Meet Someone New: Biographies for Children

1) Game changers: the story of Venus and Serena Williams

Author

Description

Shares the story of the sisters and tennis stars, including their special relationship as sisters and best friends, their constant training as children, and their incredible success in professional tennis.

2) Hector: a boy, a protest, and the photograph that changed apartheid

Author

Wright, Adrienne

Description

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On June 16, 1976, Hector Pieterson, an ordinary boy, lost his life after getting caught up in what was supposed to be a peaceful protest. Black South African students were marching against a new law requiring that they be taught half of their subjects in Afrikaans, the language of the White government. The story's events unfold from the perspectives of Hector, his sister, and the photographer who captured their photo in the chaos. This book can serve...

3) The story of Ruby Bridges

Author

Coles, Robert

Description

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For months six-year-old Ruby Bridges must confront the hostility of white parents when she becomes the first African American girl to integrate William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans in 1960.

4) Maya's song

Author

Watson, Renée

Description

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"This unforgettable picture book introduces young readers to the life and work of Maya Angelou, whose words have uplifted and inspired generations of readers. The author of the celebrated autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya was the first Black person and first woman to recite a poem at a presidential inauguration, and her influence echoes through culture and history. She was also the first Black woman to appear on the United States...

5) The girl who drew butterflies: how Maria Merian's art changed science

Author

Sidman, Joyce

Description

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"Newbery-Honor winning author Joyce Sidman explores the extraordinary life and scientific discoveries of Maria Merian, who discovered the truth about metamorphosis and documented the science behind the mystery in this visual biography that features many original paintings by Maria herself."--

6) The crayon man: the true story of the invention of Crayola crayons

Author

Biebow, Natascha

Description

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"Celebrating the inventor of the Crayola crayon! This gloriously illustrated picture book biography tells the inspiring story of Edwin Binney, the inventor of one of the world's most beloved toys. A perfect fit among favorites like The Day the Crayons Quit and Balloons Over Broadway"--

7) Code breaker, spy hunter: how Elizebeth Friedman changed the course of two world wars

Author

Wallmark, Laurie

Description

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In this picture book biography, young readers will learn all about Elizebeth Friedman (1892-1980), a brilliant American code breaker who smashed Nazi spy rings, took down gangsters, and created the CIA's first cryptology unit. Her story came to light when her secret papers were finally declassified in 2015. From thwarting notorious rumrunners with only paper and pencil to "counter-spying into the minds and activities of" Nazis, Elizebeth held a pivotal...

8) Untamed: the wild life of Jane Goodall

Author

Silvey, Anita

Description

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"This biography for children will trace Goodall's life, but each chapter will also focus on two or more the chimpanzees that she observed, with information in sidebars about these particular animals. Along with biographical details, the book will explore the ethical issues that surround Goodall's work and show what has changed in our understanding of Great Apes. What do we know today about these animals in terms of language, speech, tool use, and...

9) The boy who loved math: the improbable life of Paul Erdős

Author

Heiligman, Deborah

Description

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Growing up in Hungary during WWI, Erdos tried school but chafed at the rules and convinced his mother that he should study at home. He was fascinated by numbers from an early age, and by the time he was 20, he was known as The Magician from Budapest. Unable to do common tasks such as cooking, laundry, or driving, he spent his adult life flying around the world, staying with other mathematicians, and working collaboratively on challenging math problems....

10) A computer called Katherine: how Katherine Johnson helped put America on the moon

Author

Slade, Suzanne

Description

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Biography of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson. The inspiring story of mathematician Katherine Johnson - made famous by the award-winning film Hidden Figures - who counted and computed her way to NASA and helped put a man on the moon! Katherine knew it was wrong that African Americans didn't have the same rights as others - as wrong as 5+5=12. She knew it was wrong that people thought women could only be teachers or nurses - as wrong as 10-5=3....

11) Some writer!: the story of E. B. White

Author

Sweet, Melissa

Description

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"SOME PIG," Charlotte the spider's praise for Wilbur, is just one fondly remembered snippet from E. B. White's Charlotte's Web. In Some Writer!, the two-time Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet mixes White's personal letters, photos, and family ephemera with her own exquisite artwork to tell his story, from his birth in 1899 to his death in 1985. Budding young writers will be fascinated and inspired by the journalist, New Yorker contributor, and...

12) Six dots: a story of young Louis Braille

Author

Bryant, Jen

Description

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Louis Braille was just five years old when he lost his sight. He was a clever boy, determined to live like everyone else, and what he wanted more than anything was to be able to read. Even at the school for the blind in Paris, there were no books for him. And so he invented his own alphabet -- a whole new system for writing that could be read by touch. A system so ingenious that it is still used by the blind community today.

13) Charlotte Forten: a Black teacher in the Civil War

Author

Burchard, Peter

14) Sitting Bull and his world

Author

Marrin, Albert

15) Stolen into slavery: the true story of Solomon Northup

Author

Fradin, Judith Bloom

Description

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The true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man living in upstate New York, who was kidnapped in 1841 and spent 12 years as a slave on deadly Louisiana coastal plantations.

16) Just mercy: adapted for young adults : a true story of the fight for justice

Author

Stevenson, Bryan

Description

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"In this young adult adaptation of the acclaimed bestselling Just Mercy, which the New York Times calls "as compelling as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so," Bryan Stevenson delves deep into the broken U.S. justice system, detailing from his personal experience his many challenges and efforts as a lawyer and social advocate, especially on behalf of America's most rejected and marginalized people. In this very personal work--proceeds...