What books are similar to The Story of Mankind?

The 10 closest matches to The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon on ReadingList include Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, Baboushka and the Three Kings, Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park, Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison - And How We Stayed Connected, and Forests. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Story of Mankind reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like The Story of Mankind

If you liked The Story of Mankind, read Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, Baboushka and the Three Kings, or Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon (Juvenile Nonfiction · grades 3–7)? The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 3–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglassgrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Baboushka and the Three Kingsgrades K–3: Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Parkgrades 2–3: Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (2–3). Amazon → books like this →
Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison - And How We Stayed Connectedgrades 4–5: Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (4–5). Amazon → books like this →
Forestsgrades 2–3: Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (2–3). Amazon → books like this →
Gay Neck, The Story of a Pigeon & Ghond The Huntergrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
Hitty Her First Hundred Yearsgrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
Is It Real?: The Loch Ness Monstergrades 4–5: Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (4–5). Amazon → books like this →
Maid for Itgrades 6–8: Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedomgrades K–3: Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Story of Mankind for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Out of Wonder by Kwame Alexander · grades K–3 — Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–3).
R-E-S-P-E-C-T by Carole Boston Weatherford · grades K–3 — Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–3).
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin · grades K–3 — Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Glorious Flight by Alice Provensen · grades K–3 — Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster · grades K–2 — Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction).

Books like The Story of Mankind for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

Now Is Your Time by Walter Dean Myers · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (4–8).
Out of Wonder by Kwame Alexander · grades K–3 — Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–3).
Polar: Wildlife at the Ends of the Earth by L. E. Carmichael · grades 4–5 — Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (4–5).
R-E-S-P-E-C-T by Carole Boston Weatherford · grades K–3 — Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (K–3).
Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s).

Books like The Story of Mankind for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

Now Is Your Time by Walter Dean Myers · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (4–8).
Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s).
Smoky the Cowhorse by Will James · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s).
Tales from Silver Lands by Charles J. Finger · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s).
The Astronaut's Guide to Leaving the Planet by Terry Virts · grades 6–8 — Same genre (Juvenile Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (6–8).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Story of Mankind?: The 10 closest matches to The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon on ReadingList include Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, Baboushka and the Three Kings, Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park, Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison - And How We Stayed Connected, and Forests. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Story of Mankind reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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