by Anne on November 11, 2010
LaVern Baker, musician
Nov. 11, 1929-Mar. 10, 1997
Shake, Rattle and Roll: The Founders of Rock & Roll by Holly George-Warren, illustrated by Laura Levine (Houghton Mifflin, 2001)
“Tweedle Dee,” a top song recorded in 1954 and “Jim Dandy,” a 1956 hit made Baker, a jazz-and-R&B-vocalist-turned-rocker famous. As an African American, Baker suffered backlash from her early records being labeled “race records.” But she continued to record and eventually the barriers came down.
Read more about Baker’s life and music at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
by Anne on October 21, 2010
Ursula Le Guin, author
Oct. 21, 1929-
Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy (Charlesbridge, 2005)
Best known for her Earthsea fantasy series, Le Guin is featured as “U” in this collective biography of women.
Visit Ursula Le Guin’s web site to read more about the Earthsea series, current work and other facts.
by Anne on August 12, 2010
Katharine Lee Bates, author of words to America the Beautiful
Aug. 12, 1859-Mar. 28, 1929
Purple Mountain Majesties: The Story of Katharine Lee Bates and “America the Beautiful” by Barbara Younger, illustrated by Stacey Schuett (Turtleback Books, 2002)
Where do ideas come from? In this case, from majestic scenery. Inspired by view from Pikes Peak, Katharine Lee Bates began to write a poem that would become a national treasure.
View images from Pikes Peak Cam Top Peak Pics in Colorado Springs, Colorado for a sense of Bates’ wonder.
Eric Carle, artist and writer
June 25, 1929-
Flora and Tiger: 19 Very Short Stories from My Life by Eric Carle (Philomel, 1997)
Peek into the life of renowned children’s author and illustrator Eric Carle via the stories he tells about his childhood and present day life.
Take a field trip to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA and explore the exhibits and resources.
Anne Frank, writer
June 12, 1929-February/March, 1945
A Picture Book Biography of Anne Frank by David A. Adler, illustrated by Karen Ritz (Holiday House, 1994)
The world knows Anne Frank because of the diary she kept while the Nazis reigned. This book describes Frank’s life before, during and after she and her family went into hiding.
Read the story of Frank, visit the museum, try the activities and read the latest news of the Anne Frank House.
