Naheed simjee biography for kids
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She wrote prolifically while she was young but stopped writing after significant life challenges including loss, death, worry, and loneliness. And she works hard starting from poverty and becomes a celebrated, lovely swan ballerina. Gaining the right to vote was a journey, somewhat like a steep climb up a hill.
Malala’s Magic Pencilby Malala Yousafzai
EDUCATION ACTIVIST
When she was younger, Malala dreamed of the things she’d do if she had a magic pencil.
There, the family’s migrant work dries up, too. “Perched on her front-porch stage with a tin can microphone, Dolly performed for anyone she could corral– a bunch of baby siblings (’til they crawled away), a flock of ducks (’til they waddled away), and a pen of pigs (fortunately, they couldn’t get away).“
Tonatiuh shares the story of a dedicated ballet dancer who discovers the beauty of folkloric dances from the different regions of Mexico.
(The door was slammed in her face.) But when Beatrix became famous, her neighbor sold the painting for lots of money.
Very interesting!
Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated by Floyd Cooper Myers expertly captures Frederick Douglass’ life from his desire to learn even though he was a slave child to his brutal beatings, the influence of free black sailors, his escape to the North, and his passionate fight against slavery and for social reform.
The Eye That Never Sleeps How Detective Pinkerton Saved President Lincoln by Marissa Moss, illustrated by Jeremy Holmes
I adore this book.
I love how the illustrator shows young and older Abe with a big head in a tall hat, too. Black and white sketches plus a well-told story give us the context and history of the work that Daniel Chester French is most known for, the famous Lincoln Memorial.
Growing an Artist: The Story of a Landscaper and His Sonby John Parra
In a first-person personal narrative, a boy accompanies his Papi to his job as a landscaper.
He found out that he knew the secret all along — keep at it. Joyful!
Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh
Don Lupe published short funny poems about skeletons and drew lithographs and skeleton etchings or engravings. But, Annette hated the bulky, heavy bathing costumes she was forced to wear for races and exhibitions, so she made her own suit.
She continued to pursue her questions about the universe and to mentor others.
Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Bookby Tonya Bolden, illustrated by Eric Velasquez
Victor Hugo Green, a mail carrier, wrote The Green Book to help Black people like him find safe places to stay when they were traveling.
The stories capture hard lives and heroic moments of these four women and are written like thrilling narratives, not boring nonfiction biographies. People loved them!
Inventor’s Secret: What Thomas Edison Told Henry Fordby Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt
INVENTOR / ENGINEER
Read this picture book for perseverance and grit in action!
Highly recommended.
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Melissa Sweet’s collage and watercolor illustrations will draw your eye immediately. You’ll be as astounded as me that you’ve lived so long without knowing much of this information about President Lincoln’s sense of humor — and learn examples of his very pithy words of humor and wisdom.
It’s a piece of Dickens’ life history that is often overlooked. This is long for a picture book– double the usual length.