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~ 50 States Book List ~

Books were selected based on story setting or author's home (past or present).  It's a work in progress - updates will be ongoing.   If you have a favorite title/author, please send email and it will be included.  Thank you to all of the many teachers who contributed titles to be posted here.  If you start now, your class can "read across America" all year long!

Scroll down to see all the books or select a state:

Most of these selections are for young children.  If you are looking for books for older students, take a look at Carol Hurst's annotated list.  I am starting to add links to authors' webpages. This will take quite a while!

America

A is for America by Devin Scillian
America by Lynne Cheney
Tulip Sees America by  Cynthia Rylant
The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller
Celebrate the Fifty States by  Loreen Leedy
M is for Majestic: A National Parks Alphabet by David Domeniconi   
The United States of America: A State-By-State Guide by Millie Miller
Our Fifty States by  Mark H. Bockenhauer
Don't Know Much about the 50 States (Don't Know Much About...)
      by Kenneth C. Davis 
Washington, D.C. (Rookie Read-About Geography) by Simone Ribke 
Capital!: Washington D.C. from A to Z  by Laura Krauss Melmed 

** Miss Rumphius Effect Blog by Dr. Patricia Stohr-Hunt
  See a terrific list of books that encompass the 50 states.

** Canada:  M is for Maple by Mike Ulmer, The Fiddler of the Northern Lights by  Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, and A Northern Alphabet by Ted Harrison are beautiful books about special places north of us. 

Alabama

All Over Alabama by Laurie Parker
Y Is for Yellowhammer: An Alabama Alphabet by Carol Crane 
Alabama (Rookie Read-About Geography: States) by Holli Leber
See the Yak Yak (Step-Into-Reading) by Charles Ghigna
Soft Rain : A Story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears
              by Cornelia Cornelissen
The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Curtis
Run Away Home by Patricia McKissack
Picture Book of Helen Keller by David Adler
Helen Keller: From Tragedy to Triumph by Katharine E. Wilkie
I Am Rosa Parks (Easy-to-Read, Puffin) by Rosa Parks
If a Bus Could Talk : The Story of Rosa Parks by Faith Ringgold
I am Rosa Parks by James Haskins
 

   Alaska

L Is for Last Frontier: An Alaska Alphabet by Carol Crane
A Child's Glacier Bay by Kimberly Corral
Alaska ABC Book by Charlene Kreeger
Alaska Animal Babies by Deb Vanasse
Under Alaska's Midnight Sun by Deb Vanasse
Alaska's 12 Days of Summer by Pat Chamberlin
Prince William by Gloria Rand
Moose In The Garden by Nancy White Carlstrom
Swim The Silver Sea, Joshie Otter by Nancy White Carlstrom
Alaska's Three Bears by Shelley Gill
North Country Christmas by Shelley Gill
Mammoth Magic by Shelley Gill
Kiana's Iditarod by Shelley Gill
Count Alaska's Colors by Shelley Gill
Danger, Yard Dog Cat by Libby Riddles
Alaska's Three Pigs  by Arlene Laverde
Moose Racks, Bear Tracks, and Other Alaska Kid Snacks by Alice Bugni
Beaver Pond, Moose Pond by Jim Arnosky
Down by the River, An Alaska Counting Rhyme by Sara F. Donkersloot
Honeypaw and Lightfoot by Jonathon London
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Look To The North: A Wolf Pup Diary by Jean Craighead George
Snow Bear by Jean Craighead George 
Nutik, The Wolf Pup by Jean Craighead George
Owl’s Secret by Louise Gallop
Salmon Stream by Carol Reed-Jones
Song Of The North by Frank Asch
Tundra Mouse: A Storyknife Tale by Megan McDonald
Turnagain Ptarmigan! Where Did You Go? by James Guenther
Ulaq And The Northern Lights by Harriet Peck Taylor
Where The Great Bear Watches by James Sage
Winter White by Joanne Ryder
River Of Life by Debbie S. Miller
A Woolly Mammoth Journey by Debbie S. Miller
The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto by Natalie Standiford
Gentle Ben by Walt Morey
Kavik the Wolf Dog by Walt Morey
 

