Investigate the Books Online

To learn specific information about each book on The Sea to Shining Sea Trail Reading List, you can click on the title of interest.

Sea to Shining Sea Trail Book Package 

The Sea to Shining Sea Book Package consist of 26 books.  The entire set is available to purchase.  See our order form for ordering information.

• Connects students to an additional Social Studies aspect of the Reading Program

• Offers students a variety of reading capability levels

• Trade (hard) Cover binding provides durable books for classroom use and is available for 95% of the books in the book package.

• Select the titles of interest in quantities of five or more. 
• See our order form for ordering information.

Individual Titles

Everglades - Written by: Jean Craighead George; Pictures by: Wendell Minor  ° HarperCollins ° 1995 ° 32 pages  ° 9 x11 ° Grades: 1-4 ° Cloth ° ISBN 0-06-021228-4  ° $15.95; Canada $21.95

" An Indian storyteller poles five children through the Everglades in his dugout, and language as lush as the land of which he speaks, he tells them the story [beginning eons ago and ending in a possible hopeful future] of the river of grass.  [With] paintings alive with color and detail...this is a plea for conservation and a story eloquently told."

Out of the Ocean - Written by: Debra Frasier   Harcourt Brace and Company ° 1998 ° 36 pages ° 10x10 ° All ages ° Trade Cloth ISBN 0-15-258849-3 ° $16.00; Canada $22.00

"Open this book and you'll be walking along the ocean shore, looking for all kinds of things.  Some will be small enough to fit in your hand--like shells and sea glass.   Others--will be too big to carry home.  But no matter what your journey holds, you'll soon discover that looking for the ocean's treasures can be as important as finding them.  Whether you're dreaming about the beach, planning a visit, or just returning from a walk in the waves, this book will bring the ocean and all its gifts home to you...wherever you may be."

Working Cotton - Written By: Sherley Anne Williams;  Illustrated By: Carol Byard lliams; ° Harcourt Brace ° 1992 ° 32 pages  ° 11½ x 9½   ° K-3 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-15-299624-9  °  $14..95

The bus arrives at the field in the dark of morning, workers gather around the fire, and everyone speak in smoky whispers.   Sehlan's family's day in the field begins.  Too small to carry her own sack, Shelan piles cotton in the middle of the row for her mamma to collect; she admires her daddy who picks cotton so fast you can hardly see him do it; and she imagines how much cotton she could pick if she were as old as her sisters.   "It's a long time to night."  Sherley Anne Williams draws on her childhood experience in the cotton fields of Fresno for this evocative story of a migrant family's day.  Dramatic illustrations by Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist Carole Byard capture the poignant reality of life in the fields.  

Awards Include:

Caldecott Honor Book

Coretta Scott King Honor Book for Illustration

ALA Notable Book

Georgia Music - Written by: Helen Griffith ° William Morrow ° 24 pages  ° 10 x10 ° Grades: K-3 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-614-09580-8 °  $15.95

The hot Georgia summer was filled with music--cricket chirps and tree frog trills and the noisy songs of a sassy mockingbird.  The old man and his granddaughter listened as they worked in their garden, and in the evenings they sat on the cabin porch and made their own music.  But the time came when the old man had to leave his Georgia cabin.  He was unhappy in his new home, and the girl had to watch him grow sadder and quieter.  Then one day she was able to make him laugh again --when she found out how to bring back the Georgia music.

The night of the hurricane is one that David and George will never forget.  Even though they were safe inside with their mom and dad and Hannibal the cat, the raging winds outside could put fear into the most fearless.  The next day, though, was even more memorable.  A fallen tree became the threshold of limitless voyages of the imagination - voyages the two brothers shared as only close friends can.

Just Like Martin - Written by: Ossie Davis  ° Simon & Schuster ° 1992 ° 208 pages ° 5½ x 8¼  ° Grades 5-9 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-671-73202-1 °  $15.00; Canada $18.00

Fourteen-year-old Isaac Stone, a great admirer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his methods of nonviolence, faces his father's opposition and scorn when he decides to join his church group on the march on Washington.  "The book incorporates three actual events that occurred in Birmingham in 1963...evoking  memories of the tragedies of the civil rights movement with passion and drama...An authentic voice of a troubled time in the history of America." -The Horn Book 

Awards Include:

A Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)

The Story of Ruby Bridges -Written by: Robert Cole ° Scholastic ° 19  pages  x   ° Grade:  K-3 °  Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-590-57281-4  °  $13.95

As the first black child to attend an all-white elementary school, six year-old Ruby Bridges finds herself in the center of a storm of hatred and prejudice.  Each day Ruby faces angry protesters as she is escorted to and from the first grade by federal marshals.  With courage and dignity beyond her years, she becomes an important part of history and an example for all Americans.  This is her extraordinary story.  Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Coles presents a moving portrayal that captures a young girl's amazing courage and faith.  George Ford's powerful illustrations bring to life an important event in American history.

