This year in school we’ve covered American history topics from slavery to the civil rights movement. Getting kids excited about past events can sometimes be a struggle using textbooks and worksheets so I was happy to find a great series of history books for kids  called “Who was….” by Grosset and Dunlap a division of Penguin books. Topics cover past and recent figures and events in history including Bill Gates, Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin and many more.

The first few we picked up were the civil rights movement books. There is an excellent kid-friendly Who Was Rosa Parks?and What Was the March on Washington? with easy to read text full of interesting details and historic photos and illustrations the series is reasonable priced at around $5 per book.

Love art? Try the Who Was Claude Monet?or Who Was Leonardo da Vinci?

Most of the stories connect with readers by sharing personal stories and interesting facts. My daughter really like that Leonardo da Vinci wrote backwards in his notebooks, and she thought it was interesting that Rosa Parks was kicked off the bus in Montgomery not once, but twice, by the same bus driver.  These facts give way to some good conversations that make the stories of historic figures more personable to young readers.

Once you begin to look into the series you’ll want to add into the collection (we have!)  I’ve put together a set showing a sample below of the topics covered in the “Who was….?” series of important people in history.

If you’re looking for more great books another great series for kids is the 13 Children Should Know Series available at Amazon.