Are you looking for literature to support classroom instruction about Biographies? Check out Our Editors’ Choices for titles recommended by the Education World team. Then it's your turn to share books that you enjoy or use in your classroom in the Our Readers’ Voices section below. With your help, we will build the best list on the Internet of Best Books for teaching about Biographies.
Dare To Dream!: 25 Extraordinary Lives
by Sandra McLeod Humphrey
In this inspiring collection of biographies, critically acclaimed writer and psychologist Sandra McLeod Humphrey teaches young people that heroes were once ordinary people whose strength of character helped them to achieve extraordinary things. Starting with only their dreams, they worked hard and overcame obstacles to make their dreams come true. Some overcame physical handicaps, others psychological barriers like extreme shyness or feelings of inferiority; some faced racial discrimination or educational disadvantage, others financial burdens. In spite of frustrations and discouragements, all of those people discovered in themselves the patience, perseverance, and determination to pursue their dreams beyond every obstacle. The message is clear: No matter who you are or where you come from, you too can accomplish extraordinary things, as long as you dare to dream and never, never, never give up.
Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio
by Peg Kehret, Denise Shanahan
Ten years ago, in a riveting story of courage and hope, Peg Kehret wrote of months spent in a hospital when she was twelve, first struggling to survive a severe case of polio, then slowly learning to walk again. The book deeply touched readers of all ages and received many awards and honors. This anniversary edition includes an updated and extended epilogue about the author's experiences since the original publication. It also includes twelve pages of new photos and a lengthy section about polio, past and present.
Now It's Your Turn!
We've shared a few Editors' Choices for teaching about this theme. Now it's your turn to contribute to the Readers' Voices section below. Do you have a book related to this theme that you and your students enjoy? Just click here to share it!
Don't miss our Editors’ Choices for Teachers and for Parents. We're waiting for you to add your Readers' Voices there too.
Beatrix Potter: A Journal
by Beatrix Potter
This lavish, illustrated journal describes Beatrix Potter's life as a young woman in Victorian England as she struggles to achieve independence and find artistic success and romantic love. Using witty, observant commentary taken from Beatrix's own diaries, the journal features a wealth of watercolor paintings, sketches, photographs, letters, and period memorabilia to recreate the world in which she lived. This journal offers a glimpse of the early development of Beatrix Potter as a writer and is a must-read for fans of her work.
Charlie Parker Played Be Bop
by Chris Raschka
Chris Raschka, whose Yo! Yes? won a Caldecott Honor, and whose Mysterious Thelonious -- another ebullient, musical exploration of a jazz legend -- was named a 1997 ALA Notable Book, proves once again that he is just as at home with a paintbrush as he is with a pen. His bold, quirky illustrations add movement and light to the words, buoying their already lyrical effect. Charlie Parker Played Be Bop is a colorful, whimsical romp through the world of jazz, sure to set young and old toes a-tapping.
50 American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet
by Dennis Denenberg, Lorraine Roscoe
This book is a compilation of short biographies of men and women from different eras, professions, and ethnic backgrounds. The alphabetically arranged, double-page entries include expected names such as Mary McLeod Bethune, Thomas Jefferson, and Harriet Tubman, as well as the unexpected, for example, Martha Graham, Yo-Yo Ma, and Cal Ripken, Jr., with justification by the authors. The sketches are casual, sometimes asking readers questions to provoke thought. Black-and-white pictures of the individuals appear on every spread. The profiles are followed by a "Hero Hunt," 24 questions to encourage children to uncover the identities of other American heroes via their computers or encyclopedias. (School Library Journal)
Add your voice to our list of books for teaching about Biographies!
The Education World Editors’ Choices above represent just a handful of the fine books that might be used to support classroom instruction about Biographies. Now we’re waiting for you to add to our list! Simply send us your review of a favorite book in 100 words or fewer and we will add it to the Readers’ Choices below.
Beatrix Potter: A Journal
