A good book is a delight to any age and can be read over and over again.

One of our favorite books based in Arizona is Roxaboxen. This beloved and much-read book inspired a trip to Yuma, Arizona to visit this small plot of barren land which is now a city park. It is not much more than a rocky outcrop covered with sand and dust. With no trees nor any vegetation and only a bench to sit on, one could easily drive by. But because of the book, our kids were mesmerized and spent over an hour playing, making “roads” and the outlines of buildings. I finally got hungry and told them we had to leave to get something good to eat. This is the power of a good book!

Living Books

The great educator, Charlotte Mason, referred to these kinds of narrative-focused books as living books. Living books draw you in, causing you to want to read further because they are written in an engaging way. Living books can be either fiction or non-fiction.

The following books can prompt delightful and deep conversations, lead to hours of play, and prepare you for extended learning on field trips. Rather than dull, dry text books, read captivation stories that cause the people, places, and events come alive! Rather than vocabulary-restricted, dumbed-down books, read rich stories that feed the heart and the mind.

Our Criteria for Choosing Books

Most of these books check more than one of our evaluation boxes.

• Will you (and your kids) learn something about Arizona?
• Do the illustrations further impart the message and information of the book?
• Is it well written? Is it engaging with rich vocabulary?
• Is it essentially true? There is some wiggle room in this question. Some books have some silliness, time travel, or other literary devices that will delight your children. See, “Don’t Call Me a Pig” or “Elena and the Coin.”
• Is it spiritually true? There is some wiggle room here as well. Some books include aspects of Native American spiritual beliefs such as life after death with their ancestors, use of hogans, etc.
• Does it encourage family love between parents, children, siblings, grandparents?
• Does it portray cultures and people groups with dignity and appreciation?
• Does it encourage good behavior? Does good triumph?
• Is it the content age appropriate?

We have read every one of these books and so they are all endorsed enthusiastically. While all are recommended, * means strongly recommended, ** means find it, and *** means consider purchasing it! Slowly enjoy some of these books that will inspire, inform, and delight you and your family.

Ages listed indicate interest level, not reading level. Most homeschooled preschoolers who have been read to alot will enjoy the books even if they are listed for older children. Most older kids and adults will like all these books, no matter the top age listed. A few books are cross posted in more than one topic.

Book List

General

1. *G is for Grand Canyon, An Arizona Alphabet, Barbara Gowan. All Ages. While alphabet books are usually aimed at the preschool crowd, this lovely book has quite a bit of information and can be used all during the study by reading specific pages about topics and locations.
2. *Desert Digits, An Arizona Number Book, All Ages. Another book that seems to be aimed at the preschool crowd, this book has quite a bit of information and can be used all during the study by reading pages about specific animals.
3. Arizona A to Z, Dorothy Hines Weaver. All Ages. Another lovely alphabet book about Arizona.

Grand Canyon

1. ***Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer, Deborah Kogan Ray. Ages 6-12. This is the best short biography of Powell that captures the excitement and danger of his travels. It is nicely Illustrated and can be read in short sections for younger kids.
2. Exploring the Earth with John Wesley Powell, Michael Elsohn Ross. Ages 8-11. This biography of the man who explored and first mapped the Grand Canyon includes related activities for kids.
3. John Wesley Powell, Soldier, Scientist, and Explorer, Charles W. Maynard. Ages 8-10. A simple biography of Powell that includes some great old photographs.
4. **Brighty of the Grand Canyon, Marguerite Henry Ages 8-12. CB, All Ages. This is a wonderful read aloud for the whole family is based on a real-life burro who lived in the Grand Canyon. OMA https://amzn.to/3ulFXOO
5. *Mule Train Mail, Craig Brown. Ages 4-8. This delightful tale follows the mule riding mailman to Supai on the Havasu Creek in the Grand Canyon.
6. *Grand Canyon, Exploring a Natural Wonder, Wendell Minor. All ages. Inspired by the work of earlier artist-explorers, this award winning illustrator shares his daily impressions of the famous South Rim in word and watercolor sketches.
7. *Who Pooped in the Park? Grand Canyon National Park: Scat and Tracks for Kids, Gary D. Robson. Ages 4-12. Animals are all around leaving behind their scat and tracks for observant kids to find. Colorful illustrations and a quick-reference chart in this book make field identification a breeze!
8. Grand Canyon, A Different View, Tom Vail. All ages. This Biblical and young earth perspective of the canyon includes beautiful photography.
9. Charlie and Trike in the Grand Canyon Adventure, Ken Ham with Karen Hansel. Ages ?-?. This charming book from Answers in Genesis provides a young earth perspective as a monkey and dinosaur visit the canyon.
10. Grand Canyon, Patrick Cone. Ages 8-14. An excellent overview of the canyon covers information on the formation, plants and animals, and history of the canyon. It has an old earth perspective but does not over emphasize it.
11. Grand Canyon National Park, A New True Book, David Petersen. Ages 6-10. Nice overview of the park with photographs covers size, geology, buildings, sites, wildlife, native American ruins with just a few old earth references.

