Americans experienced many changes during the post-World War II period: science and technology made giant advances; music and clothing styles changed dramatically. The trade books and student activities in this unit help students take a closer look at some of the significant changes in American society during those postwar years, including the civil rights movement, the U.S. space program, and the power of television.

The trade books for the Primary section of this unit are A Picture Book of John F. Kennedy; Mama, Do You Love Me?; Cracking the Wall; and My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother. The trade books for the Upper Elementary portion of the unit are If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King; A Blue-Eyed Daisy; Footprints on the Moon; and The Gold Cadillac. The unit does not include the actual children's literature books.