The last decade or so has seen a huge increase in publications of Picture Book Biographies and for good reason! It is fantastic to see that so many biographies are being written with young readers in mind. From learning about History to seeing influential people from diverse populations (ex. Civil rights or Women's rights activists) to even just having a solid introduction to this genre of books, picture book biographies offer valuable information in a way that is carefully crafted for a young audience. If you haven't already figured this out, I am definitely a big fan! So here are a few new titles that I will be looking at adding to my classroom library in the future!
Spotlight: Little People, Big Dreams Series
Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara is the author and creator of the inspirational best-selling series Little People, BIG DREAMS. With more than 7.5 million copies sold worldwide, this series continues to grow and expand, introducing children around the world to artists, trailblazers, and dreamers who each made a big impact in the world around them.
To learn more about all of the great books in this series visit: https://littlepeoplebigdreams.com/shop/
J.R.R. Tolkien
Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
This picture book biography is written about J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the hobbit and Lord of the Rings. The story beings with his childhood in South Africa, follows his childhood and adolescence in England, his family and how he found success as an author. A common theme woven throughout is his passion for literature. The story ends with a timeline and some pictures/biographical information about him.
Each page has beautiful, colour-filled pages with 3-4 lines of text. There is a lot of great biographical information, but it also follows a story that will hook young readers. I believe this book would be best fit for children in the 7-11 age range, and while the Hobbit and LOTR are generally aimed more at older students, I think that children might still enjoy reading and learning about a famous author, and maybe some preteens have watched the movies!
Laverne Cox
Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
This picture book biography is written about Lavern Cox, a transgender woman who experienced significant bullying as she came to terms with her gender identity. She found herself in the world of dance and won a scholarship to join the Alabama School of Fine Arts. She finally felt able to truly express herself and try new things. She went on to act and dance in theatre and on film and was then able to fully transition so the way she looked on the outside matched how she felt on the inside. The meaning of transgender and the message sent by this book will be easy for children to understand because it is really about how someone feels not discussing the details of transitioning or anything related to a person’s reproductive organs.
Each page has beautiful, colour-filled pages with 3-4 lines of text. The story ends with a timeline and some pictures/biographical information about her. There is a lot of great biographical information, but it also follows a story that will hook young readers. I believe this book would be best fit for children in the 7-11 age range.
Neil Armstrong
Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
This picture book biography tells the story of Neil Armstrong and his contributions to our understanding of the moon. Including the famous quote "one small step for man..." this book gives a great overview of not only this huge milestone in our understanding of outer space, but also about the man who helped make many contributions to the field of astronomy and space travel.
Nikola Tesla
Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Nikola Tesla always enjoyed inventing and designing and had a special interest in electricity. As he grew up he questioned the loss of energy that takes place when electricity is transported great distances. Complete with interesting pictures, simple short paragraphs of text and a timeline at the end of the book, this biography has everything that young readers need to be successful when learning about this famous engineer. I would highly recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 6-11 range.
Wilma Mankiller
Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Wilma Mankiller was a Cherokee woman who was forced from her land during the trail of tears. As an adult she attended protests and was an advocate for Indigenous people in the United States. Complete with interesting pictures, simple short paragraphs of text and a timeline at the end of the book, this biography has everything that young readers need to be successful when learning about this famous activist. This book is an excellent starting off point for researching Wilma Mankiller, Indigenous history in the US or learning about the concepts related to writing a biography.
Alexander von Humboldt
Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
This picture book biography tells the story of Alexander von Humboldt, a scientist who is known for being a leader in his field and demonstrated an understanding that all elements of nature are co-dependent upon each other. Including all of the necessary biographical information but told as a children's story, this book introduces several important scientific and historical concepts such as cartography, biology and the ways that scientists in the 1700 and 1800s discovered and created meaning about the world around them.
And coming soon....
Freddie Mercury
by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Pub Date: 07 Feb 2023
This picture book biography tells the story of Freddie Mercury, a singer from the infamous band Queen. Including all of the necessary biographical information but told as a children's story, this book describes the events of his childhood and adolescence as well as unique facts about him like his extra teeth. While the book did include things such as his diagnosis with AIDS and the fact that he was in a relationship with a man, these ideas are included with the same level of factual information as the rest of the biography, there is no additional emotion or room for controversial debate.
