Incredible lives for young readers

1) A bird or two: a story about Henri Matisse

Author

Language

English

Description

Simple text and bright illustrations describe the work of French painter, Henri Matisse, particularly his joyful use of color.

2) A river of words: the story of William Carlos Williams

Author

Bryant, Jennifer

Language

English

Appears on list

Caldecott Award Books

Description

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This picture book biography of William Carlos Williams traces childhood events that lead him to become a doctor and a poet.

3) Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation

Author

Sherman, Patrice

Language

English

Appears on list

Juneteenth for All Ages

Description

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Young Benjamin Holmes, a slave in Charleston who has taught himself to read, reads Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation to his fellow slaves in prison.

4) The fantastic jungles of Henri Rousseau

Author

Markel, Michelle

Language

English

Description

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A child's biography of French artist Henri Rousseau, who spent his life as a toll collector, but created unheralded masterpieces in his spare time.

5) The right word: Roget and his thesaurus

Author

Bryant, Jennifer

Language

English

Description

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The story of "shy young Peter Mark Roget, [for whom] books were the best companions--and it wasn't long before Peter began writing his own book. But he didn't write stories; he wrote lists. Peter took his love for words and turned it to organizing ideas and finding exactly the right word to express just what he thought. His lists grew and grew, eventually turning into one of the most important reference books of all time"--Amazon.com.

6) Fur, fins, and feathers: Abraham Dee Bartlett and the invention of the modern zoo

Author

Maxwell, Cassandre

Language

English

Description

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"A biography of Abraham Dee Bartlett and how he helped to invent the modern zoo"--Provided by publisher.

7) Only Margaret: a story about Margaret Wise Brown

Author

Ransom, Candice F

Language

English

Description

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"This biography spotlights how Margaret Wise Brown's unique personality shaped her journey as a writer and pioneer of the picture-book form"--

8) Friend of numbers: the life of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan

Author

Narayanan, Priya

Language

English

Description

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"A memorable, inspiring introduction to a groundbreaking figure in STEM history.Growing up in southern India during British rule, Srinivasa Ramanujan was fascinated by numbers: they made patterns only he could see. Soon he spent as much time as he could in the world of mathematics, exploring concepts and trying to publish his ideas. In 1914, twenty-six-year-old Ramanujan sailed to England to work with the acclaimed mathematician G.H. Hardy. Cambridge...