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Social Studies Genre

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Books in the Social Studies genre:

Bemol and Kusum: Children of Bengal (1926)

A story of children’s life in India’s Bengal state.

Author(s): Herbert E. Wyman
Illustrator(s): Helene Carter

Natalia and Nikolai: Children of Russia (1928)

This book in the Children of the World tells the story of two Russian children.

Noisy Nora: An Almost True Story (1929)

Noisy Nora is a noisy eater.

Author(s): Hugh Lofting
Illustrator(s): Hugh Lofting

The Rhythm of the Redman (1930)

A collection of Native American songs and dances.

Author(s): Julia M. Buttree
Illustrator(s): Ernest Thompson Seton

Puppet Parade (1932)

A tour of Italian puppet shows.

Author(s): Carol Della Chiesa
Illustrator(s): Helene Carter

The Story Book of Houses (1933)

A book about the many types of houses from around the world. Read online at archive.org. ... View More

Windows on Henry Street (1934)

Autobiography of the founder of the New York Visiting Nurse service.

Author(s): Lillian D. Wald
Illustrator(s): James Daugherty

Common Sense for Mothers (1935)

A mother of seven gives advice on child rearing.

Author(s): Estelle Mulqueen Reilly
Illustrator(s): Kate Seredy

A Lad of Dundee (1935)

This entry in the Children of the World series describes child life in Scotland.

Peter and Gretchen of Old Nuremberg (1935)

Two children living with their cat in Bavaria.

Read online at archive.org. 

Author(s): Viola M. Jones
Illustrator(s): Helen Sewell

Junior Literary Guild
Junior Literary Guild - 1935

The Story Book of Oil (1935)

The story of man’s use of oil: animal, vegetable and mineral.

The Story Book of Corn (1936)

A book about the wonder-grain of the Americas.

The Story Book of Foods from the Field (1936)

An omnibus including Story Books of Wheat, Corn, Rice and Sugar.... View More
Junior Literary Guild
Junior Literary Guild - 1937

Horses and Americans (1939)

Phil Stong grew up around horses and rode them and worked them on his Iowa farm. Here he surveys the place of the horse in the development of America. Read online at archive.org. ... View More

Author(s): Phil Stong
Illustrator(s): Frederic Remington
Kurt Wiese

The Story Book of Cotton (1939)

A look at how cotton is grown and used.

Let’s Take Turns (1940)

A grade school civics book.

Author(s): Lois Gadd Nemec
Illustrator(s): Kate Seredy

Kimbi, Indian of the Jungle (1941)

The life of a native in the south American jungle.

Tit for Tat (1942)

What if the animals could treat us as we treat them?

Author(s): H. A. Rey
Illustrator(s): H. A. Rey

The Commoners’ New Forest (1943)

An historical and practical guide to the New Forest and the rights of those who live in it.

Author(s): F. E. Kenchington
Illustrator(s): Ernest H. Shepard

Red, White and Blue Auto (1943)

Mr. Head, Mr. Red, Mr. White and Mr. Blue learn to work together at the car factory.

Author(s): Lucy Sprague Mitchell
Illustrator(s): Tibor Gergely

SHHHhhhh. . . BANG: a whispering book (1943)

The people of Skyscraper Town had whispered for so long they forgot how wonderful noise can be.

Author(s): Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrator(s): Robert de Veyrac

Living Together at Home and at School (1944)

A geography book for the elementary grades.

An Outline of Government in Connecticut (1944)

A guide to state government, produced by the Connecticut legislature.

The Park Book (1944)

A description of a day at the park for a boy who lives in a meadow.

Author(s): Charlotte Zolotow
Illustrator(s): H. A. Rey

Red Light, Green Light (1944)

A poem about the starts and stops of modern life.

Read online at archive.org

Author(s): Golden MacDonald
Illustrator(s): Leonard Weisgard

Junior Literary Guild
Junior Literary Guild - 1944

Spotty (1945)

One of a new litter of rabbits has spots.

Author(s): Margret Rey
Illustrator(s): H. A. Rey

Tux ’n Tails (1945)

A humorous inside look at the life of a waiter.

Author(s): Raymond Andrieux
Illustrator(s): Garth Williams

The Great White Hills of New Hampshire (1946)

A regional memoir by a war correspondent about New Hampshire in the early twentieth century.