Weather

1. **It Rained on the Desert Today, Ken and Debby Buchanan. Ages 5-10. Monsoon rains come to the desert, fall, and leave while the children exult in the thunder, rain, mud, and glory.
2. **The Gullywasher, Joyce Rossi. Ages 4-11. As Leticia and her grandfather watch the summer rain clouds drift across the Arizona sky the old vaquero provides fanciful explanations of his aging. Some editions are bilingual.
3. **One Day in the Desert, Jean Craighead George. Ages 6-11. Good, short reader for grades 2-5. The Papago (O’Odham) and native animals adapt to the Sonoran Desert’s merciless heat and torrential rain which causes a flash flood.
4. *Hip, Hip, Hooray, It’s Monsoon Day! Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford. Ages 5-11. Gorgeous illustrations grace the story of anticipation and celebration of the monsoon season in the Sonoran Desert of animals, plants, and humans! Bilingual.
5. Storm on the Desert, Carolyn Lesser. Ages 5-9. The animal and plant life in the desert experience the effects of a short but violent thunderstorm.

Plants and Animals

Factual

1. ***Cactus Hotel, Brenda Z. Guiberson. Ages 5-9. Beautiful watercolors illustrate this story of the lifecycle of the Saguaro with an emphasis on its role providing a habitat for other desert dwellers.
2. **The Seed and the Giant Saguaro, Jennifer Ward. Ages 4-8. A packrat carrying fruit from the Saguaro is chased by various desert animals and thereby spreads the seeds.
3. **Desert Days, Desert Nights, Roxie Munro. All Ages. Your child can try to find over 275 desert animals in the beautiful, detailed illustrations of this book that covers the five deserts in the US. Four of the five are in Arizona.
4. *Here is the Southwestern Desert, Madeleine Dunphy. Ages 4-8. In the style of the House that Jack built, you and your children will learn about the Sonoran Desert in this delightful picture book with extra notes on the end pages.
5. *Desert Song, Tony Johnson. Ages 4-10. This lyrical tale follows nocturnal animals such as bats, coyotes, and snakes who venture out to find food.
6. *Where the Buffalo Roam, Jacqueline Geis. Ages 4-10. Lovely watercolor illustrations grace this adaption of the poem and song set in the southwest desert.
7. *Desert Voices, Byrd Baylor. Ages 5-9. Sonoran Desert animals are described with poetic prose from this well known and loved local author.
8. Easy Field Guide to Common Desert Birds, Trees, Cactus, Mammals, Insects, Snakes, Poisonous Plants and Critters , and Land Forms of Arizona. Various authors. All Ages. In clear and concise language and drawings, these booklets describe the common species found in Arizona.
9. Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro Cactus, Barbara Bash. Ages 4-8. Discover the lifecycle and ecosystem of the saguaro.
10. Night Life of the Yucca, the Story of a Flower and a Moth, Katherine B. Hauth. Ages 5-10. Fascinating story of the symbiotic relationship between the moth and the unique creamy white flowers in the Sonoran Desert.
11. Cactus Desert, One Small Square, Donald M. Silver. Ages 5-12. Great little book gull of information and activities that your children can do.
12. Desert Digits: an Arizona Number Book, Barbara Gowan. All Ages. While it seems to be aimed at the preschool crowd, this book has quite a bit of information and can be used all during the study by reading pages about specific animals.
13. D is for Desert: A World Deserts’ Alphabet, Barbara Gowan. Ages 5-10. Using the alphabet this book explores the worlds desert regions and can broaden your understanding of desert life.
14. A Walk in the Desert, Rebecca L. Johnson. Ages 7-13. Narrative text and photographs help the reader explore and discover the southwestern desert’s plants and animals.
15. What Kinda Cactus Izzat? Reg Manning. Ages 12 and up. Humorous descriptions of various cactus will amuse and inform!

