Betsy Ross

Author: Pamela Chanko

Illustrator: Renee Graef

Genre: Biography

Grade Level: K-2

This book is a biography about Betsy Ross. It starts out by telling us where she was born and how many siblings she had as well as how she helped with chores, especially the sewing. She went to work in a shop and eventually got married to a guy and they opened their own shop together. Her husband joined the army to fight for freedom. One time George Washington came to her shop and asked for a flag to be made with a sketch he drew. She would tell the story to her grandchildren about how she made the first flag. Her grandchildren would tell the story to others. Not many people knew if it was true or not. 

This book can be used when we are talking about the flag in class or learning about the war for freedom. It can also be used when learning about the 4th of July. 

The illustrations are colorful realistic pictures. They accompany the story well and included on the pictures are random facts of information that are important but not directly tied into what the text is saying. 

I Am #11: Walt Disney

Author and Illustrator: Grace Norwich

Genre: Biography

Grade Level: 2-5

This book is a biography about Walt Disney. It mentions how his father is not a kind man and that he lost an early creation titled Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. It talks about how he had a wild imagination as a child. He used those qualities as he grew older to become a cartoonist. Eventually he became a film maker and one of his characters Mikey Mouse become so famous and movie theaters sold out. He even won an academy award. He eventually created an amusement park called Disneyland and became very successful and well loved. Even to this day his work is still successful and widely appreciated and adored. 

I would use this in the classroom if students were interested in doing research on a famous person in history. We could do a wax museum project and this could be used for their research if they were to choose him as their wax museum subject. 

The cover art is a nice cartoonish drawing of Walt and disneyland. Throughout the story there are photographs used as well as realistic illustrations. There was also a timeline and lots of fun facts on the pictures and drawings. 

A Picture Book of Louis Braille

Author: David A. Adler

Illustrator: John & Alexandra Wallner

Genre: Biography

Grade Level: PreK-3

This book is a biography that tells the story of Louis Braille. He was born with normal vision like any other kid. One day he was playing with one of his father's work tools and it poked one of his eyes. Eventually he got an infection that spread to his other eyes. He lost eye site in both eyes as a result. He was a strong willed and a very strong minded person. He was determined to be like other kids and people and he eventually created the braille system for blind people to learn how to read. 

The illustrations are fun cartoon like characters that are more realistic. The color scheme is upbeat and warm. The pictures illustrate exactly whats going on in the story and follow along with the narrations. There are pictures on every page. 

I would use this in class as a subject for a research project. Students can use this as a tool for their research. I can also use this when we learn about disabilities and accommodations for people with disabilities in class. This can be read to introduce background knowledge. 

Thomas Jefferson 

A Picture Book Biography

Author: James Cross Giblin

Illustrator: Michael Dooling

Genre: Biography

Grade level: PreK-3

This book is a biography about Thomas Jefferson. It starts out talking about Thomas as a young boy going to school in Tuckahoe and how he did not want to go to school there anymore. He eventually goes to boarding school and then eventually college in Virginia. He marries Martha Wayles and has six children. It talks about how he wrote the Deceleration of Independence as governor of Virginia. He then becomes George Washington's secretary of state and then eventually becomes the President of the U.S. It talks about many other things that he did during his presidency until his eventual death. 

I would use this book in class when learning about Thomas Jefferson or about presidents. We could read this around presidents day and students could use this as a reference for their research. 

The illustrations were colorful and realistic. There were pictures on every page and the text were over the pictures. 

A Picture Book of Amelia Earhart 

Author: David A. Adler

Illustrator: Jeff Fisher

Genre: Biography

Grade Level: 3-5

This book is a complete biography of Amelia Earhart's life. We learn her birth place in this book along with many significant things that happened throughout her life. Such as how she studied medical research, taught English to immigrant children, worked as a social worker, paid for her own flying lessons, and was only interested in planes when she reached her 20's. It goes over her life all the way to the day of her disappearance and what people thought happened to her. 

The illustrations are very colorful and fun. It accompanies her journey and adds an image to the narration to make a complete story. The pictures are realistic since this is a biography. 