Arizona

Cactus Hotel by Brenda Z. Guiberson
Apache Rodeo by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith
Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles
G Is for Grand Canyon : An Arizona Alphabet by Barbara Gowan
Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Junie B. Jones Series by Barbara Park 
That's Good!  That's Bad! in the Grand Canyon by Margery Cuyler
Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry
As the Crow Flies (also Delaware) by Elizabeth Winthrop
How Can I Be Special? by Jacqueline Chinn
This House is Made of Mud/Esta casa esta hecha de lodo by Ken Buchanan
Everybody Needs A Rock by Byrd Baylor
Desert Voices  by Byrd Baylor
When Clay Sings  by Byrd Baylorr
Don't Call Me Pig by Conrad J. Storad
The Three Little Javelinas  by Susan Lowell
The Mystery of the Lost Mine by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Tarantula Shoes by Tom Birdseye

 

Arkansas

Good Morning, Granny Rose by Warren Ludwig
N Is for Natural State: An Arkansas Alphabet by Michael Shoulders
Arkansas (Kid's Guide to American States) by Bryan Pezzi
What Do You Do With a Kangaroo? by Mercer Meyer
Little Critter Series by Mercer Meyer
Just Grandma and Me (Just Me Series) by Mercer Meyer
Arkansas (Rookie Read-About Geography: States) by Nancy Leber
Arkansas (Celebrate the States) by Linda Jacobs Altman 
Philip Hill Likes me, I Reckon Maybe by Bette Greene

California

California A to Z by Dorothy Hines Weaver
California (Rookie Read-About Geography) by Sarah E. De Capua
Maybelle the Cable Car by Virginia Lee Burton
Nate the Great: San Francisco Detective  by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say
Working Cotton by Sherley Anne Williams
Tikvah Means Hope by Patricia Polacco (lived in CA for 37 years; now in Michigan)
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
Thunderquilt by Patricia Polacco
The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco
G is for Golden: A California Alphabet by David Domeniconi
Grandmother Bell and the Wagon Train 1849 by Joan Barton Barsotti
Knots on a Counting Rope by John Archambault
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by John Archambault
Seaman's Journal: On the Trail With Lewis and Clark
     (Lewis & Clark Expedition)  by Patti Reeder Eubank
Smoky Night by Eve Bunting
Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Dragonwings  by Laurence Yep
Maxi, the Star by Debra & Sal Barracca
 

Colorado

Colorado by Anne Welsbacher
In Search of the Grand Canyon by Mary Ann Fraser
C Is for Centennial : A Colorado Alphabet by Louise Doak Whitney
Colorado (Rookie Read-About Geography: States) by Cynthia Walker
The Night Before Christmas in Colorado by Sue Carabine   
The Cool Colorado (The Colorado Experience) by Carole Marsh
Ancient Cliff Dwellers of Mesa Verde by Caroline Arnold
Colorful Spring by Erin Moran
Bearstone by Will Hobbs
The Great Turkey Walk by  Kathleen Karr
The Secret School by Avi
Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies by Harriet Peck Taylor
Brother Wolf A Seneca Tale by Harriet Peck Taylor
Secrets of the Stone by Harriet Peck Taylor

Connecticut

Ferryboat by Betsy and Giulio Maestro
Whales by Gail Gibbons
A Visit to the Gravensens' Farm by Alice K. Flanagan
N Is for Nutmeg: A Connecticut Alphabet by Elissa D. Grodin
A House is a House for Me   by Mary Ann Hoberman  
Miss Mary Mack by Mary Ann Hoberman  
The Ice's Edge, Story of a Harp Seal (Smithsonian Collection)
     by Karen Romano Young
26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie dePaola
Windcatcher by Avi
The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
McBroom Tells the Truth by Sid Fleishman
Connecticut (Rookie Read-About Geography) by Susan Evento 
How Mountains Are Made by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

Delaware

As the Crow Flies  (also Arizona) by Elizabeth Winthrop
The Legend of the Cranberry by Ellin Greene
Red Bird by Barbara Mitchell
F Is for First State: A Delaware Alphabet by Carol Crane
Delaware (Rookie Read-About Geography) by Kelly Bennett
Horseshoe Crabs and Shorebirds: The Story of a Food Web
      by Victoria Crenson
Delaware: The First State (World Almanac Library of the States)
      by Justine Fontes
The Colony of Delaware (The Thirteen Colonies and the Lost Colony Series)  by Susan Whitehurst   
 

Florida

S is for Sunshine: A Florida Alphabet by Carol Crane
Sunny Numbers by Carol Crane
Sunken Treasure by Gail Gibbons
My Family Vacation by Dayal Khalsa
Everglades by Jean Craighead George
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: A Nandi Tale by Verna Aardema
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale
       by Verna Aardema   
Florida (Rookie Read-About Geography) by Carmen Bredeson
Bigmama's by Donald Crews
Shortcut by Donald Crews
Sam the Sea Cow by Francine Jacobs
Stealing Home by Mary Stolz
 