With People

1. *Alejandro’s Gift, Richard E. Albert. Ages 4-12. In the southwestern desert an old man lives alone and builds a waterhole for the local wildlife.
2. **I’m in Charge of Celebrations, Byrd Baylor. Ages 6-10. A child celebrates the Arizona desert with its dust devils, coyotes, meteorites, and more.
3. *The Table Where Rich People Sit, Byrd Baylor. Ages 6-11. An impoverished 20^th century family in the Arizona desert discuss the real riches of family, freedom, and nature.
4. *Amigo, Byrd Baylor. Ages 5-9. Living in the Sonoran Desert, young Francisco wants a pet and befriends a prairie dog whom he names Amigo in this gentle tale from Ms. Baylor.
5. *A Desert Scrapbook, Dawn to Dusk in the Sonoran Desert, Virginia Wright-Frierson. All ages. An artist sketches, paints, and writes all she sees in the Sonoran Desert and then spreads out her pictures to make this scrapbook.
6. Who Pooped in the Sonoran Desert, Scat and Tracks for Kids, Gary D. Robson. Ages 4-12. Animals are all around leaving behind their scat and tracks for observant kids to find. Colorful illustrations and a quick-reference chart in this book make field identification a breeze!
7. Lizards on the Wall, Ken Buchanan. Ages 4-8. A child describes the lizards on his wall eating bugs and spiders.
8. Cheery, The True Adventures of a Chiricahua Leopard Frog, Elizabeth W. Davidson. Ages 6-10. You follow the life cycle of this little frog and learn about the attempts to protect and reintroduce them into the wild.

Fanciful

1. Don’t Call Me Pig! A Javelina Story, Conrad Storad. Ages 4-8. Entertaining mixture of facts and silliness about javelinas will amuse everyone!
2. Lizards for Lunch, A Roadrunner’s Tale, Conrad Storad. Ages 4-8. Entertaining mixture of facts and silliness about roadrunners will amuse your kids!
3. Desert Night Shift, A Pack Rat Story. Conrad Storad. Ages 4-8. Entertaining mixture of facts and silliness about pack ratss will amuse your kids! Extra info on back pages and a vocabulary list!
4. Life in the Slow Lane, A Desert Tortoise Tale, Conrad Storad. Ages 4-8. Fun and slightly silly story about the desert tortoise will amuse your kids! Extra info on back pages and a vocabulary list!
5. Mañana Iguana, Ann Whitford Paul. Ages 4-7. Retelling of the Little Red Hen with desert animals and a happy ending that will delight your little children integrating Spanish words with a glossary and pronunciation guide.
6. The Three Little Javelinas, Susan Lowell. Ages 4-8. This fun retelling of the Three Little Pigs story is set in the southwest.
7. The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit, Susan Lowell. Ages 3-8. This Tortoise and the Hare tale has a southwestern flair.
8. The Bootmaker and the Elves, Susan Lowell. Ages 3-8. Another classic tale is given a southwestern flair.
9. The Gingerbread Cowboy, Janet Squires. Ages 4-8. A freshly baked gingerbread cowboy meets the desert animals as he flees his makers. Mentions Texas, but is the wes!
10. The Runaway Tortilla, Eric Kimmel. Ages 4-8. Another southwester retelling of the Gingerbread Boy.
11. Way Out in the Desert, T.J. Marsh and Jennifer Ward. Ages 3-6. A counting book in rhyme presents 10 parent animals and their babies.

