Classic New England Children's Books

Recorded cassette (RC and RCM), braille (BR and BRM), and large print (JL) copies of these Classic New England Children's Books are available from the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library. Please contact the library to order any of these books. These books were selected by Yankee Magazine. Click for more information about the Yankee Magazine List. 

• Giants in the Land by Diana Applebaum and Michael McCurdy
  There were once giants in New England--giant pine trees that had grown for more than a thousand years and stood taller than the loftiest building ever built in Maine or New Hampshire. The author describes how these giant pines were cut down during the colonial days and shipped to England to make massive wooden masts for ships for the Royal Navy. For grades 2-4.
  • RC 38315
    
• Sam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley and Arnold Lobel
  The American Revolution is about to begin, and Sam, the Minuteman, must overcome his fears in order to help his country fight for freedom. For grades 2-4.
  • RCM 732
    
• Gluskabe and the Four Wishes by Joseph Bruchac and Christine Nyburg Shrader
  An Abenaki Indian tale of three foolish men and one wise man, each of whom seeks a wish from Gluskave, helper of the Great Spirit. Their wishes are fulfilled in unexpected ways, thus conveying a moral lesson to the reader. For grades 3-6 and older readers.
  • RC 43269
    
• Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
  Mike Mulligan remains loyal to his steam shovel, Mary Anne, against the threat of the new gas and diesel-engine contraptions. He digs his way to a surprising and happy ending. For grades K-3.
  • RC 25281
  • BR 13645
  • JL 3
    
• Whaling Days by Carol Carrick
  The whale, described by the author as the largest creature that has ever lived, has always been awesome and useful to mankind. The author discusses the development of the whaling industry that began in the sixteenth century and the hunting methods and whale products used by Native Americans and early settlers. Conservation is also addressed. For grades 3-6 and older readers.
  • RC 38188
    
• A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry
  Long ago, Indian peoples discovered the Nashua River. Later they settled on its banks and lived in harmony with nature. In the 1600s, English colonists with a different view of nature settled there. At the start of the twentieth contury, an industrial revolution began decades of pollution that destroyed the river. An cleanup project was launched. For grades 2-4 and older readers.
  • BR 8998
    
• Island Boy by Barbara Cooney
  Print/Braille. Pa was the first to come to the island in the bay. He cleared the north end, dug a well, built a house, and brought his wife and three children to live. The family grew to twelve children, and Matthais became closely attached to the island. For grades K-3 to share with older readers.
  • BR 7932
    
• Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
  As a child, Alice Rumphius resolves to visit faraway places when she grew up and to live by the sea when she became old. Most importantly, she plans to do something to make the world more beautiful. The last proves to be the most difficult. For grades K-3.
  • RC 52738
  • BR 16046
    
• An Early American Christmas by Tomie de Paola
  Print/Braille. Long ago many Americans did not celebrate Christmas. The author tells of one such New England village, and of what happened when a family from Germany moved in, bringing their Christmas traditions with them. For grades K-3 and older readers.
  • BR 7523
    
• Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? by Jean Fritz and Trina Schart Hyman
  Describes Samuel Adams's activities in helping stir up the American Revolution, and how his cousin John Adams finally persuaded him to learn to ride a horse. For grades 2-4.
  • RC 49772
    
• Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? by Jean Fritz and Trina Schart Hyman
  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 3-5.
  • RC 11807
    
• Beacons of Light: Lighthouses by Gail Gibbons
  Oceans and lakes can be treacherous places and difficult to navigate. Lighthouses help to guide watercraft to safety and to warn their crews of dangerous rocks. For grades 2-4 and older readers.
  • RC 35397
    
• The Milk Makers by Gail Gibbons
  Print/Braille. The story of milk - from the cow's four-part stomach to the grocery store shelves. A step-by-step description of how this nutritious drink is produced and distributed. For grades K-3.
  • BR 6116
    
• Mary Had a Little Lamb by Sarah Josepha Hale and Tomie de Paola
  The classic nineteenth-century nursery rhyme of Mary and her devoted lamb. For preschool to grade 2. 1984.
  • RC 23105
    
• Lucy's Christmas by Donald Hall and Michael McCurdy
  Companion to "Lucy's Summer." The leaves on the trees are beginning to turn red, and Lucy Wells knows it is time to start planning for Christmas. Her parents order a Glenwood kitchen range from Sears Roebuck in Chicago, and during the fall and winter, Lucy makes presents for her family and friends, for the South Danbury Christian Church Christmas celebration. For grades K-3.
  • RC 40911
    
• Lucy's Summer by Donald Hall and Michael McCurdy
  Companion to "Lucy's Christmas." School is out for the summer, and Lucy Wells's mother has decided to open a millinery shop in the front parlor. Lucy and Caroline help her make the hats. They also help can the fruits and vegetables for the coming winter. Just before school starts again, Lucy and her mother make a trip to Boston, Massachusetts. For grades K-3.
  • RC 40904
    
