This is a richly layered biography, best enjoyed by late elementary ages. Ada Byron Lovelace possessed an inquisitive mind that relished numbers, patterns, and challenge. However, she grew up during a time when measles and cholera puzzled the medical community, and both left her very ill. It was also a time when men were more readily associated with the mathematical work and invention for which Ad ...

The great explorer and environmentalist, John Muir, first met the little dog Stickeen while exploring in Alaska. This is the true story of their challenging and memorable adventure climbing the glaciers of the north country.

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 ...

Contains fascinating details while retaining its accessibility for young readers. Simple graphics help explain timelines and concepts without distracting from the incredible story of human flight. An excellent biography!

Loaded with interesting details, this biography and its accompanying graphics will engage young readers, especially young space enthusiasts.

Muted, neutral tones covey the gravity of war, while leaving room for the emotional warmth only a dog's devotion can elicit. One of the earliest-known "mascot dogs" allowed in the U.S. Army, Rags became trench mouse catcher, messenger, and guard dog. Even in the thick of battle, Rags and his owner worked together as one. A difficult sadness punctuates the text toward the end, but thankfully the ep ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

In 1847 the people of Niagara Falls, New York and their neighbors in Canada wanted to build a bridge across the river that separated them. The first step was to get a line from one side to the other. Only a kite flown with great skill could do the job. Tekla White tells the story, based on real events, of young Homan Walsh and the kite he called the Union. Ralph Ramstad's illustrations beautifully ...

While this is meant to honor the role of the black soldier during World War I, the irony in some of the text's prose and the saturated dark illustrations bring it just short of a celebration. Jim Reese, the charismatic leader of the band of musical players, eventually-turned Harlem Hellfighters - the 369th Infantry Regiment, embodied the soulful passion, talent, bravery, courage, and plight of thi ...

From a Maryland cabin to the top of the world, Matthew Henson knew how to take advantage of opportunities, prove himself, and become a partner in exploration and accomplishment. An unforgettable look at an adventurer who deserves to be known by readers, young and old.

A love of words carries a young man from the shackles of slavery to poetic heights in this brilliant biography. The story is inspiring, and appropriately, the illustrations have a very upward and uplifting orientation. A beautiful tribute to a man who was indeed remarkable!

As a young boy, Rick Hansen loved to fish and play ball. At 15, an accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. However, Rick was a very determined young man. He'd still fish and play ball and live out his dreams -- he'd just learn to do them differently. Boy in Motion shows how Rick literally set his dreams in motion made them come to life. Sensitive text and lovely watercolor illustrations c ...

A brilliant mathematician who worked at NASA in the early 1950s until retiring in 1986, Johnson's unparalleled calculations (done by hand) helped plan the trajectories for NASA's Mercury and Apollo missions. A special section includes extras on subjects like history and math, plus inspiring careers for math lovers. Full color.

A captivating look at the players, coaches, and others and their experiences in the league that preceded Jackie Robinson's breakthrough of MLB's color barrier. Interesting enough to engage even readers who lack an interest in baseball.