by Anne on December 2, 2010
Georges-Pierre Seurat, artist
Dec. 2, 1859-Mar. 29, 1891

Seurat and La Grande Jatte: Connecting the Dots by Robert Burleigh (Abrams, 2004)
Focused on a single painting by the French painter Seurat, the author weaves in the story of the artist’s life.
Seurat’s masterpiece, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte was the subject of an exhibition at The Art Institute of Chicago.
by Anne on September 3, 2010
Bessie Delany, dentist and author
Sept. 3, 1891- Sept. 25, 1995

Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made a Difference by Joyce Hansen (Scholastic, 1998)
Bessie Delany, who lived to be 104, came to national attention when she and her sister and a New York Times reporter collaborated on the story of her and her sister’s life: Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years. Delany was the second African American woman to become a dentist in NY.
For more information about the Delany sisters, visit a Having Our Say page.
by Anne on April 23, 2010
Sergei Prokofiev, musician
April 23, 1891-March 5, 1953

Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1993)
The Russian composer of Peter and the Wolf, dreamed of composing from an early age.
“All Prokifiev. All the time,” is how The Prokofiev Page describes itself. Drop by for a biography, photographs, interviews and links.
by Anne on February 14, 2010
Katherine Stinson Otero, aviator
Feb. 14, 1891-July 8, 1977

Katherine Stinson Otero, High Flyer by Neila Skinner Petrick, illustrated by Daggi Wallace (Pelican, 2006)
High flyer, indeed. Stinson was the fourth woman in the U.S. to earn a pilot’s license and performed throughout the world. But when she was denied permission to fly for the armed services in WWI, she raised money for the effort by flying in exhibitions.
The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission posts a bio of Stinson on their site.
by Anne on February 13, 2010
Grant Wood, artist
Feb. 13, 1891-Feb. 12, 1942

Artist in Overalls: The Life of Grant Wood by John Duggleby (Chronicle, 1996)
A picture book biography about the man who grew up to paint American Gothic showcases his love of the Heartland and determination to paint his own way.
Going Back to Iowa: The World of Grant Wood looks at Woods’ world and work.