20 Great Pennsylvania Children's Books - Best Books for Kids from Pittsburgh to Philly

The Ultimate List of Children’s Books about Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh

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Childrens books about Philadelphia - Philadelphia picture books

From Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, and farm lands in between, Pennsylvania is a state of vibrant happenings and rich history. Here are some children’s books that cover Pennsylvania.

Children’s Books about Pennsylvania: Kids Books about Philadelphia

Mrs. Millie Goes to Philadelphia, by Judy Cox, illustrated by Joe Mathieu

A Pennsylvania book for kids where the main character is very silly, and sees the major places of Philadelphia, like Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

Recipe for Adventure: Philadelphia, by Giada de Laurentiis and Brandi Dougherty

Written by a top chef, this book focuses on the food of Philly – like 9th Street and Reading Terminal Market. A family visits Philadelphia and makes delicious discoveries.

Saving the Liberty Bell, by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Marsha Gray Carrington

Children will learn about the Liberty Bell in this book about Philadelphia and its most famous symbol.

Can We Ring the Liberty Bell, by Martha E. H. Rustad

Philadelphia’s most iconic landmark is the Liberty Bell, which was brought over from England, and cracked early in its existence. This book answers the question of if we can ring the Liberty Bell, and other great questions about the role that Pennsylvania played in the Constitutional Convention, the founding of the United States, and as an early capital of the United States during America’s first presidency.

Raising Yoder’s Barn, by Jane Yolen

This book tells a story of a barn burning down, and the Amish coming together to rebuild it as a community. This could spark a longer study into the Amish and Mennonite communities of Pennsylvania and across the country – both the positive aspects, and the areas where abuse runs rampant. It stays protected within the structures of the community

The Bears on Hemlock Mountain, by Alice Dalgiesh, illustrated by Helen Sewell

Luigi and the Barefoot Races, by Dan Paley, illustrated by Aaron Boyd

A legend from Philadelphia, this story tells of the time when children played with the neighbors outside, long before modern technology. Luigi would get into footrace challenges with anyone, and would win them, barefoot. The sites and shops of Philadelphia are seen in the book as Luigi races his friends, and they give more information about the city in the back of the book. While the story might be too good to be true, that’s what makes it memorable. It will encourage kids of today to get outside and enjoy the fresh air.

The Prison-Ship Adventure of James Forten, Revolutionary War Captive, by Marty Rhodes Figley, illustrated by Zachary Trover

This book tells about the bravery of James Forten in the American Revolution. Forten is from Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh and the State of Philadelphia: Cool Stuff Every Kid Should Know, by Kate Boehm Jerome

This book about Pittsburgh shares local history nuggets about the local landmarks, and things that happened only in Pittsburgh.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mr. Rogers, lyrics by Fred Rodgers, illustrations by Luke Flowers

Mr. Rogers was a instrumental figure in children’s television, with the show Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, which started on a local Pittsburgh television station. The host of the show was an ordained minister who worked to speak to children and calm them of their fears, show them love, and make the world a better place. Some of Mr. Rogers’ best poetry is collected in this piture book.

(Note: if you know Daniel Tiger, the animated television show with a trolly, it is based on the Mr. Rogers television show from 1968 to 2001.)

Hello, Neighbor! The Kind and Caring World of Mr. Rodgers, by Matthew Cordell

This book focuses on the “world of Mr. Rogers”, which was designed around Mr. Rogers’s Pittsburgh neighborhood. This book about Pennsylvania is heartwarming and captures the land of imagination.

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, illustrated by James Daughtery, text by Abraham Lincoln

This Pennsylvania picture book takes the words of the Gettysburg Address and attaches them to beautiful artwork. The text is short (the entire Gettsyburg Address is 2 minutes long) and this illustration collection makes it very accessible to young readers in elementary school

Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln: The Story of the Gettysburg Address (Young Readers, Level 4), by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Charles Robinson

This early reader book about Pennsylvania battlefield address tells how President Lincoln gave his 2-minute speech at Gettsyburg, in November of 1863. The speech is one of the most famous in American history for its short content, its poetic phrases, its commitment that actions speak louder that words, that all people are created equal, and that the government shall be “of the people, for the people, by the people.”

Who Was Mister. Rodgers, by Diane Bailey, illustrated by Dede Putra

This book about Pittsburgh legend and TV children’s host Mr. Rogers tells the story of the minister who became a puppeteer and champion of Make Believe. Mister Rogers long-running program created a spin-off that still airs today, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

This book is from the “Who Is?” series (Here’s a complete Who is list, organized by country)

Chapter Books about Pennsylvania

What Was the Battle of Gettysburg?, by Jim O’Connor

Gettysburg was a turning point battle in the Civil War, and led to the Gettysburg Address (“a nation of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth”), a eulogy for those who died and a re-commitment to the ideal that all people are created equal. This book about Gettysburg is written for students ages 7 and up to learn more about Pennsylvania state history.

Who Was Ben Franklin?, by Dennis Brindell Fradin

This biography about Ben Franklin tells about one of the leaders of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the time of the founding of the United States.

I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863, by Lauren Tarshis

Teachers looking for books about Gettysburg will need to look no further. This book, designed for about 2nd to 4th grade, as an easy chapter book follows a set of children who ran away from their Kentucky home to head north. They end up with a Union company right when the Battle of Gettysburg breaks out. It’s well-written for younger readers. Adults may guess the ending at one plot twist, but it has a lot of literary language hidden throughout. I include a summary and analysis of I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 here.

Fever, 1793, by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book for 5th grade (and a good read even up to 9th grade) is about the Yellow Fever epidemic that hit Philadelphia in 1793. The book discusses how people dealt with an epidemic then, and it ties well into modern-day discussions about Covid.

Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos, by Robert Lawson

This clearly fictional story combines a mouse living in the house of the famous Ben Franklin. The concept makes it part Littles/Borrowers, part Ratatouille, and part stepping into historical fiction. In childhood it had such an effect that I had to create a sequel (where Amos gets frozen in a block of ice, a la Captain Ameria, and wakes up not in 1776 but in 1976, ready for the disco mouse era.)

Additionally, it made me imagine, what if a revolutionary era figure arrived in the here-and-now. How would you even begin to explain television remotes and smartphones to the person? Ben Franklin may have made the first public library in the U.S., but can he understand a washing machine?

Pennsylvania Vocabulary to Highlight:

Shawnee, Ohio Valley tribe, Erie, Iroquois, Munsee Delaware, Susquehannock, and the Lenape Delaware – first residents of Pennsylvania

William Penn

Quakers, Society of Friends

James Forten

Benjamin Franklin

Liberty Bell

Independence Hall

U.S. Constitution

Philadelphia was the Nation’s Capitol

Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic, 1793 (mosquito-based illness)

Philadelphia abolition movement

Battle of Gettysburg

Gettysburg Address, by Abe Lincoln

Amish communities

Mister Rodgers and public television

Will Smith – West Philadelphia, born and raised

Children’s books about Pennsylvania and all 50 states. Which state will you read about next!

(districts, territories)

Washington, D.C.

Puerto Rico

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20 Great Pennsylvania Children’s Books – Best Books for Kids from Pittsburgh to Philly