Mack Sennett, film pioneer

Jan. 17, 1880-Nov. 5, 1960

Mack Made Movies by Don Brown (Roaring Brook Press, 2003)

“In 1900, twenty-year-old Mack Sennett was a horse’s rear end.” Who can resist an opening line like that? Read more about the silent moviemaker of the slapstick Keystone Kops and Charlie Chaplin.

A mini-biography and a listing of Sennett’s is available on a movie database site.

June 27, 1880-June 1, 1968

A Picture Book of Helen Keller by David A. Adler, illustrated by John Wallner and Alexandra Wallner (Holiday House, 1990)

While the childhood of Keller, who was born with visual and hearing impairments is the focus of this biography, her accomplishments as an adult are also highlighted.

From the American Foundation for the Blind, The Helen Keller Kids Museum Online offers a biography of Keller.

c. 1880-c. 1935

My Prairie Year: Based on the Diary of Elenore Plaisted by Brett Harvey, illustrated by Deborah Ray Kogan (Holiday House, 1986)

From Maine to the Dakotas in 1889, nine-year-old Elenore, describes her family’s life, blizzards, surprise packages from Maine, and wildflowers.

Curious about what happened to Elenore Plaisted? Elenore Plaisted Abbott studied with Howard Pyle and became a children’s book illustrator. Visit the
Rose Valley Museum & Historical Society for details. You’ve got to love a woman who supposedly painted her house pink.

See samples of Elenore Plaisted Abbott’s work at a Rutgers University exhibit.