From the category archives:
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 an excellent bio and links.
Lives 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 influential woman.
The 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.”
Lives 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.
Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1993)
Pianist and composer in Romantic era, her career spanned sixty years. She had a major influence on the music of Johannes Brahams and her husband, Robert Schumann.
Timelines of Schumann’s childhood and youth, marriage with Robert Schumann, and her later years are available at a Rutger’s site.
