So many stellar biographies written today are just for kids.
Whether you use them as teaching tools or simply for reading pleasure, here are some of our recent favorites.
The Boy Who Invented TV
By Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Greg Couch. $16.99.
As the inventor of television, Philo Farnsworth has made a profound impact on all of our lives. Readers will be fascinated to learn that he came up with the idea when he was just 14 years old, and inspired by Farnsworth’s long struggle to claim his invention.
Neo Leo
By Gene Barretta. $16.99.
While there are already several solid picture-book biographies of Leonardo da Vinci (one of our faves: Robert Byrd’s Leonardo: Beautiful Dreamer), Barretta offers a new twist by showing how da Vinci’s “ageless ideas” came to fruition through modern invention.
Winter’s Tail
By Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff. $16.99.
From some of the team behind Owen & Mzee comes another inspiring account—this one the true story of a dolphin’s recovery and life after receiving a prosthetic tail. Little ones will appreciate the bright and colorful photographs of Winter returning to the water.
By John Hendrix. $18.95.
The first book Hendrix has both written and illustrated takes a new look at the white abolitionist John Brown, just in time for the 150th anniversary of Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. The deeply hued, out-of-proportion illustrations lend comic-book-style credence to Hendrix’s message that Brown is a true historical hero.
Bad News for Outlaws
By Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. $17.95.
Divided into short vignettes describing dramatic points in Bass Reeves’s life, this profile of the famous U.S. Marshal will transport readers straight to the Wild West, where African-American lawmen were few and far between, but Reeves rose above all.
The Great and Only Barnum
By Candace Fleming,
illustrated by Ray Fenwick. $18.99.
You’ll want to invite readers to step right up to this three-ring circus of a biography, which not only tells the story of P. T. Barnum, but also the circus culture he helped create and his impact on modern entertainment.
The Champion of Children
By Tomek Bogacki. $17.99.
For anyone teaching about the Holocaust, this moving portrait of humanitarian Janusz Korczak is worth a look. Korczak helped to guide and nurture a group of orphans in the Jewish ghetto and stayed with the children until the end.
Louisa
By Yona Zeldis McDonough, illustrated by Bethanne Andersen. $17.99.
Louisa May Alcott had a brief and often difficult life, but McDonough and Andersen successfully bring the story of the Little Women author to children, and readers will see how some of her experiences later wound up in her fiction.
Testing the Ice
By Sharon Robinson, illustrated by Kadir Nelson. $16.99.
Even the most die-hard baseball fans will never have heard this story about Jackie Robinson safely leading a group of children onto a frozen lake—when he didn’t know how to swim. Told by Robinson’s daughter and beautifully illustrated by Kadir Nelson, the incident becomes a metaphor for the legend’s accomplishments on and off the field.
By James Cross Giblin. $22.
Teachers know they can rely on Giblin for well-written biographies that, while thorough, hold kids’ attention far better than a textbook can. This profile of Senator McCarthy is no exception, and readers will come away with both the good and the bad of the blacklisting senator.
Stitches
By David Small. $24.95.
The author of Imogene’s Antlers and illustrator of So You Want to Be President? delivers a searing graphic-novel memoir. A warning that the childhood trauma depicted may not work for every middle school reader, but for some, this book may be a lifesaver.
Episodes
By Blaze Ginsberg. $16.99.
We couldn’t put down this memoir from a 21-year-old highly functioning autistic boy, who sees and writes about his life as a series of episodes, similar to a television program. Funny and honest, it has the potential to open minds.
Whether you use them as teaching tools or simply for reading pleasure, here are some of our recent favorites.
Best for Grades K–2
In the Belly of an Ox
By Rebecca Bond. $16.
Brothers Richard and Cherry Kearton were leaders in nature photography in the early 20th century. This captivating picture-book biography, illustrated in soft watercolors, tells how they used special hiding spots to get up close and personal with their animal subjects.
Michelle
By Deborah Hopkinson,
illustrated by AG Ford. $17.99.
Hopkinson, a talented biographer whose most recent subjects have included Abraham Lincoln, tells a power punch of a story about our First Lady’s achievements through the lens of Mrs. Obama’s lifelong willingness to dream big.