Twins Pierre and Andrew are rescued from slavery by their father and left in a tree house in the swamp below New Orleans.  The boys use their wits to survive, elude pirates, and observe the war, and finally to free their mother and sister before they're sold at auction.  Impetuous Andrew and cautious Pierre explore the swamp, encounter its denizens, and give readers a remarkable view of that area in 1814 and of society and slavery as young African Americans might have experienced it.

With a Whoop and a Holler - A Bushel of Lore From Way Down South - Written by: Nancy Van Laan; Illustrated by: Scott Cook °Atheneum ° 1998 ° 112 pages ° 8 x10  ° Grades: All ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-689-81061 ° $19.95; Canada $26.95

The definitive collection of tales from America's South.  In this rich, rousing anthology, Nancy Van Laan takes readers on a romp through the bayous, mountains, and the lowlands of the American South.  Her retellings are full of energy, spunk, and that distinctive voice that makes Southern stories among our nation's most beloved.  Reader will meet unforgettable characters like Brer' Rabbit, Fool John, and Ol' Gally Mander, and learn a whole passel of poems, sayings, and superstitions to live by.  Scott Cook's illustrations practically  jump off the pages--they're perfectly suited to a book that's full to the brim with that inimitable Southern love for good storytelling.

Little Farm in the Ozarks - Written by: Roger Lea McBride; Pictures by: David Gilleece ° HarperCollins ° 1994 ° 256 pages °  5½ x8 °  Grades 3-7 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-06-024245-0 ° $15.95; Canada $21.50

Going fishing for the first time, riding a donkey to school, saving the farmhouse from a fire - these are the elements of young Rose Wilder's first year at Rocky Ridge Farm.   She has moved there with here parents, Laura and Almanzo, to begin a new life in the Ozarks.  Rose feels out of place as the new girl in school, but gradually gains confidence, and Rocky Ridge truly becomes her home.  Little Farm in the Ozarks continues the story that Laura Ingalls Wilder told of her own childhood, a story that has charmed generations of readers.

On the Other Side of the Hill - Written by: Roger Lea MacBride; Pictures by: David Gilleece ° HarperCollins ° 1995 ° 256 pages  ° 5½ x 8  ° Grades: 3-7 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-06--24967-6 ° $14.95; Canada $19.95

"The fourth in the series about Rose Wilder's childhood years on Rocky Ridge Farm in the Ozarks.  Taking place during the course of a year, her experiences range from the dramatic (a cyclone, a fire, the death of a family friend) to the ordinary (a cider pressing, the annual hog butchering, and the family's first look at the brand new Sears Roebuck catalog).  Throughout, Rose is a changing, growing character.  Her relationships with others evolve in a natural way that children are bound to relate to...MacBride is obviously fascinated with historical detail, which...serves this book well."--SLJ

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Written by: Mark Twain; Illustrations by: Claude Lapointe ° Viking ° 1995 (first published in 1876) ° 284 pages ° 7 x 9½  ° Grades: 4-6 ° Soft Cover ° ISBN 0-670-86985-6 °  $17.99

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of the world's favorite books.  It is the rollicking tale of a boy, a river, and adventures both hilarious and suspenseful.   Tom Sawyer is filled with unforgettable scenes and characters: Tom slyly persuading his friends that whitewashing a fence is the best of all possible fun; stalwart Joe Harper and free-spirited Huck Finn; Tom's soulful courtship of Becky Thatcher; the nefarious Injun Joe; and, of course, the discovery of a fabulous secret treasure.  Tom Sawyer is more than great storytelling.  With its depiction of life in the South before the Civil War and its colorful portrait of a small-town boy, it is also a remarkable snapshot of its time.  This edition of the enduringly popular tale, with its striking illustrations and extended captions unique to The Whole Story series, provides the background information modern readers could otherwise access only through a broad range of supplemental research.  This distinctive approach places Tom Sawyer -first published in 1876-within the context of its era, bringing it vividly to life.  A rich new reading experience is the result: readers can enjoy and understand the story in a way as close as possible to that of audiences when Mark Twain wrote it.

