There’s a fine art to turning a great life into something digestible for a child. The art lies in finding the essence, an almost haiku-like writing that condenses, getting only the most salient details on the page. Each of the following biographies rises to that fine art.
Browsing: Biographies
Grosset & Dunlap’s Who Was? series is the leading biography series for young readers, with over 50 titles featuring famous thinkers, politicians, and history-makers published to date.
In exuberant verse and stirring pictures, Patricia Hruby Powell and Christian Robinson create an extraordinary portrait of the passionate performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker, the woman who worked her way from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world.
From picture-book biographies to the I Have a Dream speech, this is a solid representation of the many Martin Luther King books available for young readers.
Biographies of famous people are often huge, all-encompassing tomes of scholarly information. But a recent crop of books aims to introduce the youngest readers to key historical figures while explaining, in simple terms, some of their most stunning achievements. The following are some of the most fascinating we’ve come across.
Lisa is an incredibly talented painter and designer much in demand these days. Her latest book Imogen, written by Amy Novesky, details the great passion Imogen Cunningham committed to her groundbreaking photography and her three growing boys. We’re delighted to share our chat about becoming an artist, unusual animals, and all things Imogen!
From his poor upbringing, his successful leadership and his assassination, Abraham Lincoln is one fascinating guy and the following books certainly do him justice. Each one is outstanding in its own right and they will all undoubtedly captivate their intended audiences.
Like most people I knew the general outlines of Helen Keller’s life, and I was familiar with the iconic moment at the water pump. But I knew very little of Annie Sullivan, or the details of her actual teaching methods. What I found was astonishing – so astonishing I wanted to share it with young readers.
Shana Corey is one remarkable lady. She’s an author of many bestselling books; editor at Random House Books for Young Readers; and mother to two young boys in Brooklyn. Her most recent book is a tribute to the founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low. Tagalong (get it?) with us as we discuss books, writing, and fascinating women in history.
If you want to inspire your little one, if your kid has a book report due, or if you just want to talk about some of the great men (yes, well, all men) who’ve led this country, there are loads of new books to choose from.