In the Belly of an Ox
By Rebecca Bond. $16.
Brothers Richard and Cherry Kearton were leaders in nature photography in the early 20th century. This captivating picture-book biography, illustrated in soft watercolors, tells how they used special hiding spots to get up close and personal with their animal subjects.
Michelle
By Deborah Hopkinson,
illustrated by AG Ford. $17.99.
Hopkinson, a talented biographer whose most recent subjects have included Abraham Lincoln, tells a power punch of a story about our First Lady’s achievements through the lens of Mrs. Obama’s lifelong willingness to dream big.
The Boy Who Invented TV
By Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Greg Couch. $16.99.
As the inventor of television, Philo Farnsworth has made a profound impact on all of our lives. Readers will be fascinated to learn that he came up with the idea when he was just 14 years old, and inspired by Farnsworth’s long struggle to claim his invention.
Neo Leo
By Gene Barretta. $16.99.
While there are already several solid picture-book biographies of Leonardo da Vinci (one of our faves: Robert Byrd’s Leonardo: Beautiful Dreamer), Barretta offers a new twist by showing how da Vinci’s “ageless ideas” came to fruition through modern invention.
Winter’s Tail
By Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff. $16.99.
From some of the team behind Owen & Mzee comes another inspiring account—this one the true story of a dolphin’s recovery and life after receiving a prosthetic tail. Little ones will appreciate the bright and colorful photographs of Winter returning to the water.
Best for Grades 3–5
John BrownBy John Hendrix. $18.95.
The first book Hendrix has both written and illustrated takes a new look at the white abolitionist John Brown, just in time for the 150th anniversary of Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. The deeply hued, out-of-proportion illustrations lend comic-book-style credence to Hendrix’s message that Brown is a true historical hero.
Bad News for Outlaws
By Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. $17.95.
Divided into short vignettes describing dramatic points in Bass Reeves’s life, this profile of the famous U.S. Marshal will transport readers straight to the Wild West, where African-American lawmen were few and far between, but Reeves rose above all.
The Great and Only Barnum
By Candace Fleming,
illustrated by Ray Fenwick. $18.99.
You’ll want to invite readers to step right up to this three-ring circus of a biography, which not only tells the story of P. T. Barnum, but also the circus culture he helped create and his impact on modern entertainment.
The Champion of Children
By Tomek Bogacki. $17.99.
For anyone teaching about the Holocaust, this moving portrait of humanitarian Janusz Korczak is worth a look. Korczak helped to guide and nurture a group of orphans in the Jewish ghetto and stayed with the children until the end.
Louisa
By Yona Zeldis McDonough, illustrated by Bethanne Andersen. $17.99.
Louisa May Alcott had a brief and often difficult life, but McDonough and Andersen successfully bring the story of the Little Women author to children, and readers will see how some of her experiences later wound up in her fiction.
Testing the Ice
By Sharon Robinson, illustrated by Kadir Nelson. $16.99.
Even the most die-hard baseball fans will never have heard this story about Jackie Robinson safely leading a group of children onto a frozen lake—when he didn’t know how to swim. Told by Robinson’s daughter and beautifully illustrated by Kadir Nelson, the incident becomes a metaphor for the legend’s accomplishments on and off the field.
Best for Grades 6–8
The Rise and Fall of Senator Joe McCarthyBy James Cross Giblin. $22.
Teachers know they can rely on Giblin for well-written biographies that, while thorough, hold kids’ attention far better than a textbook can. This profile of Senator McCarthy is no exception, and readers will come away with both the good and the bad of the blacklisting senator.
Stitches
By David Small. $24.95.
The author of Imogene’s Antlers and illustrator of So You Want to Be President? delivers a searing graphic-novel memoir. A warning that the childhood trauma depicted may not work for every middle school reader, but for some, this book may be a lifesaver.
Episodes
By Blaze Ginsberg. $16.99.
We couldn’t put down this memoir from a 21-year-old highly functioning autistic boy, who sees and writes about his life as a series of episodes, similar to a television program. Funny and honest, it has the potential to open minds.
- Part of Collection:
- Subjects:Reading, Writing
