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A Boy Called Dickens
Author: Deborah Hopkinson
To help stave off hunger and ease the boredom of toiling away in a blacking plant, 12-year-old Charles Dickens dreams up stories, including a seedling of a tale that would become David Copperfield. Even when his family pays off its debt and returns home, the boy who loves books toils away for six shillings a day until shame prompts his father to finally send him back to school. Ages 7-10
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A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis
Author: Matt de la Peña
Joe Louis was determined to be a champion boxer and on the eve of World War II, he fought German Max Schmeling in a bout that had more at stake than just the world heavyweight title. Ages 6-9
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Adventures of Mark Twain by Huckleberry Finn
Author: Robert Burleigh
This colorful biography of Mark Twain is narrated by Twain’s literary creation, Huck Finn. Ages 10 & up
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Alexander the Great
Author: Demi
Demi’s signature style illustrates the life of Alexander the Great. The basic facts of the warrior’s conquests and adventures are covered in the accompanying text. Ages 7-12
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All aboard! : Elijah McCoy's Steam Engine
Author: Monica Kulling
A biography of the African-American inventor who inspired the phrase “the Real McCoy”. Ages 5-9
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All the Way to America: The Story of a Big Italian Family...
Author: Dan Yaccarino
Join generations of the Yaccarino family as they move between homes, make food with their families, and use a small metal shovel that becomes a precious family heirloom. Ages 3-8
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Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean
Author: Sarah Stewart Taylor
Amelia Earhart developed a love of flying at a very young age and as she followed her dream — breaking numerous records along the way — she inspired other women to soar to new heights. Ages 9 & up
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Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope
Author: Nikki Grimes
Readers will be inspired by Obama's childhood and the steps that led him to presidency. Collier's watercolor and collage work are a perfect fit. Ages 5-11
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Before there was Mozart : the Story of Joseph Boulogne...
Author: Lesa Cline-Ransome
A picture book biography of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George, a mixed race violinist who would play for the King and Queen of France. Ages 5-9
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Ben Franklin: his Wit and Wisdom from A-Z
Author: Alan Schroeder
Many tidbits of knowledge about Ben Franklin, arranged alphabetically with humorous illustrations. Ages 6-10
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Black Elk’s Vision: A Lakota Story
Author: S.D. Nelson
Standing Rock Sioux tribal member Nelson includes archival photographs and illustrations in this account of Black Elk’s life. Black Elk was both a medicine man and a member of the cast in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. Ages 7-12
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Blockhead: the Life of Fibonacci
Author: Joseph D’Agnese
Fibonacci , a mathematician from the 12th century, was best known for bringing Arabic numerals to the western world and for discovering that many things in nature follow a certain pattern. Ages 8-10
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Brothers at Bat: the true story of an amazing all-brother baseball team
Author: Audrey Vernick
Many families in the 1930s had lots of kids but only one had enough to field a baseball team . . . with three on the bench! The Acerra family, with sixteen kids including twelve boys, loved the game, but more important, they cared for and supported each other and stayed together as a team. Ages 5-10
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Chuck Close: Face Book
Author: Chuck Close
This interactive autobiography presents Chuck Close’s story, his art, and a discussion of the many processes he uses in the studio as well as a mix-and-match self-portrait section which allows readers to create new combinations of his techniques. Close, who is wheelchair-bound and paints with a brush strapped to his arm, discusses the severe dyslexia and face blindness he has struggled with since childhood, as well as a collapsed spinal artery that left him nearly paralyzed at the age of 48. Ages 8-12
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Come See the Earth Turn: The Story of Léon Foucault
Author: Lori Mortensen
Despite Foucault’s lack of an official education, he was able to devise an experiment showing the scientific community that the earth spins on its own axis. Ages 6-11
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Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave
Author: Laban Carrick Hill
Collier’s mixture of watercolors and collage beautifully illustrate this biography of Dave, a man who was both a slave and a talented artist. Ages 5-10
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Drawing from Memory
Author: Allen Say
This touching account of a Japanese boyhood describes Say’s relationship with his artistic mentor, who became more like a father to him. Ages 10 & up
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Electric Ben: the Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
Author: Robert Byrd
Witty, wise, and endlessly curious, Benjamin Franklin was the first American celebrity. Artist Robert Byrd documents Franklin's diverse accomplishments, from framing the Constitution to creating bifocals. Ages 5-12
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Fabulous!: A Portrait of Andy Warhol
Author: Bonnie Christensen
Bullied and sickly as a child, Andy Warhol grew up to become a famous—and fabulous—artist. An author’s note and timeline of Warhol’s life are included. Ages 7-12
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Fearless: The Story of Racing Legend Louise Smith
Author: Barbara Rosenstock
Mixed-media images practically zoom across the page in this biography of the first woman ever to be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Ages 7-10
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Georgia in Hawaii: when Georgia O’Keefe Painted what she Pleased
Author: Amy Novesky
Georgia O'Keeffe was famous for painting exactly what she wanted, whether flowers or skulls, so who would ever dare to tell her what to paint? The Hawaiian Pineapple Company tried and, luckily for them, Georgia fell in love with Hawaii and there she painted the vibrant flowers, feathered fishhooks, and the blue sea. But did she paint what the pineapple company wanted most of all? Ages 6-9
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Here Come the Girl Scouts!
