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Focus on History
Classroom Connections
Biography Day
by Patricia Austin
Many schools celebrate Biography Day, a ritual that becomes part of the lore of the
school. Every year a given group, perhaps the first-, second-, or third-graders, spend
weeks in preparation for the event. Each student selects a person to study, researches that
famous person, and, as a culmination to the research, dresses up as that historical figure.
Backstage, the excitement is palpable as the eager scientists, world leaders, sports
figures, musicians, artists and the like get ready to present facts about themselves in a
who-am-I format to a school-wide assembly. Audience members have a chance to guess
who each student is portraying. (Some students will want to stump the audience and thus
enjoy choosing not-so-famous but important people.) Teachers and librarians know that
in addition to gaining general knowledge of the genre of biography and specific
knowledge about the selected person, students also have the experience of developing
presentation skills. For the kids, no doubt, it’s all about the costume. Such experiences in
school, while valuable academic endeavors, are also the stuff of memories.
One of the keys to making the most of events such as Biography Day is having enough
quality resources available and also teaching students about the process of research and
the importance of selecting accurate sources. When students read at least two biographies
about the same person, they may begin to detect both minor and major differences within
accounts, and this will sharpen their critical skills. Even young students can be taught to
be aware of the author’s credentials, author’s notes, and a list of sources, among other
elements which contribute to the accuracy of the biography.
Listed below are biographies about important people from all walks of life, from all
parts of the world, and spanning many centuries. When students read more than one book,
they note differing points of view, voice, style, tone, and organization, which in turn give
a fuller perspective on the person they’ve chosen to study. These are but a few of many
picture-book biographies that will launch the project of exploring the lives of important
people and their contributions to society.
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Bibliography
Mary Anning
Atkins, Jeannine. Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon. Illus. by Michael Dooling. 1999.
32p. Farrar, $16 (0-374-34840-5).
Gr. 1–3. At age 11, Mary helped support her family by digging for what her father
called “curiosities” to sell to tourists. Only much later did Mary realize that she was
finding fossils and that this would become her life’s work. Atkins’ story interprets what
Mary’s first discovery of the ichthyosaur might have been like, conveying Anning’s
dogged patience and persistence.
Brown, Don. Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries. 1999. 32p.
Houghton, $15 (0-395-92286-0); paper, $5.95 (0-618-31081-9).
Gr. 1–3. Beginning with rich metaphors embedded in geology, Brown tells how Mary
Anning’s father spawned his daughter’s lifelong interest in fossil hunting. At age 12,
Mary discovered a nearly perfect ichthyosaur; in later years, she unearthed the first
complete plesiosaur. A self-taught scientist, Anning earned the respect of experts
although her own schooling ended when she was only 11.
John J. Audubon
Armstrong, Jennifer. Audubon: Painter of Birds in the Wild Frontier. Illus. by Joseph A.
Smith. 2003. 40p. Abrams, $17.95 (0-8109-4238-0).
Gr. 2–5. In Audubon’s journals, Armstrong found several gripping adventures, which
she portrays here to add a suspenseful element to the biography of this renowned wildlife
artist. In addition to relating how Audubon painted as he trekked through the woods, both
Armstrong and Smith provide lengthy notes explaining their own research processes.
Burleigh, Robert. Into the Woods: John James Audubon Lives His Dream. Illus. by
Wendell Minor. 2003. 40p. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.95 (0-689-83040-8).
Gr. 2–5. Burleigh employs passages from Audubon’s journals (which are included) to
create an imaginary conversation in which the famed artist and woodsman convinces his
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father why he must follow his own dream rather than his father’s wishes. Interspersed
with Minor’s luminous paintings are drawings and paintings by Audubon.
Ruby Bridges
Bridges, Ruby. Through My Eyes. 1999. 64p. Scholastic, $16.95 (0-590-18923-9).
Gr. 3–9. Bridges shares her family background, offers her feelings about being the only
black child to attend a formerly all-white school in New Orleans, provides information
about other aspects of the civil rights movement, and reflects on her role in integrating
schools. Sepia-toned period photos enhance this inspirational story.
