CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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Wisconsin Social Studies Standards: Suggested Books for K-5

Compiled by Megan Schliesman

This list was created to identify engaging, high-quality trade books for K-5 that support broad concepts and, in some cases, specific standards found under several of the discipline content areas for the Wisconsin Standards for Social Studies for kindergarten through grade 5.

Books on this list were chosen to align to the following content areas:

Behavioral Sciences (Who I Am, What I Believe)
Geography (Here and There)
History and Politics (Rights and Responsibilities) (two disciplines combined)
Economics (Goods and Services, Wants and Needs)

While the books are organized into single categories, some books will be good fits for more than one of these content areas.

Creating a bibliography of books that align to each specific standard under the disciplines would be impossible—often there isn’t a trade book available on a specific concept, let alone one we recommend. Likewise, there is a dearth of Wisconsin-specific trade book titles. (For educational titles, check out the offerings of the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.)

However, across this list we believe you’ll find books that can generate discussion, underscore many ideas and concepts, and, perhaps most important, offer stories that examine these ideas and concepts in human, relatable terms for children.

Other CCBC bibliographies you may find useful in supporting teaching of Wisconsin Social Studies Standards for K-5 include:

Who I Am, What I Believe: Behavioral Sciences

All the Faces of Me
by Alary, Laura
Illustrated by Salini Perera. Owlkids, 2023. 32 pages. Ages 3-7

Why Am I Me?
by Britt, Paige
Illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko. Scholastic, 2017. 32 pages. Ages 5-8

Just Right Jillian
by Collier, Nicole D.
HarperCollins/Versify, 2022. 215 pages. Ages 8-12

We Still Belong
by Day, Christine
HarperCollins/Heartdrum, 2023. 249 pages. Ages 9-12

As Glenn as Can Be
by Ellis, Sarah
Illustrated by Nancy Vo. Groundwood/House of Anansi, 2022. 32 pages. Ages 6-9

Gigi and Ojiji: What's in a Name?
by Iwai, Melissa
Illustrated by Melissa Iwai. Harper/HarperCollins, 2023. 32 pages. Ages 4–8

Where Three Oceans Meet
by LaRocca, Rajani
Illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan. Abrams, 2021. 40 pages. Ages 3-7

Let Me Fix You a Plate: A Tale of Two Kitchens
by Lilly, Elizabeth
Illustrated by Elizabeth Lilly. Holiday House/Neal Porter Books, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 3-7

'Ohana Means Family
by Loomis, Ilima
Illustrated by Kenard Pak. Holiday House/Neal Porter Books, 2020. 32 pages. Ages 3-7

Too Bright to See
by Lukoff, Kyle
Dial/Penguin Random House, 2021. 188 pages. Ages 8-12

My Mother's Tongues: A Weaving of Languages
by Menon, Uma
Illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell. Candlewick, 2024. 32 pages. Ages 5-9

Meena's Saturday
by Mepani, Kusum
Illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail. Kokila/Penguin Random House, 2024. 40 pages. Ages 4-7

The One Thing You'd Save
by Park, Linda Sue
Illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng. Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021. 65 pages. Ages 7-11

Family Reunion
by Richardson, Chad and Dad Richardson
Illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin. Barefoot, 2021. 24 pages. Ages 4-7

What I Am
by Srinivasan, Divya
Illustrated by Divya Srinivasan. Penguin Random House/Viking, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 5-9

The Blue Pickup
by Tripplett, Natasha
Illustrated by Monica Mikai. Harper/HarperCollins, 2024. 40 pages. Ages 4-8

Snow Angel, Sand Angel
by Yamanaka, Lois-Ann
Illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky. Make Me A World/Random House, 2022. 32 pages. Ages 5-8

Here and There: Geography

Too Small Tola
by Atinuke,
Illustrated by Onyinye Iwu. Candlewick, 2021. 88 pages. Ages 6-9

Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White
by Balasubramaniam, Saumiya
Illustrated by Eva Campbell. Groundwood/House of Anansi, 2020. 32 pages. Ages 5-8

