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Mark Twain for Kids: His Life & Times, 21 Activities
By R. Kent Rasmussen. 2004
Nineteenth-century America and the world of Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, come to life as children journey…
back in time with this history- and literature-laden activity book. The comprehensive biographical information explores Mark Twain as a multi-talented man of his times, from his childhood in the rough-and-tumble West of Missouri to his many careers--steamboat pilot, printer, miner, inventor, world traveler, businessman, lecturer, newspaper reporter, and most important, author--and how these experiences influenced his writing. Twain-inspired activities include making printer's type, building a model paddlewheel boat, unmasking a hoax, inventing new words, cooking cornpone, planning a newspaper, observing people, and writing maxims. An extensive resource section offers information on Twain's classics, such as Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as well as a listing of recommended web sites to explore.William Shakespeare: Great English Playwright & Poet
By Anna Carew-Miller. 2014
Few writers have had nearly the same effect on the English language as William Shakespeare. His plays and poems have…
been popular around the world for hundreds of years, long after Shakespeare himself had died. From Romeo & Juliet to Hamlet, Shakespeare wrote some of the most famous comedies and tragedies in history, stories both hilarious and horrible. Learn the story of one of the most important writers of all time in William Shakespeare: Great English Playwright & Poet.Inspiring Life of Eudora Welty, The
By Richelle Putnam, John Aycock. 2014
Eudora Alice Welty led an exciting and surprising life. Before she won a Pulitzer Prize, as a little girl she…
made her own books and won national poetry prizes. As a young woman during the Great Depression, she was a photographer and took pictures all over the South. These and other stories pack the life of one of Mississippi's most famous authors. With author and teacher Richelle Putnam, learn about the remarkable life of one of Mississippi's literary treasures, complete with vivid illustrations by John Aycock that are as colorful as Eudora's stories.Who Is Jeff Kinney?
By Patrick Kinney, John Hinderliter. 2015
Even as a kid, everyone thought Jeff Kinney was talented. People loved his drawings, and when he went to college,…
his comic strip Igdoof was so popular that it spread to other universities! Still, Jeff faced challenges. His cartoons were rejected by syndicates that claimed his art was unprofessional. Then, an idea struck: Jeff would write a journal from the perspective of a child, illustrated with doodles just like a kid might do. And so, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series was born--and it was a hit! In this biography, Jeff's brother, Patrick Kinney, provides a knowledgeable look at the life of this best-selling author/illustrator. From Jeff's childhood pranks to his job developing online games, kids will love the chance to learn more about the creator of the popular Wimpy Kid books.The Bronte Sisters
By Catherine Reef. 2012
The Brontë sisters are among the most beloved writers of all time, best known for their classic nineteenth-century novels Jane…
Eyre (Charlotte), Wuthering Heights (Emily), and Agnes Grey (Anne). In this sometimes heartbreaking young adult biography, Catherine Reef explores the turbulent lives of these literary siblings and the oppressive times in which they lived. Brontë fans will also revel in the insights into their favorite novels, the plethora of poetry, and the outstanding collection of more than sixty black-and-white archival images. A powerful testimony to the life of the mind. (Endnotes, bibliography, index.)Who Was Maya Angelou? (Who was?)
By Nancy Harrison, Dede Putra, Ellen Labrecque. 2016
Born in Missouri in 1928, Maya Angelou had a difficult childhood. Jim Crow laws segregated blacks and whites in the…
South. Her family life was unstable at times. But much like her poem, "Still I Rise," Angelou was able to lift herself out of her situation and flourish. She moved to California and became the first black--and first female--streetcar operator before following her interest in dance. She became a professional performer in her twenties and toured the U.S. and Europe as an opera star and calypso dancer. But Angelou's writing became her defining talent. Her poems and books, including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, brought her international acclaim.Willa: The Story of Willa Cather, an American Writer
By Amy Ehrlich, Wendell Minor. 2016
"Captivating..." - Booklist From award-winning author Amy Ehrlich comes an illustrated biography of Willa Cather, one of America's greatest and…
most beloved writers.Willa Cather's life was a true American success story. A pioneer and determined spirit, Willa didn't let anything stand in her way. She refused to be discouraged by the fact that in the 1880s women hadn't written before, because she had many ideas to share. By becoming a trailblazer and following her heart, Willa Cather is remembered today as one of the greatest American writers in history. Filled with captivating and historically accurate details, as well as gorgeous illustrations by Wendell Minor, this illustrated chapter book is ideal nonfiction for middle graders.Who Was Jane Austen? (Who was?)
By Jerry Hoare, Sarah Fabiny, Who Hq. 2017
Step into the world of Georgian England and learn more about the genteel life of this beloved author.Although Jane Austen's…
works were first published anonymously and brought her little personal recognition, today they are rarely out of print and have inspired movies, television shows and mini-series, literary anthologies, and many other adaptations all around the world. Her writing—principally her five novels—is a critique of the British landed gentry at the end of the eighteenth century, and often a comment on the pursuit of a "good match" in matters of marriage. Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Northhanger Abbey remain her most famous works. Who Was Jane Austen? reveals the life of this most private author.Who Was Lewis Carroll? (Who was?)
By Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso, Joseph J. Qiu, Who Hq. 2017
Meet the man who created Alice, the Mad Hatter, and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum!Lewis Carroll is the pen name…
of Charles L. Dodgson, a mathematician and church deacon, who taught at Oxford University. He was inspired to write his best known works, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by one of the Dean's daughters, Alice Liddell. The books were hugely successful and brought Carroll wide acclaim, especially for the nonsense poems "Jabberwocky" and The Hunting of the Snark.Children and adults continue to be delighted by the fantasy of the Alice stories, which have been the basis of plays and movies since their publication in Victorian England during the 1860s and 1870s.Kid Authors: True Tales of Childhood from Famous Writers
By Doogie Horner, David Stabler. 2017
Funny and totally true childhood biographies and full-color illustrations tell the tales from the challenging yet defining growing-up years of…
J. K. Rowling, Beverly Cleary, J. R. R. Tolkien, and 12 other great writers. Every great author started out as a kid. Before the best sellers, fan clubs, and beloved stories we know today, the world's most celebrated writers had regular-kid problems just like you. Sam Clemens (aka Mark Twain) loved to skip school and make mischief, with his best friend Tom, of course! A young J. R. R. Tolkien was bitten by a huge tarantula—or as he called it, “a spider as big as a dragon.” Toddler Zora Neale Hurston took her first steps when a wild hog entered her house and started chasing her! Kid Artists tells their stories and more—the diverse and inclusive cast that includes Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, J. K. Rowling, Sherman Alexie, Jules Verne, Lewis Carroll, Stan Lee—through kid-friendly texts and full-color cartoon illustrations on nearly every page.Our Story Begins: Your Favorite Authors and Illustrators Share Fun, Inspiring, and Occasionally Ridiculous Things They Wrote and Drew as Kids
By Linda Sue Park, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Gordon Korman, Gail Carson Levine, Eric Rohmann, Peter Lerangis, Grace Lin, Kathi Appelt, Chris Grabenstein, Marla Frazee, Brian Selznick, Yuyi Morales, Candace Fleming, Ashley Bryan, Chris Gall, Rita Williams-Garcia, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tom Angleberger, Dan Santat, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Elissa Brent Weissman, Thanhha Lai, R. J. Palacio, Tim Federle, Kwame Alexander, Alex Gino. 2017
From award-winning author Elissa Brent Weissman comes a collection of quirky, smart, and vulnerable childhood works by some of today’s…
foremost children’s authors and illustrators—revealing young talent, the storytellers they would one day become, and the creativity they inspire today.Everyone’s story begins somewhere… For Linda Sue Park, it was a trip to the ocean, a brand-new typewriter, and a little creative license. For Jarrett J. Krosoczka, it was a third grade writing assignment that ignited a creative fire in a kid who liked to draw. For Kwame Alexander, it was a loving poem composed for Mother’s Day—and perfected through draft after discarded draft. For others, it was a teacher, a parent, a beloved book, a word of encouragement. It was trying, and failing, and trying again. It was a love of words, and pictures, and stories. Your story is beginning, too. Where will it go?Brown Girl Dreaming
By Jacqueline Woodson. 2014
Jaqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature A President Obama "O" Book Club pick A Coretta…
Scott King Award Winner A New York Times Bestseller and National Book Award and Newbery Honor Book Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed author of Another Brooklyn, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.Who Was Beatrix Potter? (Who was?)
By Nancy Harrison, Sarah Fabiny, Mike Lacey. 2015
Born into wealth in 1860's London, Beatrix Potter always had a vivid imagination. Her early interests included natural history and…
archaeology, and Potter delighted in sketching fossils and fungi. After briefly illustrating Christmas cards with her brother, Bertram, Potter wrote and illustrated her well-known book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The book was rejected by several publishes until Frederick Warne eventually took a risk and published the story in 1902 - a risk that paid off. Peter Rabbit was a huge success and readers loved hearing about Peter's mischevious adventures in the lush English countryside. As she got older, Beatrix Potter became a proud conservationist, working hard to defend the landscape she loved so well against industrialization and logging. Now over one hundred years old, Peter Rabbit and his animal friends have become cultural touchstones and continue to delight readers of all ages.Who Was Harriet Beecher Stowe? (Who was?)
By Nancy Harrison, Dana Meachen Rau, Gregory Copeland. 2015
Born in Connecticut in 1811, Harriet Beecher Stowe was an abolitionist, author, and playwright. Slavery was a major industry in…
the American South, and Stowe worked with the Underground Railroad to help escaped slaves head north towards freedom. The publication of her book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, a scathing anti-slavery novel, fanned the flames that started the Civil War. The book's emotional portrayal of the impact of slavery captured the nation's attention. A best-seller in its time, Uncle Tom's Cabin sealed Harriet Beecher Stowe's reputations as one of the most influential anti-slavery voices in US history.Who Is Judy Blume? (Who Was?)
