May We Suggest? This post contains recommendations from a CPL librarian. To get your own customized recommendation, just fill out the May We Suggest form — you can expect results within 10 days. All suggestions can be found on the May We Suggest blog or by liking May We Suggest on facebook.

Suggested Biographies for Fourth Grade

 

Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Explore these fascinating stories about real people. Books are suggested for Fourth Grade, but remember that each Reader is different, and might find something interesting at another level.

Introduces Suzy Wright, a Quaker who helped settle the Pennsylvania frontier, defended the rights of Native Americans, and provided legal counsel to her neighbors.

A biography of librarian Mary Lemist Titcomb describes her concern that the library was not reaching as many people as it could she devised the first bookmobile.

Also available in: e-book

Features female figures of black history, including abolitionist Sojourner Truth, pilot Bessie Coleman, chemist Alice Ball, politician Shirley Chisholm, mathematician Katherine Johnson, poet Maya Angelou, and filmmaker Julie Dash.

Even the man who knew everything was wrong some of the time. The Man Who Knew Everything is a biography of Athanasius Kircher, a 17th-century German Jesuit and scientist. He was one of the modern world's first scientific celebrities--the Einstein or Stephen Hawking of his time. 

Presents the life of the animal activist, describing his work in nineteenth-century New York to bring attention to the cruel treatment of animals, the initial opposition that he faced from the public, and his founding of the ASPCA in 1866.

A biography of African American writer, performer, and activist Maya Angelou, who turned a childhood of trauma and emotional pain to become one of the most inspiring voices of our lifetime. 

Offers an illustrated introduction to the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg that explores the ways that the society in which she grew up was unfair toward women, Jews, and other groups, and how she spent her life working to fight that unfairness.

Describes the life and accomplishments of the leader of the Sioux nation, detailing his resistance against the United States government, particularly at the Battles of Killdeer Mountain and Little Bighorn, and highlighting his legacy.

Also available in: e-book

Presents an account of E.B. White's life and career through personal letters, photographs, family ephemera, and original artwork, while offering glimpses into the origins of his iconic works.

Willa Cather's life was a true American success story. A pioneer and determined spirit, Willa didn't let anything stand in her way. She refused to be discouraged by the fact that in the 1880s women hadn't written before, because she had many ideas to share.