The authors are an experienced homeschooling family who have found a way to address American history in an informal way, using good history books rather then textbooks.

They have read and researched, selected, and catalogued the best of children's American history books, both in and out of print. There is no chaff to sift through here. Here are some of the things you will learn from reading their "how-to" manual.

•How to use your textbook as the supplement and use real books as the core of your history curriculum.
•How to give your child a lifelong love of history and reading by using books so exciting and memorable, they will read them over and over. The lists are here.
•What to look for in selecting history books for your children.
•What is wrong with most children's history books.
•Which not-to-be-missed history series for children has books written by some of America's greatest writers.
•Who are some of the great writers of children's American history books.
•Which is better: history or historical fiction.
•How to find out-of-print books at bargain basement prices.
•How to create a library of classic history books as a heritage to pass down in your family.
•Poems and songs that "capture" eras in American history.

Using their "quick fact sheet," you can prepare your children for the historical period they will read about for the year. You can use the time you will save to read good books and learn history right along with your children.  And you can look forward to "book discussions" at the dinner table about the great heroes and heroines, the triumphs and tragedies of American history. 

This is an excellent outline for a living books approach to American history. The Reader's Guide to American History includes eight units covering America's pre-history through the present. I was impressed to find mention of Catholic explorers and missionaries included in the unit outlines as well as a few books on saints of the Americas listed.

Included in the guide:

• Reading Guide and Booklist for grades 3-8
• Basic Fact Sheets and Optional Activities
• Tips on How to Find Great Children's Book
• References to Poems and Songs for Each Historical Period

See also:  Beyond the Pilgrims: a Catholic supplement to the Reader's Guide to American History.
Published by RC History.

Core books references in the Reader's Guide to American History include:

The American Reader: Words That Moved a Nation

The Harp and the Laurel Wreath

For excellent books and resources for studying American history see:

Early Modern History (1500 - 1800)

Modern History (1800 - present)