hands on history

Bonnie and Debbie’s desire to get rich causes them to respond to a sure-thing magazine advertisement. They are soon embarked upon an ambitious summer of selling “up and down the river.” Not that circumstances end quite in the way they had imagined! In a surprising flurry of trading, the girls somehow accumulate wealth in the form of unexpected friends, assorted animals, and unforeseen situations, even as their collection of dimes and dollars seem always to be slipping through their hands. Bonnie and Debbie Fairchild occupy center stage in this story of a summer season in the lovely hills of Kentucky of the early 1900’s.

America was at a crossroads in 1939 as they debated whether to join the Allies in their battle against Hitler's relentless march across Europe. As European immigrants the d'Aulaires felt keenly the importance of standing against injustice, and saw in Lincoln the archetypal American hero as he stood against the injustice of slavery It was this spirit they hoped to exemplify in their biography of young Abe as he grew into manhood against the backdrop of the wilderness of Kentucky, the deep woods of Indiana, and the prairies of Illinois. Camping for weeks in Lincoln country, the d'Aulaires imbibed the spirit of the man Lincoln as well as his humor and good will. From his days as a clerk, teaching himself law reading Blackstone, practicing law in Springfield, running unsuccessfully for office, debating Stephen Douglas over the issue of slavery, and ultimately becoming President of the United States, the d'Aulaires have written and beautifully illustrated the life of one of America's most remarkable citizens.

Abraham Lincoln continues to stand as America's most beloved President.

Master storyteller Rosemary Wells tells the incredible true story of a World War I nurse who brought medical care to the AppalachiansMary Breckinridge, trained as a nurse during World War I, rode on horseback into the isolated mountains of Appalachia and never looked back. Instead, she spent her life fording icy streams and climbing untracked mountains to bring medical help to those in need. More nurses on horseback joined Mary . . . and the Frontier Nursing Service was born. Mary’s story is amazing. And it is true.

In his New York Times bestselling debut novel, Silas House introduced himself as an important voice for Appalachia, and indeed, for the entire rural South. In Clay’s Quilt, now a touchstone for his many fans, House takes us to Free Creek, Kentucky, where a motherless young man forges his path to adulthood, surrounded by ancient mountains and his blood relatives and adopted kin: his Aunt Easter tied to her faith and foreboding nature; his Uncle Paul, the quilter; the wild girls Evangeline and Alma; and a fiddler whose music calls to Clay’s heart. As he struggles to stitch up the void created by his mother’s death, Clay pieces together his own life’s
quilt, all masterfully wrought by House.

From the author of the forthcoming Someone Else’s Shoes, a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond in Depression-era America Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve, hoping to escape her stifling life in England.  But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically.The leader, and soon Alice's greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who's never asked a man's permission for anything They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky. 

Awarded the John Newbery Medal 'for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children' in 1940, James Daugherty has dipped his pen and his brush into our nation's most dynamic character whose life adventures are more exciting than the shadowy legend his name brings to mind. Daniel Boone was a farmer who couldn't stay put. Something was always pulling him westward into new and mysterious lands, and when this pull got so strong that he could no longer ignore it, and his wife and children could not persuade him to stay, he just went, with his toes pointing into the West and his eyes glued to the hills

One of the WPA's great successes, the Pack Horse Library Project of Eastern Kentucky provided books to those in remote locations.

Mary Ann McCabe Riehle offers readers, young and old, the opportunity to take a horseback ride through the rich history and beautiful landscape of the Bluegrass State. From A to Z, McCabe Riehle's rhyming verse and interesting sidebar text will impart unique facts about Kentucky's spirited heritage, while Wes Burgiss' colorful illustrations are the next best thing to actually spending a week or two exploring the great state yourself.

The Kentucky Derby is the oldest continuous sporting event in the United States. But don't call it just a horse race.

This annual May event, known as "the most exciting two minutes in sports," is steeped in tradition and pageantry far beyond what happens on the track. Following the alphabet, D is for Derby: A Kentucky Derby Alphabet uses poetry and expository text to explain this world-famous event. Topics include famous jockeys, legendary horses, fabled Bluegrass farms and owners, as well as offering a behind-the scenes view of thoroughbred breeding and racing.

The Fairchild family is here again and this time, Bonnie is old enough to begin the great adventure—School! We join Bonnie in the excruciating anticipation of the first day, when she will wear her new dress, carry a first reader and slate, and—displaying nonchalance as she braves the swinging bridge—enter into the mysteries of schoolroom learning and playground rites in a woodland setting of the early 1900's. Bonnie's older brother and three sisters, her various classmates and Miss Cora, her teacher, add their liveliness to an eventful season of learning—on every front—in the Kentucky Hills. Rebecca Caudill's unfailing insights into a child's heart are enhanced by Decie Merwin's skillful drawings. The second of the four books in the “Fairchild Family” series.