Georgia

P is for Peach: A Georgia Alphabet by Carol Crane
Georgia Music by Helen Griffith
Working Cotton by Sherley Anne Williams
Stitching Stars: the Story Quilts of Harriet Powers by Mary E. Lyons
Mama and Me and the Model-T by Faye Gibbons
Soft Rain : A Story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears
     by Cornelia Cornelissen
Ida Early Comes Over the Mountain by Robert Burch
Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco
PeeWees on First by Judy Delton
Georgia (Rookie Read-About Geography) by Carmen Bredeson
 

Hawaii

Maui and His Magical Deeds by Kats Kajiyama
The Three Little Hawaiian Pigs and the Magical Shark
      by Donivee Martin Laird
The Last Princess: The Story of Princess Ka'iulani of Hawai'i
     by Fay Stanley
The Broccoli Tapes by Jan Slepian
The Story of the U.S.S. Arizona by Conrad Stein
Sand to Sea: Marine Life of Hawaii by Stephanie Feeney
A is for Aloha by Stephanie Feeney   
Hawaii is Rainbow by Stephanie Feeney
Fables from the Sea by Leslie Ann Hayashi
Dumpling Soup by Jama Kim Rattigan   
Musubi Man: Hawaii's Gingerbread Man by Sandi Takayama   
The Strange and Terrible Adventures of Popoki, the Hawaiian Cat
     by Diane C. Gleasner   
Say It in Hawaiian: Pi-A-Pa/Alphabet by Maile

Idaho

Idaho: A Very Young Skier by Jill Krementz
Idaho by Paul Joseph
Jenny of the Tetons by Kristiana Gregory
My First Book About Idaho (The Idaho Experience) by Carole Marsh   Idaho (This Land Is Your Land) by Ann Heinrichs 
Idaho (From Sea to Shining Sea) by Dennis Brind Fradin
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
The Case of the Missing Cutthroats: an eco mystery
     by Jean Craighead George
The Eagle and the River by Charles Craighead
Jenny of the Tetons by Kristiana Gregory
Never Cry “Arp!” and Other Great Adventures by Patrick F. McManus

Illinois

L is for Lincoln: An Illinois Alphabet  by Kathy-Jo Wargin
Baily School Kids Series by Debbie Dadey
The Christmas Tree Ship by Jeanette Winter
Michael Jordan by Denis Dougherty
A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck
Lincoln, a Photo Biography by Russell Freedman
Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
The Great Fire by Jim Murphy
Oprah Winfrey: Television Star by Steven Otfinoski
Ruth Law Thrills a Nation by Don Brown
Michael Jordan: Star Guard by Ron Knapp
Country Crossing by Jim Aylesworth
Old Black Fly  by Jim Aylesworth
Two Days in May by Harriet Peck Taylor
One Room School by Raymond Bial

Indiana

H Is for Hoosier: An Indiana Alphabet by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds
H is for Hoosier: An Indiana Alphabet  by Dori Hillestad Butler 
The Floating House by Scott Russell Sanders
Christmas on the Prairie by Joan Anderson
Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The Christmas Blizzard by Helen Ketterman
The Floating House by Scott R. Sanders
A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter
A Place Called Freedom by Scott Russell Sanders

Iowa

Kate Shelley and the Midnight Express by Margaret K. Wetterer
H Is for Hawkeye: An Iowa Alphabet by Patricia Pierce 
I Is for Iowa by Mary Ann Gensicke   
Iowa (Rookie Read-About Geography)  by Reshma Sapre
Old Town in the Green Groves: Laura Ingalls Wilder's
         Lost Little House Years by Cynthia Rylant     
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Mystery of Pony Hollow by Lynn Hall

 

Kansas

Climbing Kansas Mountains by George Shannon
Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner
The King of Prussia and a Peanut Butter Sandwich by Alice Fleming
S Is for Sunflower: A Kansas Alphabet by Devin Scillian 
Climbing Kansas Mountains by George Shannon
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder     
The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum
Steal Away Home by Lois Ruby
Corn Belt Harvest by Raymond Bial

