From the category archives:
Esther’s Story by Diane Wolkstein, illustrated by Juan Wijngaard (HarperTrophy, 1998)
Esther saved the day. Literally. In this biblical account, written in the form of a diary, Esther tells the story of her life and how as Queen Esther she saved her people from Haman, who wished to destroy the Jewish people.
Queen Esther: The Merit of Things Hidden from the Women in Judaism.
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (Little Brown, 1994)
Sun and shadows. Those were the keys to the Eratosthenes’ discovery of how to measure the Earth’s circumference. A fascinating look at ancient times and at how geometry can make sense of our world.
Learn how Eratosthenes figured it out at the Cornell website.
Cleopatra by Peter Vennema and Diane Stanley, illustrated by Diane Stanley (HarperTrophy, 1997)
The woman was a savvy ruler. Incredible artwork accompanies the story of the last queen of Egypt.
Take a look at the Field Museum of Chicago’s Cleopatra of Egypt: From History to Myth exhibit.
George Crum and the Saratoga Chip by Gayila Taylor, illustrated by Frank Morrison (Lee & Low, 2006)
Thank you, George Crum. For inventing a most tasty treat. August 24 is National Potato Chip Day, though by all accounts, Americans celebrate potato chips every day of the year. Crum, part African-American and part American Indian is the king of snack-makers.
The Lemelson-MIT Program highlighted George Crum as an Inventor of the Week.
The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter (Harcourt, 2005)
What courage! This is the story of a librarian’s daring rescue of books from her library in Basra during the war in Iraq. Until there is peace, the collection will remain in her care.
Read an interview with Jeanette Winter about the writing of this book.
