Their Stories: Biographies on Influential Figures of Interest to Children

Ages 7-Up

Hokusai: The Man Who Painted a Mountain
Ages: 7 & Up
By: Deborah Kogan Ray  
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $18.00 (Hard Cover)   

A well-researched and informative picture book biography of the renowned Japanese artist Hokusai.Edna St. Vincent Millay
Ages: 8 - 12 yrs.
Author: Frances Schoonmaker   Illustrator: Mike Bryce  
Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., $14.95 (Hard Cover)   

An short biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay and thirty-four carefully chosen poems introduce the poet through her own words.Through My Eyes: Autobiography of Ruby Bridges
Ages: 8 - 12 yrs.
Author: Ruby Bridges  
Scholastic Inc., $16.95 (Hard Cover)   

Ruby Bridges chronicles her role in the history of civil rights in this moving autobiography. Handel: Who Knew What He Liked
Ages: 8 - 12 yrs.
Artist: Kevin Hawkes   Author: M.T. Anderson  
Candlewick Press, $16.99 (Hard Cover)   

With a tongue-in-cheek irreverence that is rarely associated with Baroque music and the monumental works of George Frideric Handel in particular, this charming picture book tells the story of the life of one of the greatest composers of all time. This is Handel-lite, but Handel-right.Abraham Lincoln
Ages: 9 - 12 yrs.
Author: Amy Cohn   Author: Suzy Schmidt   Illustrator: David A. Johnson  
Scholastic Inc., $16.95 (Hard Cover)   

Beginning with his birth on a cornhusk mattress in Kentucky, nineteen vignettes of Abraham Lincoln's life form this seemingly simple biography. The authors pick very telling events from his life that depict his character-including his humor.  B. Franklin, Printer
Ages: 9 & Up
By: David Adler  
Holiday House, Inc., $19.95 (Hard Cover)   

In 1728, when Benjamin Franklin wrote his own epitaph, he modestly decided he wanted to be remembered as "B. Franklin, Printer." Respecting his subject and his wishes, the author has written a straightforward account of Franklin's life with few flashbacks and digressions. 

Ages 10-Up

Double Luck: Memoirs of a Chinese Orphan
Ages: 10 - 12 yrs.
By: Lu Chi Fa   Writer: Becky White  
Holiday House, Inc., $18.95 (Hard Cover)   

A moving memoir of the author's struggles in Communist China after being orphaned at the age of three and how he held on to his dream of coming to the United States.Amazing Scientists: A Book of Answers for Kids
Ages: 10 - 14 yrs.
Author: Jim Callan  
The Stonesong Press, Inc., $12.95 (Paperback)

Short biographies focus on issues of interest to young people, and the subsequent descriptions of the scientists' achievements are written in question and answer format.Ben Franklin's Almanac
Ages: 10 - 14 yrs.
Author: Candace Fleming  
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing/Anne Schwartz Books/Atheneum, $19.95 (Hard Cover)   

Modeled on his own Poor Richard's Almanack, this unique scrapbook captures Franklin's countless accomplishments. Biography and anecdote, cartoon and etching mesh to create a fascinating portrait of this most fascinating man. Book Description  A Strong Right Arm
Ages: 10 & Up
Author: Michelle Y. Green  
Penguin Putnam Inc./Dial Books for Young Readers, $15.99 (Hard Cover)   

This five-foot-two, ninety-eight pound young woman's strong right arm led her all the way to three years of professional baseball play with the Negro League's Indianapolis Clowns. Her struggles against the injustices of racism and sexism are told as matter-of-fact asides to her joy in playing baseball. Savion: My Life in Tap
Ages: 10 & Up
Author: Savion Glover   Author: Bruce Weber  
Morrow, $19.95 (Hard Cover)   

A lively biography of Savion, an acknowledged genius of tap-dancing who has won over the younger generation. We Were There, Too!: Young People in U.S. History
Ages: 10 & Up
Author: Phillip Hoose  
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $26.00 (Hard Cover)   

Inspiring, well-written biographical vignettes of extraordinary children put a human face on U.S. history.Bad Boy: A Memoir
Ages: 12 - 16 yrs.
Author: Walter Dean Myers  
HarperCollins Children's Books / Amistad, $15.95 (Hard Cover)   

This autobiographical coming of age story offers readers a revealing, fascinating glimpse into the heart of a premiere author.  Escape from Botany Bay: The True Story of Mary Bryant
Ages: 12 & Up
Author: Gerald Hausman   Author: Loretta Hausman  
Scholastic Inc./Orchard Books, $16.95 (Hard Cover)   

Caught stealing a lady's bonnet in Cornwall, England, in 1786, 19-year-old Mary Broad is sentenced to seven years' incarceration on a prison ship bound for Australia. Amid squalid, dangerous conditions below decks, Mary fights for her life and her dignity. Book Description 

Frederick Douglass

Ages: 12 & Up

Author: Peter Burchard  
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing/Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $18.95 (Hard Cover)   

This new biography presents Douglass as he lived through the misery, tragedy, and heartbreak of his early years, as he escaped from slavery only to endure anxiety and outrage in the free states of the North. He eventually made his way to Great Britain, where he lectured forcefully against slavery. Book Description

Imagine the Possibilities
In a tribute to some of our most celebrated visionaries, we offer this reading list to inspire children to look beyond what is, and to imagine what could be.