Native Americans

Overview

1. **Nations of the Southwest, Amanda Bishop and Bobbie Kalman. Ages 7-12. This book contains a wealth of information on ancient (Anasazi, Mogollon, Hohokam) and modern (Hopi, O’Odham, Yuma, Yavapai, Navajo, Apache, Zuni) Native Americans in the Southwest. Short, easy-to-understand and interesting pictures and verbiage on pithouses, pueblos, hogans, baskets, pottery, petroglyphs, irrigation, canals, Hunters/Gatherers, early farmers, nomadic/ seminomadic/ sedentary make this a must-read book.
2. Corn is Maize, the Gift of the Indians, Ages 4-8. Engaging story tells of how corn was found by Indian farmers thousands of year ago, its many uses, and how it impacted history.

Ancient Indians

1. ***The Same Sun Was in the Sky, Denise Webb. Ages 5-10. A boy and his grandfather hike in the desert near Tucson where they observe rock carvings and consider the Hohokam people who had lived there.
2. **When Clay Sings, Byrd Baylor. Ages 5-10. Children find pieces of prehistoric Indian pottery while Byrd provides poetic pictures of the ancient peoples and their art. It covers Anasazi, Mogollon, Hohokam, and Mimbres pottery.
3. *The Anasazi Culture at Mesa Verde, Dale Anderson. Ages 7-12. A great overview of the culture of the Ancient Pueblo people includes historic photographs, easy-to-read text, and clear, simple maps. It also includes information on the archaeology used to learn about this ancient people group.

O’Odham

1. **Sing Down the Rain, Judi Moreillon. Ages 6-11. This poem tells of the modern celebration of the Tohono O’odham saguaro wine ceremony.
2. **Big Moon Tortilla, Joy Crowley. Ages 4-7. Grandmother imparts wisdom to granddaughter in a modern O’odham community.
3. **The Desert Is Theirs, Byrd Baylor. Ages 5-11. This is a poetic and brilliant telling of the relationship of the native people and their desert.
4. **One Day in the Desert, Jean Craighead George. Ages 6-11. Good, short reader for grades 2-5. The Papago (O’Odham) and native animals adapt to the Sonoran Desert’s merciless heat and torrential rain which causes a flash flood.
5. The Tohono O’Odham, Jacqueline D. Greene. Ages 8-12. This even handed history of their interactions with Europeans and other Native American tribes examines the history, culture, daily life, and current situation of “The Desert People.”

Hopi

1. The Hopi, Native Americans, Barbara A. Gray-Kanatiiosh. Ages 5-12. This great overview of the Hopi people includes their history, their modern daily lives, and a brief history of Navajo/Hopi relations.
2. The Hopi, A True Book- American Indians, Andrew Santella. Ages 8-11. This is a simple description of Hopi villages, families, farms, and reaction to the white settlers.
3. The Fire Stealers: A Hopi Story, Ekkehart Malotki. Ages 5-11. In this traditional myth the Hopis obtain fire with the help of animals who acquired their characteristics by how they helped the Hopi.
4. If You Lived with the Hopi, Anne Kamma. Ages 7-11. Comprehensive book about the Hopi nation for kids.