Author: Shana Corey
The amazing, all-true story of the first Girl Scouts and their visionary founder. Juliette Gordon Low--Daisy to her friends and family--was not like most girls of the Victorian era. Prim and proper? BOSH! Dainty and delicate? HOW BORING!
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Heroes for My Daughter
Author: Brad Meltzer
The New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer brings together the stories of fifty-five remarkable people, a diverse set of individuals from across time and from all walks of life: artists and inventors, scientists and explorers, who each dedicated their life to making our world a better place. From Eleanor Roosevelt to Amelia Earhart, Anne Frank to Rosa Parks, Lucille Ball to the passengers on United Flight 93, the lives of these men and women offer lessons to guide our daughters. Ages 10 & up
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Heroes for My Son
Author: Brad Meltzer
From the Wright Brothers, who brought extra building materials to every test flight, planning ahead for failure, to Miep Gies, who risked her life to protect Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis during World War II, Heroes for My Son brings well-known figures together with less famous ones, telling the inspiring, behind-the-scenes stories of the moment that made them great. They are a miraculous group with one thing in common: each is an example of the spectacular potential that can be found in all of us. Ages 10 & up
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House Baba Built: an Artist’s Childhood in China
Author: Ed Young
In Ed Young's childhood home in Shanghai, all was not as it seemed: a rocking chair became a horse; a roof became a roller rink; an empty swimming pool became a place for riding scooters and bikes. The house his father built transformed into a place to play hide-and-seek, to eat bamboo shoots, and to be safe. For outside the home's walls, China was at war. Soon the house held not only Ed and his four siblings but also friends, relatives, and even strangers who became family. Ages 5 & up
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Jack’s Path of Courage: The Life of John F Kennedy
Author: Doreen Rappaport
Jack’s father had a dream for his oldest son, Joe, to become the first Catholic President of the United States. When Joe’s plane explodes in the war, Jack knows he must try to fill his brother’s shoes. This inspiring story of President John F Kennedy is frank, showing us that true courage is not always easy or glamorous. Ages 5-10
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Life in the Ocean: the Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle
Author: Claire Nivola
Sylvia Earle first lost her heart to the ocean as a young girl when she discovered the wonders of the Gulf of Mexico in her backyard. As an adult, she dives even deeper. Whether she’s designing submersibles or swimming with the whales, Sylvia Earle has dedicated her life to learning more about what she calls “the blue heart of the planet.” Ages 4-9
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Lincoln tells a joke : how Laughter Saved the President (and the Country)
Author: Kathleen Krull
A biography of one of America's greatest presidents, focusing on his use of wit and humor, and his love of language. Ages 6-9
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Lost boy : the Story of the Man who Created Peter Pan
Author: Jane Yolen
People around the world know the story of Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up, but not many know the story of his creator, J. M. Barrie. While Barrie’s young childhood was marked by sorrow, his adult life and relationship with the Davies family brought about a second childhood that helped him to create his lasting triumph. Ages 7-10
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Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon
Author: Carla Killough McClafferty
In this unique approach to a biography, McClafferty examines not only George Washington’s life but also his portrayal as both a man and an American icon. Ages 9 & up
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Me...Jane
Author: Patrick McDonnell
As young Jane Goodall, along with her chimpanzee Jubliee, observes the natural world around her with wonder, she dreams of "a life living with and helping all animals," until one day she finds that her dream has come true. Ages 4-9
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Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led her People to Freedom
Author: Carole Weatherford
Beautiful illustrations and flowing text depict the spiritual journey of Harriet Tubman that prompted her to lead hundreds of slaves to freedom. Ages 5-9