Author(s): Ernest Poole
Illustrator(s): Garth Williams

In Our Town (1946)

A series of vignettes about everyday townspeople.

Author(s): Damon Runyon
Illustrator(s): Garth Williams

Judy’s Journey (1947)

The story of a family of migrant farm workers.

Author(s): None
Illustrator(s): None

The Story Book of Coal and Oil (1948)

An anthology containing The Story Book of Coal and The Story Book of Oil.

The Authentic Revolution (1950)

This is a pamphlet reprinted from The Christian Science Monitor, arguing that America represents the true ‘revolution’ as opposed to communism.

Author(s): Erwin D. Canham
Illustrator(s): James Daugherty

The Little Fat Policeman (1950)

A day in the life of a very busy policeman. Later editions have only 28 pages.

Picture Book of Wisconsin (1951)

A brief introduction to the State of Wisconsin, her history, geography and people. Read online at archive.org. ... View More

Author(s): Bernadine Bailey
Illustrator(s): Kurt Wiese

The Bean-Pickers: A Migrant Play (1952)

An African American mother and her two children follow the crops north along the east coast in this play about migrant farm workers.

Author(s): Clyde Robert Bulla
Lois Lenski
Illustrator(s): Lois Lenski

Seven Little Postmen (1952)

Seven little postmen speed a young boy’s letter to his grandmother.

Read online at archive.org

Strangers in a Strange Land: A Migrant Play (1952)

A play that follows a mining family from Kentucky as they move to Arkansas to pick cotton.

Author(s): Clyde Robert Bulla
Lois Lenski
Illustrator(s): Lois Lenski

The Hidden House (1953)

The children of the house show all its secrets.

Read online at archive.org

Author(s): Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrator(s): Aaron Fine

Water, Water Everywhere! (1953)

Basic information about water and our world.

Author(s): Mary Regina Walsh
Illustrator(s): Helene Carter

Superstitious? Here’s Why! (1954)

Common superstitions and how they originated.

Read online at achive.org

Houses (1955)

Pictures of houses from around the world.

Author(s): Elsa Jane Werner
Illustrator(s): Tibor Gergely

The Magna Charta (1956)

The story of how the English barons brought King John to sign a charter of rights at Runnymede.

Author(s): James Daugherty
Illustrator(s): James Daugherty

The Dead Bird (1958)

A group of children bury a dead bird in the forest.

Read online at archive.org

Author(s): Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrator(s): Remy Charlip

Good Times Together (1958)

An anthology of stories and poems about children around the world for younger readers.

Author(s): None
Illustrator(s): None

Excuse Me! Certainly! (1959)

Willie finds that politeness is important.

Author(s): Louis Slobodkin
Illustrator(s): Louis Slobodkin

Having a Friend (1959)

First you don’t have a friend, then you do.

Author(s): Betty Miles
Illustrator(s): Erik Blegvad

Look at Houses (1959)

An introduction to the architecture of houses.

Author(s): John Verney
Illustrator(s): John Verney

A Promise to Our Country (1961)

A former nuclear submarine commander explicates the Pledge of Allegiance.

Author(s): James Calvert
Illustrator(s): James Daugherty

Io Sono I Am (1962)

Learn forty-one words of Italian with this amusing picture book.

Author(s): Florence Slobodkin
Illustrator(s): Louis Slobodkin

The Good Humor Man (1964)

Not only does he bring joy to children with his ice cream truck, he also finds a lost puppy. Read online at archive.org. ... View More

Author(s): Kathleen N. Daly
Illustrator(s): Tibor Gergely

Know about English Law (1965)

A primer for the non-lawyer on the operation of English law.

Author(s): Henry Cecil
Illustrator(s): Edward Ardizzone

Trouble at Timpetill (1965)

What happens when the adults all leave town and the children take over?

Author(s): Henry Winterfeld
Illustrator(s): William M. Hutchinson

High-Rise Secret (1966)

Life for Peggy in a high-rise development is rather grim.

Author(s): Lois Lenski
Illustrator(s): Lois Lenski

Read About the Policeman (1966)

A history of policemen and policing, brought up to today.

Author(s): Louis Slobodkin
Illustrator(s): Louis Slobodkin

Read About the Postman (1966)

A history of the post office and the people who make it work.

Author(s): Louis Slobodkin
Illustrator(s): Louis Slobodkin

Henry David Thoreau: A Man for Our Time (1967)

Selected writings of the author and philosopher for young people.