By Kirsten Anderson, Ted Hammond, Who Hq. 2018
Learn how Judy Blume went from a stay-at-home mother to one of the most beloved American authors of the twentieth…
century.Readers adore Judy Blume for her personal stories about the journey from childhood to adolescence. She has always been an imaginative person and an avid reader. As a child, Judy spent time looking through library shelves for the perfect books, and if she couldn't find the right ones, she entertained herself by making up stories in her head. When she got older, Judy started writing her stories down. Although readers fell in love with characters like Margaret Simon and Fudge Hatcher, some parents challenged some of her titles, including Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, for discussing sensitive issues. Despite all the controversy, this award-winning author and her books have remained popular among fans, both old and new.Who Was Jules Verne? (Who was?)
By Nancy Harrison, James Buckley, Gregory Copeland. 2016
Meet the father of science fiction, Jule Verne.Born in France in 1829, Jules Verne always dreamed of adventure. At age…
11, he snuck onboard a ship headed for the Indies only to be discovered by his father and have his dreams dashed. After his father made him swear to only travel "in his imagination," Verne kept his promise for the rest of his life. He began writing adventure stories as a young man and became a popular writer throughout France. Known for mixing scientific discovery and literature in his books like Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in 80 Days, Verne is often called "The Father of Science Fiction."From the Trade Paperback edition.Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World (Vashti Harrison)
By Vashti Harrison. 2018
From the New York Times bestselling author of Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History comes the highly anticipated follow-up,…
a beautifully illustrated collectible detailing the lives of women creators around the world.Featuring the true stories of 40 women creators, ranging from writers to inventors, artists to scientists, Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World inspires as it educates. Readers will meet trailblazing women like Mary Blair, an American modernist painter who had a major influence on how color was used in early animated films, actor/inventor Hedy Lamar, environmental activist Wangari Maathai, architect Zaha Hadid, filmmaker Maya Deren, and physicist Chien-Shiung Wu. Some names are known, some are not, but all of the women had a lasting effect on the fields they worked in.The charming, information-filled full-color spreads show the Dreamers as both accessible and aspirational so reader knows they, too, can grow up to do something amazing.Jane Austen for Kids: Her Life, Writings, and World, with 21 Activities (For Kids series)
By Nancy I. Sanders. 2018
Jane Austen is one of the most influential and best-loved novelists in English literature. Austen's genius was her cast of…
characters—so timeless and real that readers today recognize them in their own families and neighborhoods. Her book's universal themes—love and hate, hope and disappointment, pride and prejudice, sense and sensibility—still tug at heartstrings today in cultures spanning the globe. Austen wrote about daily life in England as she knew it, growing up a clergyman's daughter among the upper class of landowners, providing readers with a window into the soul of a lively, imaginative, and industrious woman in an age when most women were often obscured. Jane Austen for Kids includes a time line, resources for further study, places to visit, and 21 enriching activities.Becoming Emily: The Life of Emily Dickinson
By Krystyna Poray Goddu. 2019
Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) wrote short, often-enigmatic poems that are widely anthologized, quoted, and read by students of every age. Yet,…
as widely known as her poetry is, Dickinson as a person is considered to have been an inscrutable recluse—a silent figure who wore only white, wrote in secret, never left her Amherst, Massachusetts, home, and had no interest in sharing her poetry with others. In Becoming Emily, young readers will learn how—while Dickinson did keep to her home for the last 20 or so years of her life—as a child, adolescent, and well into adulthood, she was a lively social being with a warm family life. Highly educated for a girl of her era, she was fully engaged in both the academic and social aspects of the schools she attended until she was nearly 18. Her family and friends were of the utmost importance to her, and she was a prolific, thoughtful, and witty correspondent who shared many poems with those closest to her. Including plentiful photos, full-length poems, letter excerpts, a time line, source notes, and a bibliography, this indispensable resource offers a full portrait of this singular American poet, making it perfect for any young person interested in poetry, literature, or biographies of remarkable people in American history.Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave
By Frederick Douglass. 2014
The story of Frederick Douglass is passionate, harrowing, and inspiring. As a former slave, impassioned abolitionist, gifted writer, newspaper editor,…
and powerful orator, Douglass was an immense, motivational figure. His early life, filled with physical abuse, deprivation, and tragedy, adds up to a heart-wrenching history. However, he was able to overcome everything that bound a slave to his life and become a leading spokesman for his people.In this first of his three autobiographies, Douglass relates graphic descriptions of his childhood, his shocking experiences as a slave, and his thrilling escape from slavery to safety in the North and his pivotal freedom.Originally published in 1845, a date significant for the fact that very few African Americans could read or write at that time, this tale of sadness, danger, and eventual liberation will appeal to readers of all kinds. For those interested in African American history and the life of one of the most daring and heroic champions of civil rights, this page-turner is a perfect library addition.