Navajo

1. ***The Shepherd Boy, Kristine L. Franklin. All Ages. A young Navajo boy brings home the family’s sheep and then goes back out in the evening seeking to rescue the one ewe who is missing.
2. ***The Chief’s Blanket, Michael Chanin. Ages 5-10. In this moving tale a 19^th century Navajo girl weaves a blanket for a chief and honors her grandmother.
3. ***The Unbreakable Code, Sara Hoagland Hunter. All Ages. A grandson is inspired and informed by the true story of his grandfather’s work in WWII as a Navajo Code Talker.
4. *Ma’ii and Cousin Horned Toad, A Traditional Navajo Story, Shonto Begay. Ages 7-11. In this Trickster Tale a conniving coyote takes advantage of his cousin Horned Toad until Toad teaches him a lesson.
5. **Cowboy Up! Ride the Navajo Rodeo, Nancy Bo Flood. All Ages. Lively prose and evocative photographs provide information and evokes the excitement of the Navajo Rodeo.
6. Colors of the Navajo, Emily Abbink. Ages 5-9. The Navajo people are described by using the colors in their lives such as turquoise jewelry, red sand used in their religion, black coal, gray rugs, etc.
7. *Fry Bread, A Native American Family Story, Kevin Noble Maillard. Ages 5-10. Fry Bread is a recent (less than 150 years) food first developed by the Navajo people in response to the ingredients that were available. Fry Bread is made by many Native tribes and this book celebrates them all. The historical notes at the end are especially interesting.
8. Building a Bridge, Lisa Shook Begaye. Ages 3-6. Navajo and Anglo girls become friends.
9. The Goat in the Rug, Charles L. Blood and Marin Link. Ages 3-8. Goat shearing, cleaning and dying the wool, spinning the yarn, setting up the loom, weaving the rug are described in this fun story from the goat’s perspective!
10. My Navajo Sister, Eleanor Schick. Ages 4-6. Girls become friends and explore the Navajo land and culture in this sweet, simple, modern story.
11. Navajo Wedding Day, A Dine Marriage Ceremony, Elanor Schick. Ages 6-10. A lovely, detailed story describes a modern Navajo wedding ceremony.
12. Kinaalda: A Navajo Girl Grows Up, Monty Roessel. Ages 10 and up. This photo journal describes a Navaho girl participating in the coming-of-age ceremony of her people.
13. The Navajo, A New True Book, Alice Osinski. Ages 6-12. This brief history of the Navajo covers customs, interactions with Europeans, religious beliefs, art, and daily life is an even-handed history of a difficult part of American history.
14. Annie and the Old One, Miska Miles. Ages 6-12. A young Navajo girl refuses to believe that her grandmother will die. She learns she cannot change the passage of time but can embrace the weaving heritage that her grandmother taught her.
15. The Mystery of the Lost Village, The Boxcar Children Mysteries, Gertrude Chandler Warner. Ages 7-11. Set on the Navajo reservation (though in New Mexico) the children visit a forest that is rumored to be the location of a lost ancient village.

Apache

1. *Apache Rodeo, Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith. Ages 5-10. An superb story from a modern Apache girl’s perspective covers culture and history of the White Mountain Apache.
2. The Apache, A True Book, Andrew Santella. Ages 6-10. An excellent simple overview of the Apache with photographs covers history, shelters, hunting, and modern life.
3. The Apache Indians, Bill Lund. A simple introduction to Apache covers daily life, customs, basket weaving, and more.
4. The Apaches and Navajos, Craig and Katherine Doherty. Ages 8-12. This detailed overview of both tribes includes general history and daily life.

Other Arizona Tribes

1. *Mule Train Mail, Craig Brown. Ages 4-8. This delightful tale follows the mule riding mailman to Supai on the Havasu Creek in the Grand Canyon.
2. *The Hummingbirds’ Gift, Stefan Czernecki. Ages 5-9. An Indian/Mexican family saves the hummingbirds and then are saved by the hummingbirds who teach them how to make straw figurines. This book includes historically accurate information on the Day of the Dead in an honoring and positive way.
3. Hawk, I’m your Brother, Byrd Baylor. All ages. Baylor’s poetic free verse captures the heart of a young boy’s desire to fly and the brotherhood with the hawk that he captures and frees.