The Promised Land Written by: Isabelle Holland ° Scholastic ° 1998 ° 176 pages  °  x  ° Grades: 3-7 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-590-47176-7  ° $15.95

Isabelle Holland returns to America's heartland and to the lives of Maggie and Annie Lynn, two tough orphaned sisters who continue to struggle to find a place where they belong in this sequel to The Journey Home.

Little House on the Prairie Written by: Laura Ingalls Wilder; Pictures by: Garth Williams ° HarperCollins ° 1994 ° [1953/1935] ° 352 pages ° 5½ x8 ° Grades 3-7 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-06-026445-4 ° $15.95; Canada $21.50

Laura and her family journey west by covered wagon, only to find they are in Indian territory and must move on.

When I Was Young in the Mountains Written by: Cynthia Rylant Dutton ° 32 pages  10 x10   Grade: K-5 Trade Cloth ISBN 0-525-42525-X  $15.99

Cross Country Cat Written by: Mary Calhoun Morrow ° 40 pages   Grades: 4-6 Trade Cloth ISBN 0-688-22186-6  $12.95

Here is a picture book with rhythm, the rhythm of a cross-country skier swinging through snowy meadows.  In this instance, however, the skier is a sassy Siamese cat named Henry.  He is some smart cat and, among many accomplishments, is good on his hind legs.  Henry's emergence as a cross-country skier occurs abruptly when he is inadvertently left behind at his folk's mountain cabin.  There, ready to be used, are the skinny skis and poles that the Kid had made in an earlier attempt to interest Henry in the sport.  Henry had thought the idea crazy then, but now it becomes his only way out.  What happens to Henry on his memorable trip home makes a story that begs to be read aloud.

The Great Antler Auction Written by: Susan E. Goodman; Photographs by: Michael J. Doolittle ° Atheneum ° 1996 ° 40 pages  ° 10¼ x 8½  ° Grades: 3-7 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-689-80131-9 °  $16.00 Canada $21.5

The Scouts of Jackson Hole, Wyoming can't vote or drive, but they are helping America's last great migrating elk herd flourish after near extinction.  Each spring Jackson's Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts collect the antlers male elk shed on the National Elk Refuge.   Then they auction these antlers to buy food to help the herd get through another winter.  Yet, this splendidly good deed comes packaged with some hard lessons, for human intervention with nature can lead to unexpected results.  The Scouts learn that helping wildlife survive in today's world is a very complicated job--and choices are often very difficult to make.

The Eagle and the River Written by: Charles Craighead; Illustrated Photographs by: Thomas D. Mangelsen ° Simon & Schuster ° 1994 ° 32 pages ° 8 x 10  °  Grades: 1-5 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-02-762265-7 ° $16.00 Canada $19.50

"Spectacular, full-color photographs of a bald eagle in flight and of all that it survey along Wyoming's Snake River make this book a must for budding naturalists.   Each page reveals stunning winter views of the frozen river and the snow-covered land around it, and the clear, informative text explains the interdependence of the creatures that make this special place their home.

Wolf at the Door - Written By: Barbara Corcoran ° Atheneum ° 1993 °192 pages  ° 5½ x 8¼  ° Grades: 3-7 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-689-31870-7  ° $17.00  Canada $24.00

Lee suffers in the shadow of her younger sister, Savannah, who inherited their actress grandmother's talent.  When the family moves to a house in the Montana woods, Lee is entrusted with the care of five wolves.  During a summer full of change, as she works to keep the wolves safe from Montana ranchers, she discovers her own talents.   The "briskly paced story offers wonderful information about Wolves as well as a very sympathetic character in Lee." -Booklist

Awards Include: 

Young Adult Choices (IRA)

Whitefish Will Rides Again - Written by: Arthur Yorinks; Pictures by: Mort Drucker ° HarperCollins ° 199432 pages  ° 9½ x9½  °  Grades: PS-3 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-06-205037-0 °  $15.00; Canada $19.95

"Whitefish Will is 'about the best danged sheriff that ever lived.'  Will is such an effective sheriff that all crime disappears from Whitefish, Montana, and the townspeople therefore pension Will off.  Eventually the town is besieged by villains and Whitefish Will is recalled, whereupon he routs the bad guys..by playing his godawful harmonica.  Yorinks's gleeful wordplay [is} obviously home on the range.   Drucker, the famed cartoonist of Mad magazine, offers entertainingly goofy and sophisticated caricatures of bad guys and townsfolk alike."--C.   "No question 'bout it: kids gonna love this one."--Publishers Weekly