Here's that link again: https://littlepeoplebigdreams.com/shop/
Other Fabulous PBBs
Dan Gutman
Written more like a readers theatre or script, this text is formatted differently than the average fiction or non-fiction, which will set it apart from other books on the shelves. This book is divided into chapters and involves a conversation between two children discussing interesting facts about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. There are also random sections like “Things women couldn’t do in the 1930s and 1940s” or “Stuff you don’t know about the supreme court”. There are small black and white illustrations, and comic-like scenes spread throughout, as well as very well-spaced text and a good about of white space on a page, making it less intimidating. With the choice to make this book more script like, there are less long paragraphs, with excess or difficult vocabulary. The interesting facts are more accessible to readers who are not overwhelmed by large paragraphs.
By: Karlin Gray. ills. Aparna Varna
This picture book biography tells the story of Dr. Anne Innis Dagg, a Canadian biologist who travelled to Africa in the 1950s to study giraffes. The story follows her childhood in Canada, as well as the challenges she faced as a woman in the science field. Perfect for animal lovers and children interested in STEM, this book gives readers a positive role model who broke barriers and followed her dreams. The story covers all of the important biographical information, but in a narrative style. The book ends with a short biographical page, an interview with Dr. Dagg and resources children and adults can use for further study. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 5-12 range.
Elizabeth MacLeod, Frieda Wishinsky
Ills Jenn Playford
This non-fiction text is broken into 10 chapters, each on a theme related to stories of accidental entrepreneurs. Each chapter contains three stories, each relating to one successful entrepreneur, for example, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates or Stephen Spielberg. Each story is about 1 full page spread with pictures, text boxes and biographical information. The book ends with tips for becoming an entrepreneur, a glossary, an index and a list of supplemental resources. I think this book would be a great starting place for a research or biography project. The wide range of types of businesses will also make this something that is relatable and relevant for many different readers. I would recommend it to parents and teachers of future business aficionados in the age 7-12 range.
By: Bijan Bayne ills. Joelle Avelino
This picture book biography tells the stories of several black role models who have made history in their leadership roles. Each person chosen to be a part of this book has a short section with: a full page, colourful portrait, words that describe them, basic biographical information, smaller pictures related to their story, and quotes or details about the impacts they made. The pictures are detailed and colourful and add to comprehension of the story. The font is a good size, is simple and easy to read and is mainly black text on white or light coloured backgrounds. Some sections have colourful monotone backgrounds with black or white font as well, but these are smaller and are usually intentional in order to point out or differentiate between parts of text. The people chosen for the book have a range of backgrounds and have made a variety of contributions to history in their fields and include a wide range of generations and time periods. This is great for readers who may be looking for a role model in a specific field or from a specific time in history. I think this book is very well written and would be great for middle grade classrooms. As a grade 3 teacher I do think there is a little too much text and the vocabulary is a little high for my students, though the content would be fine for adults to read with them. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 8-14 range, with the target grade levels being around 5-8. I think this book would be a perfect source of information for research projects.
Maliha Abidi
This picture book biography tells the story of 20 famous people who have immigrated to North America (or whose parents immigrated and they were born here) and recognizes the accomplishments these people have made on society today. Each person has about 2 full page spreads including a detailed portrait, about 2 pages of biographical information and their story, as well as some fun facts or background information related to that person and their story. It is organized into 5 sections: Science, Entertainment, Politics, Business and Children of Immigrants and features people such as: Albert Einstein, Rihanna, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Barack Obama. It is a fabulous book and definitely a great resource for young people wanting to choose role models or people to study for school projects. It introduces a lot of great people and shows their accomplishments but also doesn't go overboard with information. I think it would be the perfect starting point for students wanting to learn more about people who were not born in North America but still managed to make a huge impact on Canada and the U.S. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 6-13 range.
By: Tracey Baptiste, Ills. Shauna Grant
This beautifully illustrated and written graphic novel tells of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the civil rights movement in a way that readers are sure to understand. With large, aesthetically pleasing illustrations and clear, accessible text in speech bubbles, readers will be able to follow the story and learn history in a fun way. I love the way that the author and illustrator demonstrated segregation through images as well as through words, especially the segregated schools picture. I think that young readers will be interested and understand the problems this book discusses. I would highly recommend this book to parents and teachers wanting to share these powerful stories with their students, not just during Black History Month, but all year round.
by Rebel Girls
Pub Date: 04 Apr 2023
Here comes another great biography book from Rebel Girls! This book shares 25 stories of women who have took a stand for animal rights in the past. There is quite a bit of detailed information about each person and a nice illustration to go along with them. As will other Rebel Girl publications, this book teaches the importance of standing up for what you believe in, not accepting gender inequality and going against status quo. I would recommend this book for middle grade readers (mainly grades 4-7) interested in animal activism and strong females in history.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read and review these fantastic Picture Book Biographies!