Brenner, Barbara.  Wagon Wheels.  HarperCollins:  New York.  1978.

The Muldie boys and their father have come a long way to Kansas.  When Daddy moves on, the three boys must begin their own journey.  They must learn to care for one another and face the dangers of the wilderness alone.

Coerr, Eleanor.  The Josefina Story Quilt.  HarperCollins:  New York.  1986.

A wagon train headed west is no place for a chicken.  Especially one who is too tough to eat and too old to lay eggs.  Faith’s new pet chicken, Josefina, proves she still has a few surprises in her.

Harper, Jo and Josephine.  Prairie Dog Pioneers.  Turtle Books:  New York.  1998.

This is the story of a family that moves to the Texas Panhandle in the late 1870s.  Prairie Dog Pioneers is based on the life of the author’s grand parents.  Throughout the story, the reader is caught in the emotional struggles of Mae Dean, the youngest traveler in the wagon train.

MacLachlan, Patricia.  Sarah, Plain and Tall. HarperCollins:  New York.  1995

Their mother died shortly after Caleb was born.  Anna and Papa are left to carry on with their life on the prairie.  It is quiet in the house because Papa does not sing.  Papa sends an ad to the newspaper, asking for a wife and he receives a letter from Sarah Elizabeth Wheaton, of Maine.  Sarah decides to come for a month and try it.  She ends up staying on the prairie and becomes part of the land, even though Caleb is not fully convinced she will stay forever.

MacLachlan, Patricia. Skylark.  HarperCollins:  New York.  1994

This is the sequel to Sarah, Plain and Tall and continues the story of Sarah, Papa, Anna and Caleb for their prairie cabin to the shores of Maine.  When fires sweep across the fields, the coyotes come to the well in search of water and the riverbed is dry the family is forced to move.  Sarah and the children go to Maine to visit and sadly leave Papa behind.  The family is reunited when rain finally comes to the parched prairie lands.  Many surprises lay ahead for the family as they anticipate the arrival of a new baby.

Van Leeuwen, Jean.  A Fourth of July on the Plains.  Penguin Books: New York.  1997.

This story is based on an account of a July 4th celebration along the Oregon Trail in 1852, as recalled in the diary of E. W. Conyers.

Whelan, Gloria.  Next Spring an Oriole.  Random House:  New York.  1987.

On Libby Mitchell’s tenth birthday, she and her parents climb into a covered wagon and set off on a journey that takes two months.  During this time, they travel a thousand miles from Virginia to the deep woods of Michigan.  The journey is difficult yet exciting.  Their new home is rugged, wild and full of promises.

Wilder, Laura Ingalls.  On the Banks of Plum Creek.  Harper and Row: New York.  1965.

This is the fourth book in the Little House series by Wilder.  On the Banks of Plum Creek is a story of a pioneer family and the hardships they must endure when their crops are unexpectedly destroyed by grasshoppers.

Wilder, Laura Ingalls.  School Days.  HarperCollins Publishers:  New York.  1997

School was always exciting for Laura and her sisters.  She knew learning could be fun and enjoyed playing with friends at recess.  This chapter book is an adaptation from the longer and more detailed Little House series by Wilder