The Biography Report

Me and David A. Adler

Warren Buffet once said in an interview that he is able to make smart executive decisions because he reads nonfiction books, mainly biographies. My husband thinks Mr. Buffet is one of the smartest men in the world, so he decided to start reading Business Week and told me to start reading more nonfiction as well. I took his advice and read Mindy Kaling’s first book, Is Everybody Hanging out without me? (And Other Concerns). We obviously have different opinions on quality nonfiction literature.

Everyone gets assigned a Biography report at some point in elementary school. I remember standing in front of my 3^rd grade class, dressed in black boots and a floral dress with my hair in pigtails and presented an oral report about the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I am sure I chose her but I have no  idea why, she was an author of a series I didn’t read until that report. With today’s new biography series, children really have the ability to choose a person they are genuinely interested in learning more about. Even better, they are written for children on all levels so if your kindergartner wants to learn more about Jackie Robinson, there are picture books for him. And if your third grader loves Maurice Sendak more than Laura Ingalls Wilder, there’s a biography for him too. 

When I became a librarian, a coworker once advised me to read at least one book in every series on the shelf so that when a parent or child asked me what it was about or what reading level it was I would know without hitting up my computer. I took it upon myself to read three biographies from three up and coming series focusing on famous people throughout time, the Women of Our Time Series, the Ordinary People Change the World Series and the Who Was/Who Is series.

  

Women of Our Time

This series focuses on renowned women of the 20^th century. Ranging from Coretta Scott King to Juliette Gordon Low, these books focus on the childhood and youth of these women, displaying their trials and tribulations and how that shaped them into the women who made headlines and paved the way for women everywhere. Each book is written by a different renowned author and the stories of these women give young people the opportunity to learn how vast childhood can be for people around the world and in different times and also teach that if you have a passion for something, nothing can stand in your way.

I read Golda Meir: A Strong Determined Leader by David A. Adler (who I had the honor of meeting at BEA this past year) and learned all about her journey from Russia to Israel. She was leader from a young age and is a truly inspirational role model for today’s young women (and men) who aspire to run for President one day. The back of the book has a timeline and index for reference use. Adler is a master storyteller and has written many picture book biographies worth reading as well. 

Ordinary People Change the World

Nothing screams “read me” like a brightly illustrated book with cartoon illustrations. The books read like a comic book and are voiced in first person by the famous person as a child. Titles include Jackie Robinson, Lucille Ball, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein and more. When children learn from a young age that famous people struggle in school or have hardships similar to them, it gives them the confidence to work hard to accomplish their dreams.

I read the newest book in the series about Helen Keller. The first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts, Helen Keller is one of the most motivating role model out there. Each book has authentic pictures of the person in the back, along with a timeline of her life, sources and further reading. The anecdotes in talking bubbles make this an easy reader and makes each individual feel easily relatable.  

Who Is/Who Was?

Think of a person and I bet you will find that name in this series list. From George Lucas to Frida Kahlo there is no way a child wouldn’t find a person they are interested in learning more about. Artists, scientists, actors, sports stars are all written about in this series. These chapter books are perfect for the elementary school book report with simple text and relevant illustrations. The timelines at the end of each book are amazing because side by side they navigate the person’s personal life in conjunction with what was happening in the world at the same time. There is also a bibliography for resource use.

I read the biography of Julia Child. Everything I knew about Julia Child was from the movie Julie & Julia. This was far more interesting than that movie. Julia did such interesting things throughout her life and she didn’t even plan on doing most of the jobs she fell into. My favorite anecdote is when Julia had to fill out a form in college stating her major and work plans Post College she wrote, “No plans and marriage preferable”. Julia Child isn’t just an inspiration to the child cook she proves that one can accomplish amazing things in life despite getting Cs in school and not having a clear direction after graduating college. Maybe this book will also become the new book to give as a graduation gift along with Oh the Places You’ll Go.

      

I also have made the time to read two adult autobiographies, Yes, My Accent Is Real by Kunal Nayyar and Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling. I had to read Kunal Nayyar's book because I had already received an excerpt from it at the Book Expo and I needed to finish the whole book, (You can read about my experience meeting Kunal Nayyar here.) While I can’t say that I learned the secrets to making better business decisions, I can say that I laughed out loud during both books and personally feel I have a lot of good stories to share about famous people at my dinner table.