• Old Home Day by Donald Hall and Emily Arnold
  A fictional account of the evolution of an area now called Blackwater, New Hampshire. Hall's story begins tens of thousands of years ago, when glaciers melted to form rivers and ponds, and ends in 1999, when the town celebrates the bicientennial of its founding by Enoch Boswell, a farmer who was looking for a place to build a cabin, keep a cow, and raise a family. For grades 3-6.
  • RC 45071
    
• McCully Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall and Barbara Cooney
  A fictional account of the evolution of an area now called Blackwater, New Hampshire. Hall's story begins tens of thousands of years ago, when glaciers melted to form rivers and ponds, and ends in 1999, when the town celebrates the bicientennial of its founding by Enoch Boswell, a farmer who was looking for a place to build a cabin, keep a cow, and raise a family. For grades 3-6.
  • RC 21584
  • BR 5914
    
• When Willard Met Babe Ruth by Donald Hall and Barry Moser
  Willard Babson, twelve, and his father, Sheridan, are great fans of baseball. One day as they are herding sheep down the road, a car runs into the ditch. In the car is Babe Ruth. Over the next twenty years, Willard's fascination with the Babe grows -- and then they meet again. For grades 3-6.
  • BR 10788
    
• Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D. B. Johnson
  Print/Braille. Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. Young Henry and his friend both want to go to Fitchburg. Henry decides to walk the thirty miles, while his friend works for the fare to take the train. Based on a passage from Henry Thoreau's "Walden." For grades K-3.
  • BR 13066
    
• The Bear That Heard Crying by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, Helen Kinsey and Ted Rand
  A fictionalized account of the day in 1783 when three-year-old Sarah Whitcher wandered away from home. Lost in the woods and crying, Sarah attracts the attention of a big black bear. For preschool-grade 2.
  • RC 46524
    
• Sea Swan by Kathryn Lasky and Catherine Stock
  On her seventy-fifth birthday, Elzibah Swan decides to learn to swim. She tells her cat, buys a green swimsuit, and begins lessons that day. She tells of her progress and enjoyment through letters to her grandchildren. For grades 2-4.
  • RC 32368
    
• She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head! by Kathryn Lasky and David Catrow
  In nineteenth century Boston, Minna Hall and Harriet Hemenway want to do something about all the fashionable women who wear dead birds on their hats! Besides driving the poor birds to extinction, the hats make the women look silly. So, in 1896, Minna and Harriet form a club of prominent men and women to protect the birds, the Massachusetts Audubon Society. For grades 3-5.
  • RCM 522
    
• Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ted Rand
  The famous poem tells how, on the night of April l8, 1775, Paul Revere rode the countryside to warn of the coming of the British soldiers to Concord where the colonists' arms were stored. He was told of their secret movement by his friend who watched from the Old North Church.
  • RC 32528
  • BR 2137
    
• Mill by David Macaulay
  A renowned author traces the history of a fictional 19th-century R.I. cotton mill. The account begins in 1810, when the original structure was built, and follows the mill to its conversion to apartments and condominiums in 1974.
  • RC 21616
    
• The Little Island by Golden MacDonald and Leonard Weisgard
  An inquisitive little kitten who comes ashore from a sailboat learns the secret of being an island from a wise and talkative fish. For grades K-3.
  • BR 3888
    
• Ferryboat by Betsy and Giulio Maestro
  Come across the Connecticut River on the ferry. All day long the ferry goes back and forth across the river, carrying cars, trucks, and people. For preschool-grade 2.
  • RC 29337
    
• Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Mary Azarian
  Print/Braille. Caldecott Medal. The biography of Wilson Bentley, who loved the beauty of nature and wanted to share that loveliness with others. Especially intrigued by snowflakes, he taught himself how to photograph them, and that became his lifelong project. For grades K-3.
  • BR 12032
    
• Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
  Caldecott Honor. One day in Maine, Little Sal goes blueberry picking with her mother. Little Bear also comes with his mother to eat blueberries on the other side of the hill. There is quite a mix up when the little ones stray from their mothers. For preschool-grade 2.
  • RC 52440
  • BR 13566
    
• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
  Five helpful Boston policemen stop busy city traffic so that Mrs. Mallard can move her family of eight ducklings from their island in the Charles River to their new home in the Public Garden. For grades K-3. Caldecott Medal. 1941.
  • RC 42913
  • BR 16447
    
• One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
  One morning in Maine, Sal jumps out of bed and hurries to get dressed. Today she and her baby sister Jane are going with their father to Buck's Harbor. Before the morning is over her tooth has fallen out, but she can't find it. Now she won't be able to put it under her pillow and make a wish. She wonders if her wish will come true anyway. For grades K-3.
  • RC 40408
  • BR 4300
    
• Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey
  Caldecott Medal 1958. The author describes the enchanting beauty of a Maine island in rain, fog, sunshine, and hurricane. For grades K-3.
  • RC 40409
  • BR 5624
    