My Two Border Towns
by Bowles, David
Illustrated by Erika Meza. Kokila/Penguin Random House, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 5-8

My Day with the Panye
by Charles, Tami
Illustrated by Sara Palacios. Candlewick, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 3-7

From There to Here
by Croza, Laurel
Illustrated by Matt James. Groundwood/House of Anansi, 2014. 32 pages. Ages 5-9

Olu & Greta
by Ejaita, Diana
Illustrated by Diana Ejaita. Penguin Random House/Rise x Penguin Workshop, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 4-8

This Land: The History of the Land We're On
by Fairbanks, Ashley
Illustrated by Bridget George. Crown/Random House, 2024. 32 pages. Ages 6-10

Luis Paints the World
by Farish, Terry
Illustrated by Oliver Dominguez. Carolrhoda, 2016. 32 pages. Ages 5-8

Martha Maps It Out
by Hodgkinson, Leigh
Illustrated by Leigh Hodgkinson. Kane Miller, 2022. 32 pages. Ages 5-8

When Stars Are Scattered
by Jamieson, Victoria and Omar Mohamed
Illustrated by Victoria Jamieson. Dial/Penguin Random House, 2020. 256 pages. Ages 9-13

Amina's Song (Amina's Voice, #2)
by Khan, Hena
Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster, 2021. 280 pages. Ages 9-12

Take Me Out to the Yakyu
by Meshon, Aaron
Illustrated by Aaron Meshon. Atheneum, 2013. 36 pages. Ages 3-6

A River's Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
by Newman, Patricia
Illustrated by Natasha Donovan. Lerner/Millbrook, 2022. 50 pages. Ages 8-12

My First Day
by Phung Nguyen, Quang and Lien Huynh Kim
Illustrated by Quang Phung Nguyen and Lien Huynh Kim. Make Me A World, 2021. 40 pages. Ages 4-8

My Papi Has a Motorcycle
by Quintero, Isabel
Illustrated by Zeke Pena. Kokila/Penguin Random House, 2019. 32 pages. Ages 4-8

The Great Lakes: Our Freshwater Treasure
by Rosenstock, Barb
Illustrated by Jamey Christoph. Knopf/Random House, 2024. 32 pages. Ages 7-12

Being Home
by Sorell, Traci
Illustrated by Michaela Goade. Kokila/Penguin Random House, 2024. 32 pages. Ages 4-8

This Is Not My Home
by Yoh, Eugenia and Vivienne Chang
Illustrated by Vivienne Chang and Eugenia Yoh. Little, Brown, 2023. 40 pages. Ages 4-7

Rights and Responsibilities: History and Politics

Sometimes People March
by Allen, Tessa
Illustrated by Tessa Allen. Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2020. 32 pages. Ages 4-8

The Walk
by Bingham, Winsome
Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Abrams, 2023. 32 pages. Ages 5-9

I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story
by Brockenbrough, Martha and Grace Lin
Illustrated by Julia Kuo. Little, Brown, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 7-10

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
by Cartaya, Pablo
Viking, 2017. 236 pages. Ages 10-13

The Great Hibernation
by Dairman, Tara
Illustrated by Rebecca Green. Random House/Wendy Lamb Books, 2017. 260 pages. Ages 7-10

Mama's Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation
by Danticat, Edwidge
Illustrated by Leslie Staub. Dial, 2015. 32 pages. Ages 4-8

Sharice's Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman
by Davids, Sharice and Nancy K. Mays
Illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley. Harper/HarperCollins, 2021. 40 pages. Ages 6-9

Take Back the Block
by Giles, Chrystal D.
Random House, 2021. 229 pages. Ages 8-12

Killer Underwear Invasion! How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation & Conspiracy Theories
by Gravel, Elise
Illustrated by Elise Gravel. Chronicle, 2022. 88 pages. Ages 8-12

Those Rebels, John & Tom
by Kerley, Barbara
Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. Scholastic Press, 2012. 48 pages. Ages 6-9