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Muhammad Ali: the People’s Champion
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., in Louisville, Kentucky and once considered the underdog, Cassius, later known as Muhammad Ali, would eventually win the title of heavyweight champion of the world. While recounting the champ's most famous fights and examining the depth and complexity of the larger-than-life legend, the bold, vibrant art of Alix Delinois reflects the beauty and power of the man who could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Ages 5-10
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Noah Webster and his Words
Author: Jeri Chase Ferris and Vincent Kirsch
A portrait of the man who wrote the first U.S. dictionary traces his youth as a bookish farm boy and his twenty-year effort to write the all-American dictionary that was published in 1828 when he was 70 years old. Ages 4-9
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Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People
Author: Monica Brown
Once there was a little boy named Neftalí who loved wild things wildly and quiet things quietly and from the moment he could talk, he surrounded himself with words. When he was sixteen, he began publishing his poems as Pablo Neruda and wrote about the things he loved including the people of Chile and their stories of struggle. Because above all things and above all words, Pablo Neruda loved people. Ages 6-10
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Queen of the Falls
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
True story of Annie Edson Taylor, a 62 year old retired charm school teacher who performed a heroic and daring stunt—going over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel! Ages 6 & up
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Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace
Author: Jen Cullerton Johnson
Wangari Maathai encourages others to plant trees to promote environmental and social change. Read about this Nobel Peace Prize recipient, nicknamed Mama Miti, in a book that is filled with vivid scratchboard illustrations. Ages 7-11
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Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald
Author: Roxane Orgill
This biography follows the Queen of Scat from girlhood through young adulthood, when she released her hit record “A Tisket, A Tasket.” Ages 7-12
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There Goes Ted Williams: the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived
Author: Matt Tavares
Ted Williams lived a life of dedication and passion. He was an ordinary kid who wanted one thing: to hit a baseball better than anyone else. So he practiced his swing every chance he got. He practiced his swing again. And then practiced it some more! From his days playing ball in North Park as a kid to his unmatched .406 season in 1941 to his heroic tours of duty as a fighter pilot in World War II and Korea, the story of Teddy Ballgame is the story of an American hero. Ages 6-10
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Those Rebels John and Tom
Author: Barbara Kerley
A dual portrait of two American Founding Fathers who helped shaped our country despite their opposing views and interpersonal differences. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were very different! John Adams was short and stout. Thomas Jefferson was tall and lean. John was argumentative and blunt. Tom was soft-spoken and polite. John got along with almost no one. Tom got along with just about everyone. Ages 7-11
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Tillie the Terrible Swede
Author: Sue Stauffacher
Tillie, an athletic Swedish-American woman, became a bicycle enthusiast in the late nineteenth century. Although bicycling was considered a male pastime, Tillie would not be deterred. Ages 5-9
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Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps
Author: Jeanette Winters
At age 26, Jane Goodall arrived in Gombe, Tanzania to live with and observe chimpanzees. Years later, she is described by author & illustrator Jeanette Winters as having “talked to the animals like Dr. Dolittle, and walked unafraid like Tarzan.” Ages 5-9
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Wizard from the Start: The Incredible & Amazing Inventions of Thomas Edison
Author: Don Brown
A wizard from the start, Thomas Edison had a thirst for knowledge, taste for mischief, and hunger for discovery—but his success was made possible by his boundless energy. Learning about things that existed wasn't enough so he dreamed up new inventions to improve the world.
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