Kentucky

Daniel Boone by Patricia Martin
Daniel Boone by James Daugherty
Kentucky by Anne Welsbacher
A is for Appalachia by Linda Hager Pack (also in West Virginia)
Sally Ann Thunder and Whirlwind Crockett by Steven Kellogg
B Is for Bluegrass: A Kentucky Alphabet by Mary Ann McCabe Riehle 
Kentucky (Rookie Read-About Geography) by Kim Valzania
Tarantula Shoes by Tom Birdseye
Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech

   Louisiana

The Talking Eggs by Robert San Souci
Mardi Gras: a Cajun Country Celebration by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith
Cajun Through and Through by Tynia Thomassie
The Cajun Gingerbread Boy by Berthe Amoss
P Is for Pelican: A Louisiana Alphabet by Anita C. Prieto
Bill and Pete To The Rescue by Tomie DePaola
Louisiana Alphabet by Laurie Parker
Cajun Night Before Christmas by Trosclair 
Petite Rouge : A Cajun Red Riding Hood  by Mike Artell
Gaston Goes to Mardi Gras by James Rice 
Mimi's First Mardi Gras by Alice Couvillon 
The Train They Call the City of New Orleans by Steve Goodman
The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman
Mama Don’t Allow by Thatcher Hurd
My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt
Books about Ruby Bridges by various authors

Maine

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Eating Fractions by Bruce McMillan
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
One Morning in Maine by Robert McClosky
Time of Wonder by Robert McClosky
Katie’s Trunk by Ann Warren Turner
Keep the Lights Burning Abbie by Connie and Peter Roop
The Puffins are Back by Gail Gibbons
L is for Lobster by Cynthis Furlong Reynolds
Birdie's Lighthouse by Deborah Hopkinson     
The Spider Who Created the World by Amy MacDonald
 Maine (Portrait of America) by Kathleen Thompson
Calico Bush by Rachel Field
Fudge-a-mania by Judy Blume
The Sea Chest by Toni Buzzio
Lighthouse Lullaby by Kelly Paul Briggs
Lighthouse Dog to the Rescue by Angeli Perrow

Maryland

Clara and the Bookwagon by Nancy Levinson
Aunt Flossies’s Hats (and Crab Cakes Later) by Elizabeth F. Howard
B Is For Blue Crab: A Maryland Alphabet by Shirley C. Menendez    
Perry’s Baltimore Adventure by Dr. Peter Dans   
Little Ned Stories by Edward Allan Faine
How-To-Cowboy: 22 Secret, Magic How-To Fun Tricks
      by Edward Allan Faine
Awesome Chesapeake by David Owen Bell 
Broken Wings Will Fly by Mick Blackistone
Chadwick the Crab by Priscilla Cummings     
A Dolphin Named Bob by Twig C. George
By The Dawn's Early Light by Steven Kroll    
Chita’s Christmas Tree by Elizabeth Howard
The Fox Hunt Mystery: Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene
Waterman's Child by Barbara Mitchell

Massachusetts

Make Way for Ducklings (Boston) by Robert McCloskey
Cranberry Summer by Wende and Harry Devlin
Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende and Harry Devlin
Cranberry Valentine by Wende and Harry Devlin
Comet's Nine Lives  (Nantucket) by Jan Brett  
Berlioz the Bear (Boston) by Jan Brett
She’s Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head by Kathryn Lasky
The First Thanksgiving by Jean Craighead George
Why We Have Thanksgiving by Margaret Hillert
An Island Far From Home by John Donahue
Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates
Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry
Who’s That Stepping On Plymouth Rock? by Jean Fritz
M Is for Mayflower: A Massachusetts Alphabet by Margot Theis Raven
Massachusetts (Rookie Read-About Geography) by Sarah De Capua
Who’s That Stepping On Plymouth Rock? by Jean Fritz   
Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) by Steven Kellogg
Dr. Suess Books by Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss (Designated official Children's Author for Massachusetts in 2003)  
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (and other books) by Eric Carle
Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Clifford Books by Norman Bridwell
Arthur Books by Marc Brown
Welcome to the Green House  by Jane Yolen   
My Brothers' Flying Machine : Wilbur, Orville, and Me by Jane Yolen 
Letting Swift River Go by Jane Yolen
Volcanoes!: Mountains of Fire by Eric Arnold
Race Into Space by Eric Arnold

