From the monthly archives:
A Picture Book of Simon Bolivar by David A. Adler, illustrated by Robert Casilla (Holiday House, 1992)
Bolivar had an impressive resume: President of Greater Colombia, President of Bolivia, President of Peru, and President of Venezuela. Read about his life and politics in this simple biography.
Read an article about Bolivar written for children on the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Sandy’s Circus: A Story About Alexander Calder by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Boris Kulikov (Viking, 2008)
A childhood fascination with found objects, tinkering and the circus would lead Alexander “Sandy” Calder to create a miniature, movable circus as an adult. This portable circus, which he packed up in five suitcases, was the precursor of Calder’s later invention—the mobile.
A Google Images search for Alexander Calder will yield pages and pages of his amazing work.
Triumph on Everest: A Photobiography of Sir Edmund Hillary by Broughton Coburn (National Geographic Children’s Books, reprint, 2003)
With Sherpa Norgay, Hillary climbed the highest mountain in the world. See the pictures. Read the words.
Photos of Hillary, facts about Everest, other world famous mountains, and info about the famous climb can be found at the Scholastic Teachers site.
Mandela: From the Life of the South African Statesman by Floyd Cooper (Philomel, 1996)
Mandela, an anti-apartheid activist, became the first President of South Africa elected by blacks and whites.
You’ll find information about Mandela and his work at the Nelson Mandela Foundation site.
The Heroine of the Titanic by Joan W. Blos, illustrated by Tennessee Dixon (HarperCollins, 1991)
A survivor of the Titanic, Brown was responsible for saving many lives during the disaster as well as spearheading a fund to raise money for surviving passengers who needed assistance after the tragedy.
Denver’s Historic Molly Brown House has a website devoted to “accurately portray the story of Margaret Tobin Brown.” There are lots of great things to explore in the Just for Kids section.
