A poignant story of the man who developed the Braille system of printing for the blind.

Martha Dandridge Custis was twenty-seven years old when she married George Washington. She worked by her husband's side to help keep their family, home, and country running smoothly. Whether she was at a ball or on a battlefield, Martha Washington set the standard for all future First Ladies with her quiet determination and courage.

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.

Bestselling author Gloria Houston lovingly recounts the story of her great-aunt's quiet yet remarkable life. Born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains, Arizona spent her childhood dreaming of all the faraway places she would one day visit. Though she never did travel to those places, Arizona did become a teacher and helped generations of children craft their own dreams. Full color.

When he was born in 1879, Albert was a peculiarly fat baby with an unusually big and misshaped head. When he was older, he hit his sister, frustrated his teachers, and had few friends. But Albert's strange childhood also included his brilliant capacity for puzzles and problem solving: the mystery of a compass's swirling needle, the intricacies of Mozart's music, the secrets of geometry--set his mi ...

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.

Between 1854 and 1930, more than 200,000 orphaned or abandoned children were sent west on orphan trains. Warren alternates chapters about the history of the orphan trains with the story of Lee Nailling, who in 1926 rode an orphan train to Texas. Photos.

A biography of the modest Frenchman who, after being blinded at the age of three, went on to develop a system of raised dots on paper that enabled blind people to read and write.

Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck were born just a few miles from each other in the German Rhineland, but Helen's fate took her to the Auschwitz extermination camp, while Alfons ranked high in the Hitler Youth. "A book to make your blood run cold."--"School Library Journal." Christopher Award winner and ALA Best Book for Young Adults. 5-page photo insert.

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.

"The use of language...[functions] as an instrument of thought; not being merely its vehicle, but giving it wings for flight." - Peter Mark Roget Roget's delight with language oozes from these pages. Illustrations, mostly hand-drawn give the sense Roget is telling his own story -- how curiosity and wonder drove his search to capture a moment or thought or concept with just the right word. His v ...

The author shares the story of her younger self in this excellent autobiography for beginning readers.

Based on a true story, young Sadako faces the battle of her life when she is diagnosed with "atomic bomb disease" (leukemia). She turns to her native Japanese beliefs and makes one thousand paper cranes so the gods will grant her wish to be well.

A retelling of the legend, which is based on the actual biography of "Johnny Appleseed," that challenges readers to strive to make a difference in their world. Great themes embedded in good storytelling!

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 ...

This beautiful picture book biography relates the story of Sequoyah, who creates a writing system for the Cherokee in the 1820s that would turn his people into a nation of readers and writers. Full color.

Kehret, who contracted polio in 1949, describes the diagnosis, severe symptoms, treatments, physical therapy, walking sticks and more in this moving memoir. B&W illustrations.

One morning in March 1888, twelve-year-old Milton Daub awoke to find the world buried in snow. The blizzard was like nothing Milton and his neighbors in the Bronx had ever seen. No one dared go out into the storm. No one, that is, except Milton. He and his father made a pair of snowshoes from barrel hoops and old roller skates. Then Milton stepped bravely into the storm to buy milk for his family. ...

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.