Spanish and Mexican Influence

Conquistadores and Missions

1. *The Spanish Missions of Arizona, Robin Lyon. Ages 7-12. Explorers such as Marcos de Niza, Francisco Vazquez de Coronado, and Antonio de Espejo, Father Kino are covered. Presidios (forts) as well as missions are discussed. A fair treatment of both negative aspects (Spanish diseases, forced servitude), while also covers the positive aspects of the padres who wanted to help the Native peoples.
2. **Father Kino, Priest to the Pimas, Ann Nolan Clark. Ages 9 and up. Newbery winning author writes an excellent biography of Father Kino whose Roman Catholic faith inspired his kindness and patience which caused him to be beloved by all. Father Kino was the first missionary to the southern Arizona region and ministered to the Pima Indians, now recognized as the O’odham tribe. Roman Catholics will appreciate this inspiring story of one of the most beloved missionary priests. If you are not Roman Catholic we suggest you use this book as a read-aloud so that you can discuss some of the doctrine in it.
3. Mission San Xavier Del Bac, Smith Southwestern Inc. This adult reference has brief text and wonderful photographs.
4. *Elena and the Coin: Exploring Tucson’s Presidio Heritage, Laura Orabone. Ages 6-10. A young girl visits an archaeological dig and goes back in time to visit the Mexican fortress.

Modern Spanish and Mexican Culture

1. **My Tata’s Remedies, Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford. All ages. In this charming story Tata teaches his grandson the effective natural remedies from the herbs, teas, and plants of the Sonoran Desert. The glossary at the end gives additional useful information.
2. **The Gullywasher, Joyce Rossi. Ages 4-11. As Leticia and her grandfather watch the summer rain clouds drift across the Arizona sky, the old vaquero provides fanciful explanations of his aging. Some editions are bilingual.
3. *The Hummingbirds’ Gift, Stefan Czernecki. Ages 5-9. An Indian/Mexican family saves the hummingbirds and then are saved by the hummingbirds who teach them how to make straw figurines. This book includes historically accurate information on the Day of the Dead in an honoring and positive way.
4. My Nana’s Remedies, Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford. Ages 4-7. A nana uses traditional remedies from the Sonoran Desert to comfort and heal her little granddaughter. This bilingual story includes a medicinal plants glossary.
5. Blanca’s Feather, Antonio Hernandez Madrigal. Ages 4-8. When Blanca can’t find her pet chicken in time for the annual blessing of the animals on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, she finds a way around the problem and receives a surprise when she returns home.
6. Too Many Tamales, Gary Soto. Ages 3-10. On Christmas Eve Maria loses a treasure in a batch of tamales but her cousins come to the rescue in this sweet and funny story of family love.

Early Settlers, Prospectors, and Territorial Days

1. ***Roxaboxen, Alice McLerran. All Ages. Children in Yuma play on a rocky hill with nothing but sand, rocks, some old wooden boxes, and soaring imaginations.
2. **The Year of the Ranch, Alice McLerran. All Ages. A family with four daughters homestead in 1919 near Yuma AZ trying to turn a desert mesa into farmland, and a shack into a home.
3. **Chico, Sandra Day O’Connor. Ages 5-11. Six-year-old Sandra loves riding her pony on her family’s ranch in southeastern Arizona. This picture book memoir is a realistic look at the future Supreme Court Justice’s childhood.
4. *Finding Susie, Sandra Day O’Connor. Ages 4-8. Set on a ranch in southeast Arizona, young Sandra Day O’Connor longs for a pet but keeps concluding the desert animals would be better off where they belong in the desert.
5. *This House is Made of Mud, Ken Buchanan. Ages 4-8. Bilingual. A family builds a home from adobe in the beautiful Sonoran Desert. While this book’s time frame is ambiguous, it accurately describes the historical building technique the Europeans learned from the Native Americans.
6. **The Three Sedonas, Lisa Schnebly Heidinger. Ages 4-10. Six-year-old Sedona recounts the story of her pioneer great-grandmother Sedona Schnebly and of the town of Sedona which was founded in 1901.
7. **Addie Slaughter, The Girl Who Met Geronimo, Susan L. Krueger. All Ages. Based on actual stories passed on to her daughter, this short chapter book captures life in southeast Arizona in the late 1800’s. This book is highly recommended for all ages though written for and accessible to 7- to 10-year-olds.
8. I am Lavina Cumming, Susan Lowell. Ages 9-13. Ten-year-old Lavina is sent by her widowed father from her Arizona Bosque Ranch home in 1905 to her aunt in Santa Cruz, CA. This book is based on stories and journals of the author’s real grandmother and vividly depicts Territorial Arizona and the Bay Area in California at the turn of the century. Parental warning: It incorporates Indian folklore including a disturbing story of a witch who ate babies and a chapter on celebrating Halloween.
9. The First Citizen of Prescott, Pauline Weaver, Sharlot M. Hall and Alpheus H. Favour. Ages 12 and up. Short but fascinating story of the early trappers, miners, and settlers in Arizona. 
10. Coyote School News, Joan Sandin. Ages 6-12. Life in rural ranching 1938 southern Arizona is described delightfully by the 12 students in a one room school. Historical fiction based on a true story with terrific illustrations.

