Fourth of July Books and Media

This booklist was contributed by Appleton Public Library Children's Services Staff, 6/08 

Story Books

• Apple Pie 4th of July by Janet S. Wong (2002)
A Chinese American child fears that the food her parents are preparing to sell on the Fourth of July will not be eaten.
• Celebration by Jane Resh Thomas (1997)
Grandmother, aunts and uncles, and assorted cousins gather for the annual picnic in Maggie's backyard, complete with good food and family fun.
• Eloise and the Big Parade by Lisa McClatchy (2007)
Eloise and Nanny go to a large Fourth of July parade.
• Fourth of July Bear by Kathryn Lasky (1991)
Spending summer vacation on a Maine island, Rebecca misses her best friend Emily until she meets Amanda, who invites Rebecca to be in the Fourth of July parade.
• Fourth of July Mice by Bethany Roberts (2004)
Four energetic mice enjoy a parade and other festivities on Independence Day.
• A Fourth of July on the Plains by Jean Van Leeuwen (1997)
Young Jesse and his family are with a wagon train traveling from Indiana to Oregon when they stop to celebrate the Fourth of July, but Jesse is too young to go hunting with the men so he comes up with his own contribution to the festivities.
• The Great Cake Bake by Helen Ketteman (2005)
When her town hosts a Fourth of July cake competition, Donna Rae tries to bake the best cake ever, but with every patriotic confection she makes, something goes wrong.
• Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney by Leslie Kimmelman (2003)
Town residents prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July with food, a parade, and fireworks.
• Happy Birthday America by Marsha Wilson Chall (2000)
Joined by an army of aunts, uncles, and cousins, eight-year-old Kay and her family celebrate the Fourth of July.
• Happy Birthday, America by Mary Pope Osborne (2002)
The whole family joins in a lively small-town celebration of Independence Day, including a parade, a picnic, music, and fireworks. An author's note explains the origin of the celebration of July 4th.
• Hats Off for the Fourth of July by Harriet Ziefert (2000)
Spectators wait to see what will come next as the watch the town's Fourth of July parade.
• Hooray for the 4th of July by Richard E. Brown (2007)
Illustrations and simple rhyming text describe the fun of a Fourth of July parade.
• Jake Johnson: the Story of a Mule by Tres Seymour (1999)
Farmer Puckett's custom of hauling a wagonload of fireworks to the fairgrounds for the Independence Day Social is endangered when his stubborn new mule Jake Johnson refuses to move.
• Let's Go Dear Dragon by Margaret Hillert (1985)
A boy and his pet dragon celebrate the Fourth of July by going to the beach, having a picnic, and watching the fireworks.
• Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Jellybeans by Heather French Henry (2004)
Claire learns from Ben Franklin and the founding fathers that the Fourth of July is more than fireworks--it's the celebration of our basic freedoms.
• Looking for Uncle Louie on the Fourth of July by Kathy Whitehead (2005)
A boy gets a big surprise when the low riders take part in the Independence Day parade.
• On the Day the Tall Ships Sailed by Betty Paraskevas (2000)
As the tall ships sail into New York Harbor to celebrate the Fourth of July, a bald eagle soars in the sky overhead, a regal symbol with shining armor and eyes like canary diamonds.