Coles, Robert. The Story of Ruby Bridges. Illus. by George Ford. 1995. 32p. Scholastic,
$15.95 (0-590-43967-7).
Gr. 1–3. In 1960, when Bridges was six years old, she was among the first to integrate
New Orleans’ schools. The only African-American child to go to Frantz Elementary, she
was accompanied by federal marshals past the jeering crowd. Coles interviewed Bridges
in 1960 and here tells the story of her courage and faith.
Cesar Chavez
Cedeno, Maria E. Cesar Chavez: Labor Leader. 1993. 32p. Millbrook, o.p.
Gr. 3–6. Tracing the accomplishments of Chavez as he fought to improve the working
conditions for the Mexican-American immigrant farmer, Cedeno also provides
background about the labor leader’s early life and adds file photos. Also included are a
time line of events, a short list of resources, and an index.
Krull, Kathleen. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. Illus. by Yuyi Morales.
2003. 48p. Harcourt, $17 (0-15-201437-3).
Gr. 1–4. In a picture-book format with rich language and lusciously colorful acrylic
paintings, Krull and Morales show the change from Chavez’s family’s comfortable early
life on a ranch to life as desperately poor migrant farm workers. Because Chavez was shy
and teased mercilessly in school, he dropped out in eighth grade but realized the need to
fight for change.
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Bessie Coleman
Grimes, Nikki. Talkin’ about Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman. Illus. by E.
B. Lewis. 2002. 48p. Orchard, $16.95 (0-439-35243-6).
Gr. 2–6. In a series of poems written from the perspective of Coleman’s family
members, friends, and acquaintances as they gather to mourn her death and share
memories, Grimes chronologically portrays both events in Coleman’s life and attitudes
about this barrier-breaking aviator. Although fictional in form, the facts are true, based on
extensive source material noted by the author. Lewis’ evocative watercolors add warmth
and depth.
Joseph, Lynn. Fly, Bessie, Fly. Illus. by Yvonne Buchanan. 1998. 32p. Simon & Schuster,
$16 (0-689-81339-2).
Gr. 1–3. Born in 1901 in Texas, Bessie Coleman dreamed of growing up and doing
something great, and indeed she does when she becomes the first black woman to earn a
pilot’s license. Unable to train in the U.S. because Jim Crow laws barred blacks from
pilot schools, she trained in France and returned to perform in air shows in the U.S.
Expressionist watercolors capture the aviator’s spunky nature.
Christopher Columbus
Adler, David A. A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus. Illus. by John and Alexandra
Wallner. 1991. 32p. Holiday, paper, $6.95 (0-8234-0949-X).
Gr. 3–5. As a boy, Christopher Columbus loved to dream and had a spirit of adventure.
He believed that by sailing west he could reach east but had difficulties obtaining a
sponsor to fund his first voyage. Realistic pen-and-ink drawings enhance the somewhat
lengthy text that details Columbus’ four voyages.
Sís, Peter. Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus. 1991; reissued 2003.
40p. Knopf, $15.95 (0-679-80628-8).
Gr. 2–4. With a much briefer text and smaller scope, Sís uses a fresco painting
technique, old maps, and accounts of the day, as well as contemporary sources, to evoke
the fifteenth century. He enables readers to imagine what life might have been like for
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Columbus as he overcame obstacles and the commonly held beliefs of the day to follow
his dream of reaching the Orient by a new route.
Gandhi
Demi. Gandhi. 2001. 40p. Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry, $19.95 (0-68984149-3).
Gr. 2–5. On textured rice paper, colorful watercolors capture the richness of Indian
culture in this accessible biography of one of the world’s most influential political and
social leaders. Demi creates a human portrait, relating incidents about Gandhi’s early
failures in school and his awkward shyness. She includes direct quotes from Gandhi’s
writing as she explores how he evolved his theory that “hatred can only be overcome by
love.”
Fisher, Leonard Everett. Gandhi. 1995. 32p. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, o.p.