• The Bobbin Girl by Emily Arnold McCully
  Ten-year-old Rebecca works all day in a cotton mill in 1830's Lowell, Massachusetts. Will she participate in the first workers' strike there? Based on memoirs of a mill girl in Lowell, and her experiences during an era when American women stunned the world by becoming independent wage-earners and then by standing together in the fight for workers' rights. For grades 3-5.
  • RCM 673
    
• Lost! by David McPhail
  A little boy is walking down a street in Boston when he hears someone crying. It is a bear! And the bear is lost. After many adventures in the city, the boy helps the bear back to the forest. Then the boy is lost! But his friend the bear helps him home. For preschool-grade 1.
  • RCM 712
    
• Clambake by Russell Peters and John Madama
  Steven Peters and his grandfather, Fast Turtle, are hosting an appanaug or clambake in July. Fast Turtle wants Steven to learn about the Wampanoag history and traditions, so he is showing Steven how to put on a clambake for family and friends. For grades 3-6.
  • RCM 526
    
• Shaker Boy by Mary Lyn Ray and Jeanette
  Caleb is not sure he likes living with the huge family in the Shaker village where his mother brought him after his father died in the Civil War. He does love the many songs of work and celebration; the songs help him hear the angels. He grows up learning to make brooms, to sugar the maples, to knit, and eventually to tend the orchard and the Tree of Songs. For grades K-3.
  • RC 42408
    
• Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie by Peter Geiger Roop, Connie Roop and Peter Hanson
  In the winter of 1856, a storm delays the lighthouse keeper's return to an island off the coast of Maine, and his daughter Abbie must keep the lights burning by herself. For grades K-3.
  • JL 4
    
• And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss
  These are rollicking nonsense verses in which a little boy's imagination gradually transforms a plain horse and cart into a curious bandwagon drawn by an elephant and two giraffes. For grades K-3.
  • RC 32160
  • BRM 140
    
• People of the Breaking Day by Marcia Sewall
  Through the poetic, collective voice of the Wampanoag Indians of southeastern Massachusetts, the author evokes the Wampanoag's culture and traditions prior to the coming of the Europeans. Portrays the Wampanoags as they play, work, migrate with the seasons, make war and peace with other tribes, acculturate the young, and bury the dead. For grades 3-6.
  • RC 35485
    
• The Pilgrims of Plimouth by Marcia Sewall
  In first-person narrative the Pilgrims describe their 1620 voyage on the Mayflower, the establishment in the wilderness of the colony called Plimoth, that first bitter winter, and their day-to-day lives. For grades 3-6.
  • RC 26193
    
• Thunder from the Clear Sky by Marcia Sewall
  Two peoples, the Pilgrims and Wampanoags, meet at New Plymouth. Eventually, their beliefs and cultures clashed. This is the story of how misunderstandings turned good intentions into betrayal, and finally all-out war which destroyed the Native American way of life in New England. For grades 3-6.
  • RCM 735
    
• Rachel and Obadiah by Brinton Turkle
  Rachel Starbuch, a little Quaker girl in old Nantucket, wants more than anyt hing else to carry the news of a homebound ship and earn a silver dollar. But so does her brother Obadiah who is older, bigger and faster.
  • BR 5085
    
• Shaker Hearts by Ann Warren Turner and Wendell Minor
  Describes how the Shakers, founded by Ann Lee and her followers who came to America from England in 1774, centered their sect around the theme of "Hands to work, hearts to God." The author portrays their daily life, showing how they dedicated themselves to God while building practical, self-sufficient communities. For grades 3-6 and older readers.
  • RC 45144
  • BR 11374
    
• A Child's Calendar by John Updike and Trina Schart Hyman
  Print/Braille. A poem for each month of the year, beginning with January. Describes special features -- activities, holidays, weather -- of the month as experienced someplace like New England. A collection of twelve poems describing the activities in a child's life and the changes in the weather as the year moves from January to December. For grades K-3.
  • BR 12048
    
• Across the Wide Dark Sea by Jean van Leeuwen and Thomas B. Allen
  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.
  • RC 43568
    
• Old Ironsides: Americans Build a Fighting Ship by David Weitzman
  President Washington has convinced Congress to build six American warships. Young John Aylwin's father, a ship's carpenter in Boston, is helping to construct one of the most remarkable sailing ships ever built, the U.S.S. Constitution. John observes it all, from selection of the trees for masts, to the casting of three-ton cannon, to sewing of a acre of sail. For grades 4-6.
  • RCM 690
    
• Letting Swift River Go by Jane Yolen and Barbara Cooney
  The site of the Quabbin Reservoir in western Massachusetts was once the location if the vibrant, rural Swift River towns. Young Sally Jane relates how the nearby city of Boston needed more water, so the towns' graves were moved, then all the trees were cut down, the houses were taken away, and all the people were relocated, with their lives changed forever. For grades K-3.
  • RC 36180
    
• Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and John Schoenherr
  Caldecott Medal. On a cold winter's night, under a bright full moon, a young girl and her father trek into the woods to see the Great Horned Owl. For preschool-grade 2.
• RC 42932
• BR 7903