In 1946, six-year-old Wilma Rudolph dreamed of walking and playing like other children, but a sickness called polio had damaged her left leg. Wilma spent hours each week doing painful exercises at a hospital for African American patients. The rest of the time, she was forced to wear a heavy and cumbersome leg-brace. Still, Wilma never gave up. She knew she could walk again, and if she could walk, ...

Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up listening to her Pa's fascinating tales about living on the prairies, in the woods, and on the plains. When she was 65 years old, Laura began to write down her most treasured memories and tales from her youth. Children of all ages have come to love and treasure the books that resulted. Enter the fascinating world of the little girl who once lived in a little house on t ...

Born a slave near the end of the Civil War, George Washington Carver was a small and sickly child. Too frail to work in the fields of the Missouri farm where he grew up, George did chores around the house. But when his work was done, he headed for the woods. There his lifelong love of nature was born. As a teacher and scientist at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute in the 1900s, George Washington Carver ...

From the time he was a young boy on a farm in Alabama until he received his fourth Olympic gold medal in Berlin in 1936, all Jesse Owens wanted to do was run. Overcoming sickness, poverty, and racial discrimination, Jesse worked hard, shattered many track and field records, and earned countless medals and trophies. But perhaps his greatest and most important accomplishment came when he stood up to ...

This lyrical introduction to the first person to walk on the surface of the moon traces the life of Neil Armstrong back through his childhood, his years as a airplane pilot, and his historical moon landing in the Apollo 11 moon mission on July 20, 1969. Full-color illustrations.

This inspiring biography of Harriet Tubman tells how she helped free over 300 slaves as a "conductor" for the Underground Railroad and how she became a nurse, a scout and spy for the Union Forces during the Civil War.

As a successful former slave, Clara Brown used her money to help other freed slaves get a new start in life. In 1859 Clara bought her own freedom and headed west to Colorado to find her daughter, who was sold when she was just a little girl. Clara didn't find her daughter there, but she did get rich. The people she helped became her family, and she became known as Aunt Clara Brown.

On December 21, 1848, Ellen Craft and her husband, William, slipped out into the cold, dark night and took their first steps towards freedom. They were runaway slaves. Posing as a white man traveling with a slave, Ellen courageously boarded a train bound for Philadelphia. Could they actually make it a thousand miles without being discovered? As each tension-filled day passed and freedom got closer ...

The story of Harriet Tubman's childhood as a young slave is told in this book which is written especially for younger readers. Tubman, a young slave nicknamed "Minty", was a feisty, stubborn girl with a dream of escape, and whose rebellious spirit often got her into trouble. Full-color illustrations.

Once a kidnapped slave baby, George Washington Carver found freedom in learning everything he could about the world around him. Overcoming poverty and racism, George became a brilliant scientist and a gifted professor who dedicated his expertise to helping black farmers escape the devastating grip of poverty. George's scientific creativity knew no limits. His ingenious experimentation with peanut ...

Lester tells her personal story, sharing her struggles as a child and later as a successful author. Using her unique ability to laugh at her mistakes, Lester creates a guide for young writers and an amusing personal story of the disappointments and triumphs of a writer's life. Full color.

Sojourner Truth traveled the country in the latter half of the 19th century as one of the most powerful voices speaking out against slavery. Through her own story, Sojourner helped people understand the hideous truth about slavery. An ALA Notable Children's Book. Illustrations.

Now in paperback, just in time for President's Day, comes the award-winning, evocative picture book. On a cool spring evening in 1865, Abe Lincoln reflects on his life, his law studies, and the war that tore his country apart. Full color.

In 1802, Jean-Francois Champollion was eleven years old. That year, he vowed to be the first person to read Egypt's ancient hieroglyphs. Champollion's dream was to sail up the Nile in Egypt and uncover the secrets of the past, and he dedicated the next twenty years to the challenge.James Rumford introduces the remarkable man who deciphered the ancient Egyptian script and fulfilled a lifelong dream ...

As young Tom Edison sells newspapers and sandwiches on the Mt. Clemens railroad platform, he sees the station telegraph operator's son, Jimmy, playing on the tracks. When a boxcar comes rolling toward Jimmy at top speed, Tom rushes to help the child. Full-color illustrations.

This latest addition to Harness's acclaimed picture-biographies portrays the life of James Adams, the nation's second president. Full color. Maps.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is having some problems with his best friend, Bobby. They are going to different schools this year, and Bobby's dad is not letting his son play with Martin. When Martin learns why, he is confused and hurt--but he learns a lesson that he will never forget. Full color.

As a boy working in his father's shop, Paul Revere hears adults talk about their clubs with meetings, rules, and elections. It gives him the idea to start his own club--a bell ringers club. Full color.