From the monthly archives:
Chingis Khan by Demi (Holt, 1991)
A story of the Mongul leader who reigned over the largest empire assembled in the lifetime of one individual.
From the Office of Resources for International and Area Studies at UC Berkeley, comes an amazing curriculum unit on Chingis Khan.
Sadie Delany, teacher and authorWomen of Hope: African Americans Who Made a Difference by Joyce Hansen (Scholastic, 1998)
Sadie Delany was the first African American home ec teacher in a NYC high school. She shares the page in this collective biography with her sister Bessie Delany.These two remarkable sisters wrote the story of their lives. Their book, Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years, became a best seller.
A short bio of Sadie Delany’s life can be read at Columbia’s site.
Maureen Connolly, athleteLives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1997)
Tennis anyone? Maureen Connolly was the first woman to win the “grand slam” of tournaments: Wimbledon, French Open, Australian Open and U.S. Open.
Visit the International Tennis Hall of Fame for additional information on “Little Mo” and other tennis greats.
Story Painter: The Life of Jacob Lawrence by John Diggleby (Chronicle, 1998)
Lawrence, an accomplished African American painter who grew up in Harlem fostered his talent at a young age and by 30 was considered an incredible talent. A story of determination.
The University of Washington site has excellent bio and links.
Nadia Boulanger, composerLives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1993)
A composer and teacher, Boulanger’s nickname was “Tender Tyrant.” Among her famous pupils were Aaron Copland and Philip Glass.
Visit the Nadia Boulanger web site for more information about this influencial woman.
B.B. King, musicianThe Blues Singers: Ten Who Rocked the World by Julius Lester, illustrated by Lisa Cohen (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 2001)
Guitarist and songwriter B. B. King made his first hit record in 1952. And he’s been recording ever since.
Visit the Official B.B. King web site for more info on B.B. King and his famous guitar named “Lucille.”
William Howard Taft, U.S. PresidentLives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1998)
Nicknamed Sleeping Beauty, this largest U.S. president learned to surf in Hawaii. Krull devotes one pithy page about number 27 in this collective biography.
Read his inaugural address, March 4, 1909 on The Avalon Project web site at Yale.