Soaring with the Wind - The Bald Eagle - Written by: Gail Gibbons ° Morrow Junior Books ° 1998 ° 32 pages  ° 11¼ x 9¾  ° Grades: K-3 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-688-13730-X  ° $16.00 Canada $22.00

A majestic bird swoops down, snatches its prey, then soars into the clouds.  It is a bald eagle, one of North America's largest hunting birds.  For centuries the bald eagle has been a symbol of majesty, strength, and freedom.   In 1782 it became the official emblem of the United States. Yet now this fierce hunter is in danger of extinction.  Gail Gibbons's thoroughly researched text and dramatic illustrations present the bald eagle in all its grandeur--hunting, courting, nesting, and hatching--with fascinating facts and statistics about this remarkable winged predator and the efforts to save it.

The Potato Man  - Story by: Megan McDonald; Pictures by Ted Lewin ° Orchard Books ° 1991 ° 32 pages  ° 10½ x9¼  ° K-3 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-531-05914-6  ° $14.95

The Potato Man had only one eye, and his face, why, it was as lumpy as a potato itself.  He was scary all right.  And it seemed he was bad luck too. The first day he came down East Street riding his vegetable wagon, the boy began getting into scrapes--over squeezing an orange into his sister's hair, or breaking a window, or getting close enough to Mr. Angelo (for that was the Potato Man's name) to be filching potatoes that bounced off his wagon.  But the scariest day of all came just before Christmas...  Here is a vivid look into America's past (the time of the Stanley Steamer), and a vivid story to match about a boy, a fearsome old peddler, a dog, a pomegranate-- and a kindness.

The Barn - Written by: Avi ° Orchard Books ° 1994 ° 106 pages  ° 5¼  x7½  °  4-6 ° Trade Cloth° ISBN 0-531-06861-7  ° $14.95

The Barn was never going to be the biggest in Oregon Territory.  There was a chance, however, it could mean the most.  After all, Ben and his older sister and brother, Nettie and Harrison, built it themselves.  They felled the trees, split them into logs, piled stones for foundations, hoisted the walls, and roofed them over.  Ben insisted they get no help.   The barn, he said, was to be their gift for Father, who lay sick and silent as a cave on his bed in their one-room house, or in the wheel-barrow propped up like some cornhusk doll.  Ben thought Father should see the progress of the barn.  For hadn't the man agreed, with a flick of his eyes, that a barn would make him well?  Avi's story is set in 1855, but as a tribute to hope and resourcefulness it is timeless.

Blueberries For Sal - Written by: Debra Frasier ° Penguin Putnam ° 56 pages ° Grades: K-3 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-670-17591-9  ° $15.99

Blueberry Hill is a popular place for Sal and her mother on the day they decide to go pick blueberries.  Find out what happens in this charming story as Sal finds a different mother that is also interested in the blueberries.

Recognized as a Caldecott Honor Book

Volcano - The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens - Written By: Patricia Lauber ° Simon and Schuster ° 1986/1993 ° 64 pages  ° 9¼ x 10½  °  Grades: 3-5 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-02-754500-8 °  $16.95 Canada $21.95

This is a spectacular book:  Lauber's narrative describing the eruption, aftermath, and gradual return of life to the Mount St. Helens slopes devastated by the 1980 eruption is anchored with stellar color photographs that show each phase of the destruction and the healing... The handsome presentation gains additional depth from Lauber's decision to place the natural disaster in perspective... This is a substantive explanation backed by superb book design."-Starred, Booklist

Awards Include:

Newbery Honor Book

A Notable Children's Book (ALA)

A Best Book of the Year (SLJ)

Editor's Choice (Booklist)

The Horn Book Fanfare List

The Girl Who Lived with the Bears - Written By: Barbara Diamond Goldin;  Illustrated By: Andrew Plewes ° Clarion Books ° 1990 ° 32 pages  ° 11 x 9  °  K-3 ° Trade Cloth ° ISBN 0-15-200684-2  °  $15.00 Canada $21.00

When the spoiled young chief's daughter  set out to collect berries, she sees no reason to sing bear songs.  Twice the berries i n her basket mysteriously spill, but still she refuses to show respect for the powerful bears.  As darkness falls two men appear, and the girl joins them, thinking they will lead her home.  Instead, they guide her to the bears' village.  There the bears confront the young woman, challenging her thoughtless, haughty ways.

One of the most popular traditional tales told by the Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, and Ahtna peoples of the Pacific Northwest, this wise and dramatic story explores the delicate relationship between humans and animals, and one young woman's hard-earned knowledge of love and respect.