Picture Books about Vermont History
Alec's Primer
by Mildred Pitts Walter (2005)
Non-fiction, 32 pages, grades K-3
Based on the true story of Alec Turner and how he learned to read while enslaved in Virginia. Turner later moved to Vermont where his daughter Daisy told this story. Published by the Vermont Folklife Center.
Resources for educators from the Vermont Folklife Center.
The Bear that Heard Crying
by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock (1993)
Historical fiction, 28 pages, grades K-3
Based on the true story of Sarah Whitcher who got lost in the woods in New Hampshire in 1783.
Charlotte's Bones, The Beluga Whale in a Farmer's Field
by Erin Rounds (2018)
Non-fiction, 36 pages, grades 1-5
Read the true story of a Vermont farmer who found Beluga whale bones in his field and how that skeleton became Vermont's state fossil.
Daisy and the Doll
by Michael Medearis and Angela Shelf Medearis (2000)
Non-fiction, 30 pages, grades K-3
Based on the true story of Daisy Turner, an 8 year old African-American girl who lived in Grafton in 1891. Published by the Vermont Folklife Center.
Resources for educators from the Vermont Folklife Center.
Here Comes Darrell
by Leda Schubert (2005)
Fiction, 28 pages, grades K-4
Darrell helps his neighbors all year long, so they pitch in when he needs help, too.
Jackson and Bud's Bumpy Ride
by Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff (2009)
Non-fiction, 36 pages, grades K-3
In 1903, Burlington doctor Horatio Jackson and his dog Bud race to be the first to drive across the country in their car named Vermont.
Malian's Song
by Marge Bruchac (2005)
Non-fiction, 28 pages, grades 2-4
Based on oral history, this is the Abenaki story of the English attack on the village of St. Francis in 1759. Published by the Vermont Folklife Center.
Resources for educators from the Vermont Folklife Center.
Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel
by Leslie Connor (2004)
Historical fiction, 32 pages, grades 1-4
Although not specifically set in Vermont, this books tells the story of Miss Bridie, an immigrant who moves first to New York City and then to a farm in the mid 1800s.
Muskrat Will Be Swimming
by Cheryl Savageau (2006)
Fiction, 32 pages, grades 2-6
Grampa tells Jeannie a story about Muskrat to help her deal with prejudice against her Abenaki and French heritage.
Nora's Ark
by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock (2005)
Historical fiction, 28 pages, grades 1-4
The story of the 1927 flood when all the neighbors and their chickens and horses crowd into Grandma's house for safety.
A Raccoon at the White House
by Rachel Dougherty (2018)
Non-fiction, 32 pages, grades K-3
Learn the true story of Grace and Calvin Coolidge's pet raccoon Rebecca.
Snowflake Bentley
by Jacqueline Briggs Martin (1998)
Non-fiction, 30 pages, grades K-4
The biography of Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, a Vermonter who figured out how to photograph snowflakes in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost (2001)
Poetry, 32 pages, grades K-4
Illustrations by Susan Jeffers complement the words of Robert Frost's poem.
Tricking the Tallyman
by Jacqueline Davies (2009)
Historical fiction, 32 pages, grades K-4
The tallyman needs to count all the people in Tunbridge for the first census. What happens when the town does not want to be counted?