Gr. 3–5. Placing Gandhi’s life and career within the context of India’s history, Fisher
enlarges students’ understanding of the leader and his accomplishments, most specifically
his campaign of peaceful resistance to combat violence. Illustrated with acrylic paintings
in shades of gray, black, and white, the book echoes the austerity of Gandhi’s lifestyle.
Joan of Arc
Poole, Josephine. Joan of Arc. Illus. by Angela Barrett. 1998. 32p. Random/Dragonfly,
paper, $6.99 (0-375-80355-6).
Gr. 2–4. Joan was 13 when she began to hear voices that led her to believe God had
chosen her to save Orleans. Poole conveys Joan’s story with a sense of immediacy, and
Barrett’s illustrations, with the muted colors of an aged tapestry, are both ethereal and, in
the battle scenes, filled with motion. The book closes on a note that projects Joan’s
canonization some 500 hundred years later in 1920.
Stanley, Diane. Joan of Arc. 1998. 48p. HarperCollins, $16.95 (0-688-14329-6);
HarperTrophy, paper, $6.95 (0-06-443748-5).
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Gr. 3–8. Stanley provides a much deeper sense of the historical era in which Joan of
Arc lived, giving the context of the Hundred Years’ War, yet she involves young readers
by beginning the story in second person. Joan’s peasant life as well as her feats in battle
are thoroughly described and documented by an extensive bibliography. Highly stylized
illustrations using a deep, rich palette and sharp-edged detail evoke medieval paintings.
Readers may be intrigued to compare a very different illustration style in Ann Tompert's
Joan of Arc: Heroine of France, illustrated by Michael Garland. (Boyds Mills, 2003).
Sor Juana Ines
Martinez, Elizabeth Coonrod. Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz: A Trailblazing Thinker. 1994.
32p. Millbrook, $23.90 (1-56294-406-1).
Gr. 3–5. Juana was born in Mexico in 1648 and became a nun, managed to attend
university, and became a poet, playwright, and accomplished scholar of languages,
science, music, and philosophy. This factual biography from the Hispanic Heritage series
gives a thorough portrait of a great thinker, despite a discrepancy regarding her birth date
as listed in the text and on a time line of important dates.
Mora, Pat. A Library for Juana: The World of Sor Juana Ines. Illus. by Beatriz Vidal.
2002. 40p. Knopf, $15.95 (0-375-90643-1).
Gr. 2–4. In an author’s note, Mora reveals that few facts are known about this child
prodigy who could read at the age of three and was an accomplished scholar by age 15.
This biography reads like a picture storybook and includes a great deal of conversation.
Using an illustration technique similar to that found in illuminated manuscripts, Vidal
creates Juana’s world in colorful detail.
Frida Kahlo
Turner, Robyn Montana. Frida Kahlo. 1993. 32p. Little, Brown, o.p.
Gr. 4–8. Kahlo was born in 1907, when women’s opportunities were limited, but her
photographer father nurtured her creativity. Turner explains the symbolism in Kahlo’s
reproduced paintings—her loyalty to her Mexican heritage, her exploration of her
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physical pain, and the stormy nature of her marriage to artist Diego Rivera, in this title
from the Portraits of Women Artists for Children series.
Winter, Jonah. Frida. Illus. by Ana Juan. 2002. 32p. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine, $16.95
(0-590-20320-7).
Gr. 2–5. With few words and few explicit details about her life, Winter’s spare, poetic
text shows how art was Kahlo’s savior from loneliness and pain. Juan’s illustrations
utilize a Mexican folk-art style and convey both the images that would have surrounded
Kahlo as a child and the kinds of colorful, symbolic art that Kahlo created herself.
Martin Luther King
Farris, Christine King. My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Illus. by Chris Soentpiet. 2003. 40p. Simon & Schuster,
$17.95 (0-689-84387-9).
