American Revolution Books for Kids: 21 Engaging Titles

History comes alive when young readers dive into the stories that shaped a nation, and this guide to American Revolution books for kids makes it easy to start. With this engaging American Revolution book list that includes trusted American Revolution book recommendations, you’ll find American Revolution books for children that spark curiosity and conversation. Here’s a quick video overview of some of the titles.

Discover the best American Revolution books, including American Revolution educational books about battles, fascinating American Revolution history books with little known facts, and beautifully illustrated early American history picture books perfect for growing minds. Make them part of a unit study and celebrate with a patriotic party at the end.

Why I Love This List of American Revolution Books for Kids

As an elementary school librarian (at five schools), one of my main missions is to get kids excited about reading books. Ever since I visited Colonial Williamsburg and took part in a summer teacher institute, I’ve been an avid investigator of this time period in American history. Here I am in a cheesy photo with one of the history guides.

I’ve scoured the library collections and lists from book vendors to bring the best, most interesting titles I could find. So sit back, grab a snack, and enjoy perusing the list!

American Revolution Books for Kindergarten and First Grade

Anna Strong: A Spy During the American Revolution by Sarah Glenn Marsh

A picture-book style introduction to a real-life spy who helped the Patriots. Kids learn how Anna Strong used secret signals and bravery to outsmart the British, making the idea of espionage exciting and easy to understand.

The Life and Times of George Washington and the American Revolution by Marissa Kirkman

A simple overview of George Washington’s life and his role in the American Revolution. Clear text and supportive visuals help early readers grasp big ideas like leadership, freedom, and the birth of a nation.

American Revolution Books for Second and Third Grade

Agents of Independence: Daring Spies of the American Revolution by Matthew K. Manning

A graphic-style nonfiction book packed with action. Readers meet real spies, learn about secret codes and disguises, and see how intelligence gathering helped win the war.

The American Revolution (Fighting for Freedom) by Thomas K. Adamson

A straightforward introduction to the causes, major events, and outcomes of the Revolution. Great for building background knowledge with clear explanations and historical photos.

If You Lived During the American Revolution by Chris Newell

A question-and-answer format that helps kids imagine daily colonial life. It covers what children wore, ate, and experienced, making history feel personal and relatable.

American Revolution Books for Fourth and Fifth Grade

The American Revolution (Look At US History) by Peter Castellano

An overview of the conflict, key figures, and turning points. It balances politics, battles, and everyday life to give students a full picture of the era.

The American Revolution (History Smashers) by Kate Messner

A myth-busting, fact-packed look at the Revolution. Engaging sidebars and humor challenge common misunderstandings and encourage critical thinking.

American Revolution Technology by Tammy Gagne

Explores the tools, weapons, and inventions used during the war. Readers see how technology influenced battle strategies and daily life.

Forgotten Facts About Life During the American Revolution by Kathleen Connors

Highlights surprising and lesser-known details about how people lived, worked, and survived during wartime, expanding beyond famous names and battles.

Heroes and Traitors of the American Revolution by Emma Carlson Berne

Shows multiple perspectives, including Patriots, Loyalists, and undecided colonists. Encourages readers to think about tough choices and divided loyalties.

General Washington Crosses the Delaware by Elaine Landau

Puts readers in the moment of a critical decision. Interactive-style prompts ask what they would do, building empathy and historical thinking skills.

Eat Your U.S. History Homework by Ann McCallum

Combines history and cooking with kid-friendly recipes inspired by the past. Food becomes a hands-on way to explore daily life in Revolutionary times.

America’s Tea Parties: Not One But Four!

Looks beyond Boston to explore other colonial protests over tea taxes. Expands students’ understanding of resistance across the colonies.

Battles of the American Revolution

The Battle of Bunker Hill by Scott P. Waldman

Explains one of the war’s first major battles with maps, timelines, and key figures to help readers follow the action.

The Battle of Saratoga by Wendy Vierow

Shows why Saratoga was a turning point, including how it helped convince France to support the colonies.

The Battle of Trenton by Wendy Vierow

Covers Washington’s daring winter crossing and surprise attack, emphasizing strategy and morale.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord by Stephen Whitwell

Details the “shot heard ’round the world” and the opening clashes that started the war.

At the Battle of Yorktown (You Choose: American Battles) by Eric Braun 

An adventure story that places kids at the final major battle with their choices guiding the tale, blending fiction with historical facts.

Great Battles of the American Revolution for Kids by D.P. Michaels

Tells true stories of courage and strategy from 25 battles, written in an exciting narrative style perfect for upper elementary readers.

American Revolution Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books

Gingerbread for Liberty: Mara Rockliff

The true story of a baker who helped the Patriot cause, showing how ordinary people supported the fight for independence.

Henry and the Cannons: Don Brown

Follows Henry Knox’s incredible winter journey transporting cannons to help the Continental Army, told with dramatic illustrations and storytelling.

Play American Revolution Bingo

Help students learn sloth vocabulary terms by playing shipwreck bingo. This free virtual bingo template may be played using Google Slides. This activity can be part of an American Revolution study unit. Make your own copy, then replace the free images and words with American Revolution images and vocabulary, then reuse the template as many times as you like.

It’s fully customizable when you make your own copy and includes a teacher page, too!

Get my free virtual bingo board!

More Resources for Readers

The best way to encourage a love of reading is to provide kids with many opportunities to engage with a wide variety of books that are of interest to them. At Book and Tech Tips I want to make it easy for you to find great books kids will love. Over the years I’ve also discovered some helpful tools for connecting kids and books.

Online digital libraries are one very handy way to do this. Epic! is one of my favorite online libraries. It’s full of over 25,000 books, learning videos, quizzes and more for kids 12 and under…and it’s free for educators. Click here to learn more and sign up.

Another great free digital library is ReadingIQ. It’s also free for educators and has a wide selection of titles.

If you download the free Libby app, you can access many digital audiobooks from your public library. Audiobooks are perfect for car trips!

Looking for a book that is out of print? Try searching Thriftbooks online. There are over 13 million titles available.

Looking for More Book Ideas?

If you enjoyed this list of books, you might like these other book lists as well:

Have a wonderful week, and may you have many great learning experiences during your American Revolution investigations!

Lisa Mitchell is a former classroom teacher, now a school librarian, who likes to use her job as an excuse to stay up far too late reading books and noodling around with tech tools. To learn more about what this website has to offer, click on over to the About page.