Books in Our American Story series

Christopher Columbus was not the first to discover the Americas, but his voyages led to European exploration of the New World. Rich in resources and natural beauty, the Americas were irresistible to gold-hungry conquistadors. The newcomers gave little thought to those who had called the lands their home, and exploration soon came to signify conquest. The New World -- and the lives of its inhabitants -- would be changed forever.

With accurate historical information, this easy-to-understand book tells why and how the Constitution of the United States was created. A More Perfect Union includes a map and back matter with a table of dates and a summary of the Articles of the Constitution. "A simple, attractive, informative book about a milestone in American history. The simplest and most accessible history of the Constitution to date."—School Library JournalSupports the Common Core State Standards

This ongoing series introduces our country's history to young readers in an appealing picture-book format. Clear, simple texts combine with informative, accurate illustrations to help young people develop an understanding of America's past and present.The New Americans is the story of the colonists -- the more than two hundred thousand new Americans -- who came over from Europe and struggled to build a home for themselves in a new world.

It began in Boston, with angry colonists objecting to the tyranny of a king who ruled from an ocean away.It was voiced by patriots such as Sam Adams and Patrick Henry and echoed by citizens from New England all the way to the Carolinas.It was fought by many -- colonists and patriots, Loyalists and slaves, Frontiersmen and Indians, British and French soldiers.Over more than ten years, sides were taken, guns drawn, lives lost. But through it all, one man -- a general from Virginia named George Washington -- held the young colonies together and led them to victory, beating almost impossible odds.History lovers Betsy and Giulio Maestro tell this true story of extraordinary times, incredible drama, and the birth of a new nation.

As early as 1630, Spain, France, England, and the Netherlands had settlements or colonies in North America. Always looking for ways to expand their territory, these European nations were constantly at war with one another over trade, borders, and religious differences. Beginning in 1689, their conflicts in Europe spread across the Atlantic to America. Over the next seventy years, competing European powers would battle for control of the New World. The winner would take the prize -- all of North America.Struggle for a Continent tells the riveting story of the French and Indian Wars seventy-four years of fighting that determined the destiny of the future United States. Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 2001, National Council for SS & Child. Book Council

From the crossing of the Bering Land Bridge over 20,000 years ago to the arrival of the Europeans, this classic picture book paints the early discoveries of America in grand strokes. The text is useful for both the classroom and at home as it combines beautiful landscape illustrations with factual features: maps, timelines, chronological tables, and easy-to-use appendixes. "The dazzlingly clean and accurate prose and the exhilarating beauty of the pictures combine for an extraordinary achievement in both history and art."—School Library Journal"The Maestros do a real service here in presenting the more familiar explorers in the context of all the migrations that have populated the Western Hemisphere.... An outstanding introduction."—Kirkus ReviewsSupports the Common Core State Standards

Every October Americans celebrate the discovery of their hemisphere by Christopher Columbus. But the navigator from Genoa was not the first to find his way to these shores. From the Stone Age through the 16th century, America was "discovered" again and again. An exciting and unique way to celebrate the Columbus quincentennial and the history of our country.

When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620, much of America remained a vast wilderness. Within sixty years of their arrival, America's first cities were thriving seaports, the first college was founded, public education had begun, books were printed, coins minted, and postal service launched. The New Americans tells the story of the origins of our rich multicultural heritage, an exciting chapter in Betsy and Giulio Maestro's acclaimed American Story series.

America had formed its fledgling nation, but all was not well within the Union. Slavery continued to cause disputes among the states until there was a civil war. Conflicts emerged as settlements kept expanding to the West, encroaching on Native American lands. And the Industrial Revolution was changing the way Americans lived and worked in the growing nation. In the lives of soldiers and sailors, outlaws and lawmen, pastors and pioneers, as well as Native Americans struggling to continue their traditional way of life, we see the history and controversies of the resilient nation unfold before us. Volume Two in this series for your elementary students includes: Interesting photographs, maps, and illustrations to help students visualize and relate to historical events Cultural connections between the events of the past and the modern world we see today Important features and narratives that add to the student's understanding of history from different perspectives Join us as we explore "one nation under God" as America stretches across the continent and tests the limits of the Constitution that binds it together. Discover why this nation then and now draws those seeking freedom to its shores from around the world as each person helps build the nation toward a prosperous future and contributes their story to American history.

A New York Times Notable Book of 2013A Kirkus Best Book of 2013A Bookpage Best Book of 2013Dazzling in scope, Ecstatic Nation illuminates one of the most dramatic and momentous chapters in America's past, when the country dreamed big, craved new lands and new freedom, and was bitterly divided over its great moral wrong: slavery. With a canvas of extraordinary characters, such as P. T. Barnum, Walt Whitman, Frederick Douglass, and L. C. Q. Lamar, Ecstatic Nation brilliantly balances cultural and political history: It's a riveting account of the sectional conflict that preceded the Civil War, and it astutely chronicles the complex aftermath of that war and Reconstruction, including the promise that women would share in a new definition of American citizenship. It takes us from photographic surveys of the Sierra Nevadas to the discovery of gold in the South Dakota hills, and it signals the painful, thrilling birth of modern America.An epic tale by award-winning author Brenda Wineapple, Ecstatic Nation lyrically and with true originality captures the optimism, the failures, and the tragic exuberance of a renewed Republic.