Gr. 1–4. King’s older sister shows a sometimes mischievous Martin in this warmly told
memoir of growing up with Dr. King. Martin confronted prejudice as a boy and
prophetically declared to his mother, “Mother Dear, one day I’m going to turn the world
upside down.” Soentpiet created his radiant paintings with input from the King family.
Rappaport, Doreen. Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Illus. by
Bryan Collier. 2001. 40p. Hyperion/Jump at the Sun, $15.99 (0-7868-0714-8).
Gr. 1–4. Weaving Martin Luther King’s own words into his life’s story and conveying
the narrative with stunning layered, textured collages, Rappaport and Collier capture the
spirit of America’s most famous civil rights leader.
Abraham Lincoln
Cohn, Amy L., and Suzy Schmidt. Abraham Lincoln. Illus. by David A. Johnson. 2002.
40p. Scholastic, $16.95 (0-590-93566-6).
Gr. 1–4. Embodying Lincoln’s rough-hewn beginnings, Cohn addresses readers with a
conversational telling of the life of the sixteenth president. Accompanied by pale pastel
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watercolors, the engaging story exemplifies good storytelling and would make a great
read-aloud.
Van Steenwyk, Elizabeth. When Abraham Talked to the Trees. Illus. by Bill Farnsworth.
2000. 32p. Eerdmans, $16 (0-8028-5191-6); paper, $8 (0-8028-5233-5).
Gr. 1–4. Lincoln used his love of words to sustain himself through boyhood years filled
with arduous work and sadness. Farnsworth’s earth-tone paintings echo Steenwyk’s story
of this American icon. A book with a similar approach is Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who
Loved Books by Kay Winters (Simon & Schuster, 2003).
Rosa Parks
Greenfield, Eloise. Rosa Parks. Illus. by Gil Ashby. 1973; reissued 1995. 64p.
HarperTrophy, paper, $4.25 (0-06-442025-6).
Gr. 2–4. Greenfield integrates information about the civil rights movement into the
telling of Parks’ story as an activist. Her childhood experience of prejudice precipitated
her work with the NAACP and the Voter’s League, and later, her refusal to give up her
bus seat to a white person, which led to the year-long Montgomery, Alabama, bus
boycott.
Parks, Rosa, and Jim Haskins. I Am Rosa Parks. Illus. by Wil Clay. 1997. 48p. Dial,
$13.99 (0-8037-1206-5); Puffin, paper, $3.99 (0-14-130710-2).
Gr. 1–3. In an easy-to-read format, Parks narrates her story of getting arrested,
emphasizing that she kept her seat not just because she was tired, but because she was
“tired of giving in.” She credits many people who fought for civil rights, is glad to have
been part of the movement, and concludes with the hope for change among the “many
people who have not changed their hearts.”
Beatrix Potter
Wallner, Alexandra. Beatrix Potter. 1995. 32p. Holiday, $15.95 (0-8234-1181-8); paper,
$6.95 (0-8234-1407-8).
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Gr. 1–3. Wallner includes quotes from Potter’s diaries and letters to tell the story of this
beloved children’s author. A lonely and unhappy child raised by strict parents, Potter
loved to draw and spent much time studying flora and fauna. Her famed story, The Tale of
Peter Rabbit, began as a letter to the son of a former governess. Quaint, folksy
illustrations enhance the story.
Winter, Jeanette. Beatrix. 2003. 64p. Farrar/Frances Foster, $15 (0-374-30655-9).
Gr. 1–3. Winter tells Potter’s story in a first-person narrative using exact quotes, which
she indicates through italics. A small book for small hands, just as Potter’s own books
were, the few words per page and accompanying colorful illustrations focus on Potter’s
internal landscape, letting readers imagine what the author thought and felt.
Jackie Robinson
Golenbock, Peter. Teammates. Illus. by Paul Bacon. 1990. 32p. Harcourt/Gulliver, $16
(0-15-200603-6); paper, $7 (0-15-284286-1).
Gr. 2–5. Until the 1940s, baseball was segregated, but Branch Rickey, manager of the
Brooklyn Dodgers, was determined to change that. In 1947, he approached Jackie
Robinson with the idea of “the great experiment”—integrating major league baseball.