Borders
by King, Thomas
Illustrated by Natasha Donovan. Little, Brown, 2021. 171 pages. Age 8 and older

Book Uncle and Me
by Krishnaswami, Uma
Illustrated by Julianna Swaney. Groundwood, 2016. 149 pages. Ages 7-10

We Are Water Protectors
by Lindstrom, Carole
Illustrated by Michaela Goade. Roaring Brook, 2020. 40 pages. Ages 6-10

Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior
by Lindstrom, Carole
Illustrated by Bridget George. Roaring Brook, 2023. 40 pages. Ages 5-9

All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything
by Pimentel, Annette Bay
Illustrated by Nabi H. Ali. Sourcebooks/Sourcebooks eXplore, 2020. 32 pages. Ages 6-9

Leo's First Vote!
by Soontornvat, Christina
Illustrated by Isabel Roxas. Knopf/Random House, 2024. 40 pages. Ages 5-8

Sona Sharma: A Friend Indeed
by Soundar, Chitra
Illustrated by Jen Khatun. Candlewick/Walker, 2024. 114 pages. Ages 7-10

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
by Weatherford, Carole Boston
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Carolrhoda, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 8-12

Three Keys (Front Desk, #2)
by Yang, Kelly
Scholastic, 2020. 288 pages. Ages 9-12

Goods and Services, Wants and Needs: Economics

Daniel's Good Day
by Archer, Micha
Illustrated by Micha Archer. Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Random House, 2019. 32 pages. Ages 4-8

Too Small Tola and the Three Fine Girls (Too Small Tola, #2)
by Atinuke,
Illustrated by Onyinye Iwu. Candlewick, 2022. 88 pages. Ages 5-8

Those Shoes
by Boelts, Maribeth
Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones. Candlewick, 2007. 32 pages. Ages 5-8

A Bike Like Sergio's
by Boelts, Maribeth
Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones. Candlewick, 2016. 32 pages. Ages 5-8

Before We Eat: From Farm to Table
by Brisson, Pat
Illustrated by Mary Azarian. Tilbury House, 2014. 32 pages. Ages 3-7

Yard Sale
by Bunting, Eve
Illustrated by Lauren Castillo. Candlewick, 2015. 32 pages. Ages 4-7

Ana Maria Reyes Does Not Live in a Castle
by Burgos, Hilda Eunice
Lee & Low/Tu, 2018. 284 pages. Ages 8-11

The Cot in the Living Room
by Burgos, Hilda Eunice
Illustrated by Gaby D'Alessandro. Kokila/Penguin Random House, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 4-7

A New Car for Pickle
by Kantorovitz, Sylvie
Illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz. Holiday House, 2024. 32 pages. Ages 4-7

Rainbow Weaver = Tejedora del arcoíris
by Marshall, Linda Elovitz
Illustrated by Elisa Chavarri. Lee & Low, 2016. 32 pages. Ages 4-8

Emergency Quarters
by Matias, Carlos
Illustrated by Gracey Zhang. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books, 2024. 40 pages. Ages 5-9

Tia Isa Wants a Car
by Medina, Meg
Illustrated by Claudio Munoz. Candlewick, 2011. 32 pages. Ages 4-8

One Hen and Then...The Story of a Small Loan and a Big Dream
by Milway, Katie Smith and Mary Beth Leatherdale
Illustrated by Tequitia Andrews. Kids Can, 2024. Ages 5-10

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia
by Paul, Miranda
Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. Millbrook, 2015. 32 pages. Ages 7-10

Pass Go and Collect $200: The Real Story of How Monopoly Was Invented
by Stone, Tanya Lee
Illustrated by Steven Salerno. Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt, 2018. 32 pages. Ages 8-12

A Chair for My Mother
by Williams, Vera B.
Illustrated by Vera B. Williams. Greenwillow, 1983. 32 pages. Ages 4-8

All We Need
by Wolff, Kathy
Illustrated by Margaux Meganck. Bloomsbury, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 3-7

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.

Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.