Using picture books to teach history

This week in class, we were introduced to using picture books to teach history. You may think that using picture books with students in older grades such as 5th and 6th grade might not grasp their attention, but even I, being in college, was engaged in these books. There were many things that I read in the picture book that I didn't read in the textbook. Two books that I know interested me are: Roanoke, The Lost Colony, An Unsolved Mystery From History, by Jane Yolen and Heidi Elishabet Yolen Stemple and Lincoln and Douglas: An American Friendship by Nikki Giovanni. The authors of both these books share a lot about history that can't be found in a textbook. As a teacher, finding ways to teach history in a fun and an engaging way is critical.