Early in the season, shortstop Pee Wee Reese stood with Robinson against hateful fans
proclaiming, “This man is my teammate.” Actual photos coupled with watercolor
illustrations heighten the impact of this title.
Schaefer, Lola M. Jackie Robinson. 2002. 24p. Capstone/Pebble Books, $10.95 (0-73681435-3).
K–Gr. 2. This first biography captures the high points of Robinson’s life and career as
the ballplayer who broke the color barrier in major league baseball. Large print, brief text,
a time line, and an index make this book an excellent choice for beginning readers. More
advanced readers will enjoy David A. Adler's A Picture Book of Jackie Robinson. Illus.
by Robert Casilla (Holiday House, 1994).
Will Rogers
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Keating, Frank. Will Rogers. Illus. by Mike Wimmer. 2002. 32p. Harcourt/SilverWhistle,
$16 (0-15-202405-0).
Gr. 2–5. Rich oil paintings set an ebullient tone for this story that is enriched with
direct quotes from the popular American humorist. The typewriter font and ingenious
format let readers appreciate the multitalented Rogers, who entertained the public through
radio broadcasts, movies, a newspaper column, and books.
Schott, Jane A. Will Rogers. Illus. by David Charles Brandon. 1996. 64p. Carolrhoda,
$22.60 (0-87614-983-2).
Gr. 1–3. As a boy, Will Rogers wanted to be a cowboy and loved performing rope
tricks. When he grew up, he was a cowboy for a brief time but ended up in show
business, cracking jokes and throwing ropes in the Ziegfeld follies. Illustrated in bright
watercolors, this factual title from the On My Own Biographies series is written in an
easy-to-read format.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Adler, David A. A Picture Book of Eleanor Roosevelt. Illus. by Robert Casilla. 1991. 32p.
Holiday, $16.95 (0-8234-0856-6); paper, $6.95 (0-8234-1157-5).
Gr. 1–3. In a concise manner, Adler traces Eleanor Roosevelt from shy, withdrawn
youth to outspoken leader for civil rights and wife of President Franklin Roosevelt.
Colorful, realistic paintings show Roosevelt in her many roles: wife, mother, First Lady,
daily newspaper columnist, host of a radio program, and, finally, U.S. representative to
the United Nations.
Cooney, Barbara. Eleanor. 1996. 40p. Viking, $15.99 (0-670-86159-6); Puffin, paper,
$6.99 (0-14-055583-8).
Gr. 2–4. With her signature folk-art style illustrations accompanying a lyrical text,
Cooney details Roosevelt’s childhood. An awkward, plain child, and a disappointment to
her mother, Eleanor was orphaned by the age of nine. Raised by her grandmother and
aunts, she did not come into her own until she went to boarding school in London. An
afterword details Eleanor’s accomplishments in her adult life.
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Vincent van Gogh
Holub, Joan. Vincent van Gogh: Sunflowers and Swirly Stars. 2001. 32p. Grosset &
Dunlap, $14.89 (0-448-42612-9); paper, $5.99 (0-448-42521-1).
Gr. 1–4. Written from the perspective of a child writing a report on van Gogh, this
delightful account of the artist’s life and work from the Smart about Art series interjects
irreverent humor, captures the kind of details that children will appreciate, and is
illustrated both with cartoons and reproductions of van Gogh’s most famous paintings.
Rubin, Susan Goldman. The Yellow House: Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gaugin Side by
Side. Illus. by Joseph A. Smith. 2001. 40p. Abrams, $17.95 (0-8109-4588-6).
Gr. 1–3. During a brief period in France in 1888, van Gogh and Gaugin worked side by
side. Using a narrative style, Rubin not only humanizes these great artists but also
compares and contrasts their artistic styles and sources of inspiration. Appendices include
extended biographical sketches about both artists and notes about the author’s and
illustrator’s research processes.
Citation: Austin, P. (2003). Biography Day. Book Links, 13 (1), 57-62.
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