The following list of history books is by no means exhaustive, but includes some of the books we have found most useful and most enjoyable over the years.  If you don't know where to start, here's your invitation.


Elementary Level
1) Biography
a) Parin D'Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar
(i) George Washington
(ii) Abraham Lincoln
(iii) Leif the Lucky
(iv) Pocahontas
(v) Benjamin Franklin
2) Historical fiction
3) Geographical fiction*
a) Seredy, Kate
(i) The Good Master
(ii) Singing Tree
4) History Texts
a) First Timeline
b) The Story of Mankind by Willem Van Loon
c) A Child's History of the World from Calvert School

Mid-level
1) Biography
a) Carry on Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
b) All the Landmark* books from the 50's
2) Historical fiction
a) Harnett, Cynthia
(i) Sign of the Green Falcon
b) Louis DeWohl
(i) Citadel of God
(ii) The Last Crusader
(iii) everything
c) L'Amour, Louis
(i) Walking Drum,
(ii) Haunted Mesa
d) King of Ireland's Son
e) Uncle Tom's Cabin
f) Truth is a Bright Star
3) Geographical fiction
(i) Daughter of the Mountains -- Tibet!

Secondary level
1) Biography
a) various:
(i) From Sea to Shining Sea*
(ii) Ishi the Last of the Yahi
b) Tom Dooley
(i) Edge of Tomorrow
(ii) The Night They Burned the Mountain
(iii) Deliver Us from Evil
2) Historical fiction
a) Willa Cather all works
3) History and historiography
a) Christopher Dawson
(i) Religion and the Rise of Western Culture
b) Philip Hughes

Ready Reference:
In your study of history, you will want a reliable general resource.  You need to understand that most encyclopedias are either anti-Catholic or indifferent to Catholicism.  However, in 1913, there was a full (multi-volume) set of Catholic Encyclopedias and it is now (mostly) online at:
www.knight.org/advent/cathen/
Bookmark this site and use it!  Raise your children with the ambition to update it.
* Geographical fiction:
i.e. fiction which identifies a specific geographic location -- as well as a time in history...

* From Sea to Shining Sea
The Clark Family story, including Lewis and Clark.  There is an American history book by the same name -- short, elementary, trivial.  Don't confuse them.  James Alexander Thom, Ballantine Books NY, 1984
History Books
Historiography:
What is "historiography"?  It's the writing of books about how history is written.  Writing about George Washington is writing history.  Writing about why some people write about him one way and others write another way is historiography. It's an important concept, because the biggest battles about history are about whether we can know the truth about the past -- they are  about historiography.
* The Landmark Books are regrettably marred by anti-Catholicism in some ways.  You do have to find a source that will correct that.

Notes and references:
The D'Aulaire books are a little older, not Catholic, and not up to the latest scholarship, but are unmatched for their sprightly imagery and hopeful portrayals.