When you think of Plymouth, Massachusetts, do you picture the Pilgrims stepping onto Plymouth Rock? I did, too! But it turns out, they most likely didn’t land there at all. That little discovery sent me looking for some good books about the Pilgrims, and I found quite a few at our library. Here are the ones I brought home—I hope you can find some of them at your library, too!
Looking for Thanksgiving books? You’ll find my list here: Thanksgiving Book List.
Post Updated November 2026
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Picture Books about Pilgrims
Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage
This book presents the documented history of the Mayflower voyage aboard a reconstruction, the Mayflower II.
Read it online for free: Internet Archive
If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620
We like the engaging format of this series. Written as questions and answers, it’s fun to read a few pages and then to set aside for later.
Historical Fiction Picture Books
Kate Waters wrote the following photo journal books to pair with Russ Kendall photography of the staff and volunteers at Plimoth Plantation. A few of them are available to read online at archive.org
- Tapenum’s Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times
- On the Mayflower: Voyage of the Ships Apprentice & A Passenger Girl
- Samuel Eaton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy
- Sarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl
- Giving Thanks: The 1621 Harvest Feast
Chapter Books about Pilgrims
My older kids read these chapter books and really enjoyed them. They’re great for late elementary and middle school age ranges. I read parts of “The Mayflower” to the younger kids.
The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish and the Amazing-But-True Survival Story of Plymouth Colony
Read it online for free: Internet Archive
Who’s that Stepping on Plymouth Rock?
The Mayflower
This is part of the History Smashers series, an attempt to uncover the whole truth, debunk false assumptions, and present both sides of history.
Read it online for free: Internet Archive
Historical Fiction
Pilgrim Stories
This book can also be found under the title Pilgrim Adventures and Stories of the Pilgrims.
Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims
This book is the first in Rush Limbaugh’s historical fiction series about America. A small group of children time travel back to history, meet famous people, and apply the lessons back in their present time.
Almost Home
We really enjoy this faith-based historical fiction series. Almost Home follows Mary Chilton, a Puritan and Pilgrim. Legend has it that she was the first Pilgrim woman to step ashore.