah was only eight!

The true story of Sarah's journey is inspiring. And as she cares for her father and befriends her Indian neighbors, she learns that to be afraid and to be brave is the greatest courage of all. Ages 9 and up.

Price: $4.99

Price: $14.95

Quilts have a wonderful way of holding history, and Jean Van Leeuwen's warmly engaging story was inspired by the “wandering foot” quilt pattern that was popular during pioneer days. With sparkling illustrations by Rebecca Bond, this is a moving account of an early American girl and her cheerful optimism as her family makes a historic journey, until at last she is thrilled to arrive at the place they will finally call home.

Price: $14.99