Author(s): Henry David Thoreau
Illustrator(s): James Daugherty

Kali and the Golden Mirror (1967)

In order to earn money for a special gift, Kali disguises herself as a boy and goes to work for a group of archeologists. Read online at archive.org. ... View More

Author(s): Eva-Lis Wuorio
Illustrator(s): Edward Ardizzone

Let’s Learn About Silk (1967)

The story of the making of silk.

Author(s): Maud Petersham
Miska Petersham
Illustrator(s): James E. Barry

Read About the Fireman (1967)

This is a history of fire fighting brought up to today.

Author(s): Louis Slobodkin
Illustrator(s): Louis Slobodkin

Richard Scarry’s Fun with Words (1971)

This book includes Storybook Dictionary and Best Word Book Ever. Read online at archive.org. ... View More

Author(s): Richard Scarry
Illustrator(s): Richard Scarry

Pie Rats Ahoy! (1972)

Uncle Willy uses a clever disguise to save his boat from a gang of pirates and make Busytown safe again. Read online at archive.org. ... View More

Author(s): Richard Scarry
Illustrator(s): Richard Scarry

The Me Book (1974)

Animals demonstrate the things active kids can do.

Read online at archive.org

Author(s): Jean Tymms
Illustrator(s): Tibor Gergely

My Head-to-Toe Book (1974)

Animals show some of the things active kids can do.

Read online at archive.org. 

Author(s): Jean Tymms
Illustrator(s): Tibor Gergely

At Work (1976)

Pictures and words about what people do all day.

Read online at archive.org.

Author(s): Richard Scarry
Illustrator(s): Richard Scarry

In My Town (1976)

A word book about my town.

Author(s): Richard Scarry
Illustrator(s): Richard Scarry

Richard Scarry’s Postman Pig and His Busy Neighbors (1978)

Postman Pig knows everyone in Busytown.

Read online at archive.org

Author(s): Richard Scarry
Illustrator(s): Richard Scarry

Richard Scarry’s First Omnibus (1979)

A collection containing Busiest People Ever, Best Counting Book Ever and Cars and Trucks and Things That Go.... View More

Author(s): Richard Scarry
Illustrator(s): Richard Scarry

People (1980)

Describes and illustrates the diversity of peoples and their lives.

Author(s): Peter Spier
Illustrator(s): Peter Spier

Richard Scarry’s Busy Houses (1981)

Lowly Worm drives his apple car around Busytown to see what’s up.

Author(s): Richard Scarry
Illustrator(s): Richard Scarry

Mill (1983)

Chronicles the development of the New England mill during the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century. Read online at archive.org. ... View More

Author(s): David Macaulay
Illustrator(s): David Macaulay

Indian Diary (1984)

The artist was sent to India by UNESCO to teach a course in silk screen printing and here records his impressions.

Author(s): Edward Ardizzone
Illustrator(s): Edward Ardizzone

Richard Scarry’s On the Go (1985)

A vinyl stick on book about familiar places in town and country.

Read online at archive.org

Author(s): Richard Scarry
Illustrator(s): Richard Scarry

Richard Scarry’s Busy Workers (1987)

People do many interesting things at work.

Author(s): Richard Scarry
Illustrator(s): Richard Scarry

We The People (1987)

Pictures illustrate the preamble to the constitution. Appendices include the text and portraits of the original signers. Read online at archive.org.... View More

Author(s): Peter Spier
Illustrator(s): Peter Spier

Richard Scarry’s Best Friend Ever (1989)

When Wiggles Bunny moves in across the street, Pickles Pig finds a new best friend.

Author(s): Richard Scarry
Illustrator(s): Richard Scarry

Brother Eagle, Sister Sky (1991)

An environmental message from a Native American chief.

Author(s): Chief Seattle
Illustrator(s): Susan Jeffers

The Heart of Cool (2001)

When Bobby North starts at a new school he wants to fit in and be cool.

Author(s): Jamie McEwan
Illustrator(s): Sandra Boynton

Yay, You! (2001)

For those congratulatory occasions when a card just won’t do.

Author(s): Sandra Boynton
Illustrator(s): Sandra Boynton

Happy Hippo, Angry Duck: A Book of Moods (2011)

A humorous look at feelings.

Author(s): Sandra Boynton
Illustrator(s): Sandra Boynton

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