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People Who Make History: Picture Book Biographies

January 26, 2016 | strande

Read about the lives of everyday superheroes who have made history. For more true stories of real people, browse our biography section, or do a Shelf Location search for "JBIO." Maybe one day there will be a book about YOU on our biography shelves.

Frankie liked to sing by John Seven
The house that Jane built : a story about Jane Addams by Tanya Lee Stone
Ben Franklin's big splash : the mostly true story of his first invention by Barb Rosenstock
Also available in: e-audiobook | e-video

Retells the story of the famous thinker's first invention as a young Ben Franklin, troubled by the fact that fish swim better than he does, tries to invent a way to swim more fluidly.

Ada Byron Lovelace and the thinking machine by Laurie Wallmark

Offers an illustrated telling of the story of Ada Byron Lovelace, from her early creative fascination with mathematics and science and her devastating bout with measles, to the ground-breaking algorithm she wrote for Charles Babbage's analytical engine.

Enormous smallness : a story of E.E. Cummings by Matthew Burgess

Presents the life and work of the twentieth-century American writer, focusing on his fascination with words from a young age and highlighting his poetry's inspirational properties.

Swan : the life and dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder

An introduction to one of the most famous ballerinas in history describes how she was inspired to pursue dancing after going to the ballet as a child and how her achievements have inspired subsequent generations of dancers.

Poet : the remarkable story of George Moses Horton by Don Tate
Voice of freedom : Fannie Lou Hamer, spirit of the civil rights movement by Carole Boston Weatherford

Presents a collage-illustrated treasury of poems and spirituals inspired by the life and work of civil rights advocate Fannie Lou Hamer.

A boy and a jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz
Funny bones : Posada and his Day of the Dead calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh

Presents the life of the Mexican artist, who became famous for his drawings of skeletons in multiple everyday poses which have become identified with the Mexican Day of the Dead.

Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews

A Grammy-nominated headliner for the New Orleans Jazz Fest describes his childhood in Tremé and how he came to be a bandleader by age six.

Anything but ordinary Addie : the true story of Adelaide Herrmann, queen of magic by Mara Rockliff

Traces the story of dancer-turned-magician Adelaide Herrmann, placing her achievements against a backdrop of period conventions about women in the arts and her determination to continue her work after the death of her husband.

Frederick's journey : the life of Frederick Douglass by Doreen Rappaport

Shares the life of the abolitionist, including his life as a slave, how he learned to read even though it was illegal for him to do so, and his work speaking out against slavery.

Miss Mary reporting : the true story of sportswriter Mary Garber by Sue Macy

Details the life and accomplishments of Mary Garber, the first woman to win the APSE award and inducted into the Hall of Fame of National Sportcasters and Sportswriters Association.