I would use this in my classroom for a book report on Amelia Earhart. They can use this as a reference for their research as well as learning about important people in history.

Harriet Tubman

Author: Marion Dane Bauer

Illustrator: Tamie Lyon

Genre: Biography

Grade Level: PreK-3

This book tells us the story of Harriet Tubman. It starts out by telling us that she was a slave along with all her family. It defines what a slave is for young readers. Harriet eventually decides that she doesn't want to be a slave anymore. She ran away and followed the North star to eventually make it to the North where it was illegal to own slaves. She made the risky trip back to help save her sister and two children. She then began going back at night to help free her brothers and parents along with more slaves. After the war ended Harriet Tubman became and activist for women's rights. 

I would use this in my classroom to talk about women's rights and civil rights. Also can be used to inspire children to follow their dreams and fight for what they believe in. 

The illustrations are realistic and kid friendly. They depict her journey and the color scheme is pretty dim with a cool color scheme to show her journey through the night. 

Christopher Columbus 

Author: Marion Dane Bauer

Illustrator: Liz Goulet Dubois

Genre: Biography 

Grade Level: PreK-3

This book is all about Christopher Columbus and his dream to adventure and discover the world. It tells about how he sails across the ocean to an unknown land and how many others followed. He seeks funding and help from the King of Portugal but is denied. He then asked the King and Queen of Spain for many years until they finally agreed. Eventually he lands in what he believes to be the West Indies and has no idea that he has just discovered a new country. It keeps the story simple for young children and short and sweet. It introduces Christopher Columbus to young readers. 

I could use this in the classroom to inspire young readers to follow their dreams. It is also very important to learn about the discovery of the Americas and the Indians. It can be used to teach about history. We could read this book on Columbus Day. 

The illustrations depict his journey with colorful and kid friendly pictures. The pictures are realistic but also kid friendly. 

A Picture Book of Rosa Parks

Author: David A. Adler

Illustrator: Robert Casilla

Genre: Biography

Grade Level: 3-5

This book outlines the story of Rosa Parks and her courage. Rosa Parks used to work in the cotton fields when she was a young girl and later learned how to read and write. She was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement and Equality for Everyone.  It shares the story of how she would not get up to give up her seat on a bus for a white person and how she was arrested for it. She won many different awards and is credited to starting the civil rights movement. 

The illustrations are very colorful and depict real life people and go along really well with what the text is saying. The pictures are vibrant and really add a lot of interest to the book making it appropriate for a wide variety and range of audience.

I would use this book when teaching about the civil rights movement and segregation. Also could use this to talk about historical figures that changed the course of history and had a huge impact on the U.S. 

Abraham Lincoln 

Author: Marion Dane Bauer

Illustrator: Liz Goulet Dubois

Genre: Biography

Grade Level: PreK-K 

This book is a biography of Abraham Lincoln when he was President of the United States. He thought that slavery was wrong and he fought a war to hold the country together. He wanted to make sure everyone was free and slavery would be abolished. It introduces Lincoln to young readers.

The illustrations are colorful and detailed pictures are kid friendly and realistic paintings. It helps keep the attention of the young readers and helps bring it to life. 

We can use this in the classroom to introduce Abraham Lincoln and the events of his life. It can inspire them to stand up for what is right. 

I Am Jackie Robinson

Author: Brad Meltzer

Illustrator: Christopher Eliopoulos

Genre: Biography

Grade Level: K-2

This book is about famous baseball player Jackie Robinson and how life was not fair to him. It tells about his life and how he lived in a time before the Civil Rights movement and African Americans were treated poorly. Even though he was a very good athlete he was not allowed on certain teams all because of the color of his skin. He became the first African American to play in the Major League baseball and his bravery led to sports equality in America. 

The illustrations are very colorful and fun. The characters have a sort of bobblehead appearance and portray the events of Jackie's life pretty well. Thought bubbles were also used to add in conversations. Real images and a timeline were also present in the book to show the reader that this is a true story and why it is a biography. 

This book can be used in the classroom to bring to light African American History and providing good role models for children. It can also be used to encourage students to strive and dream.