Michigan

Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling
Seabird by Holling C. Holling
Tree in the Trail by Holling C. Holling
Night of the Full Moon by Gloria Whelan
The Log Cabin Quilt by Ellen Howard
The Trees of the Dancing Goats , Mrs. Mack, The Keeping Quilt (& others) by Patricia Polacco
Keeper of the Light by Patricia Pfitsch
Mail by the Pail by Colin Bergel
Elizabeth Whitney Williams & the Little Traverse Light 
      by Mary Hramiec Hoffman
Hidden Cherries  by Anne Margaret Lewis & Susan Hammon
Lighthouse Fireflies by Anne Margaret Lewis
Tears of Mother Bear by Anne Margaret Lewis
Look About You: A Magical Childhood in Michigan's Wild Places
      by Erin Anderson & Mary Fuscaldo
M Is for Mitten: A Michigan Alphabet by Annie Appleford   
The Legend of Sleeping Bear by Kathy-jo Wargin
The Legend of Mackinac by Kathy-jo Wargin
The Legend of the Loon by Kathy-jo Wargin
The Michigan Counting Book by Kathy-jo Wargin
The Legend of the Lady's Slipper by Kathy-jo Wargin
The Legend of the Loon by Kathy-jo Wargin
The Michigan Reader by Kathy-jo Wargin
The Legend of Leelanau by Kathy-jo Wargin
The Edmund Fitzgerald: The Song of the Bell by Kathy-jo Wargin
The Legend of the Petosky Stone by Kathy-jo Wargin
The Tomato Collection by Kevin Kammeraad
A Curious Glimpse of Michigan by Kevin and Stephanie Kammeraad
A Place Called Home: Michigan's Mill Creek Story
      by Janie Lynn Panagopoulos
Michigan (Rookie Read-About Geography) by Jan Mader
Stranger in the Woods by Carl R Sams II and Jean Stoick
Lost in the Woods by Carl R Sams II and Jean Stoick

Minnesota

M Is for Minnesota by Dori Hillestad Butler
Minnesota: Hello U. S. A. by A P Porter
Raptor Rescue: an Eagle Flies Free by Sylvia Johnson
V Is for Viking: A Minnesota Alphabet by Kathy-Jo Wargin
One-Dog Canoe by Mary Casanova
Minnesota (Rookie Read-About Geography; Sept. 2005) by Sean Dolan
Millions of Cats by Wanda G'ag
The ABC Bunny by Wanda G'ag
Old Turtle by Douglas Wood
On the Day You Were Born  by Debra Frasier
I Like Me!  (and many other books) by Nancy L. Carlson
On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Honk the Moose (Nature) by Phil Stong
Betsy-Tacy by Maud Lovelace
Kirsten: An American Girl Book by Janet Shaw
Lighthouse: Living in a Great Lakes Lighthouse by Megan O'Hara

Mississippi

Mike Fink: a Tall Tale by Steven Kellogg
The Barge Book by Jerry Bushey
Flood by Mary Calhoun
Mississippi Alphabet by Laurie Parker
The Turtle Saver by Laurie Parker
Everywhere in Mississippi by Laurie Parker
M Is for Magnolia: A Mississippi Alphabet by Michael Shoulders  
1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi -A Mississippi Number Book
     by Michael Shoulders 
Mississippi Bridge by Mildred Taylor
Roll of thunder, hear my cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Let the Circle be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor
The Drummer Boy of Vicksburg by G. Clifton Wisler
Goodbye, Charles Lindbergh by Louise Borden
The haunted cabin mystery: Boxcar children series
    by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Night Cry by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Missouri

S Is for Show Me: A Missouri Alphabet by Judy Young
Fiddlin' Sam by Marianna Dengler
Pony Express! by Steven Kroll
On My Way Home by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House on Rocky Ridge by Roger MacBride
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Montana

A Picture Book of Sacagawea by David A Adler
Glacier National Park by Jenny Market
Powwow by George Ancona
Montana (Rookie Read-About Geography) by Lisa Trumbauer
B Is for Big Sky Country: A Montana Alphabet by Sneed B. Collard III   
Smoky, the Cow Horse by Will James
Max, the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
The Loner by Esther Wier

Nebraska

Prairie Friends (I Can Read Book 3) by Nancy Smiler Levinson    
Gratefully Yours by Jane Buchanan
C Is for Cornhusker: A Nebraska Alphabet  by Rajean Luebs Shepherd   
Dandelions by Eve Bunting
Prairie Songs by Pam Conrad
Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman
My Daniel by Pam Conrad

Nevada

Snowshoe Thompson by  Nancy Smiler Levinson
S Is for Silver: A Nevada Alphabet by Eleanor Coerr
Nevada (Portrait of America)