The Five C’s – Copper, Cattle, Citrus, Cotton, Climate

1. Spotlight on Copper, Mark Lambert. Ages 8-12. Learn about mining, smelting, and processing of copper and alloys in this book which is not specific to Arizona, but provides a good understanding of one of Arizona’s historically important industries.
2. From Ore to Spoon, Ali Mitgutsch. Ages 6-8. Follow the journey of ore being mined from the earth, crushed, smelted, formed into sheets, and then into a spoon. While this is about iron ore, the process is similar for copper.
3. Tuesday in Arizona, Marian Harris. Ages 4-8. A silly pack rat causes all kinds of problems for an old prospector before brightening his life.
4. **Cowboy Up! Ride the Navajo Rodeo, Nancy Bo Flood. Ages 8-12. Lively prose and evocative photographs provide information and evokes the excitement of the Navajo Rodeo.
5. ***The Shepherd Boy, Kristine L. Franklin. All ages. Young Navajo boy brings home the family’s sheep and then goes back out in the evening seeking to rescue the one ewe who is missing. Cattle is ranching, and that includes sheep!
6. From Cotton to Pants, Ali Mitgutsch. Ages 6-8. Follow the journey of cotton from the plants, to the cotton gin, to the spinning mill where it becomes thread, to the loom where it becomes cloth, to the clothing factory.
7. Cotton, Millicent E. Selsam. Ages 7-12. Brief text and photos clearly present the history, growth, and processing of cotton.
8. Sunnyslope, Reba Wells Grandrud. Arizona’s population surged as people poured into Arizona for the health benefits of the warm and dry climate. This adult reference tells of the growth of Sunnyslope and the Desert Mission that boomed with those seeking relief from tuberculosis moving to Arizona in the 1920’s and beyond.

Statehood, Government, and Modern Life

1. *Celebrate Arizona, Joan Sandin. Ages 5-12. On February 14, 1912, Arizona became a state! This fun book is full of interesting historical tidbits and pictures of cities and towns all around Arizona.
2. Arizona, It’s My State, Kathleen Derzipilski. Ages 7-12. This good overview has easy text that narrates the history of Arizona well and includes good sections on Arizona’s government. No narrative here, but the information you need.
3. Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport, Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. Ages 4-8. A NYC boy’s preconceived ideas about the southwest make him apprehensive of his move to Arizona.
4. Kids and the Capitol: Constitution of the State of Arizona. Not a book, but an interesting short video!

Adult and High School Reading

1. Roadside History of Arizona, Marshall Trimble. Parental resource. Great for family trips with very entertaining stories gathered by location. Parental Warning – there are a few “colorful” stories of the wild west that may be inappropriate for your children.
2. Roadside Geology of Arizona, Halka Chronic. Parental Resource to read and retell for your scientifically minded kids. It includes information on the National Parks and Monuments in Arizona. Parental Warning- Billions of years perspective.
3. It Happened in Arizona, James Crutchfield. This entertaining adult reference has some great stories of photographs.
4. Backroads of Arizona, Jim Hinckley. Parental resource for scenic drives in all corners of the state.
5. The Taming of the Salt, Salt River Project. Adult reference. A collection of short biographies of pioneers who contributed to water development in the Salt River valley. You will see some familiar names here: Chandler, Dobson, McClintock, Swilling, Heard, Hayden, and Roosevelt. Includes historic photographs.
6. Under the Tonto Rim, Zane Grey. Read this classic western with some romance or one of his many other westerns set in Arizona.