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.    

Highlights From The Book Expo

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE free stuff. Every year I look forward to the Book Expo at the Javitt’s Center like it is a giant celebration of me and the things I love most in the whole world – famous people and free books. (Yes, you do have to pay an admission fee but if you BEA right, you end up with way more than you paid for!)

Below is some of the awesome discoveries I made this year. While many of them are children’s books for the youngest set (since I do go there for work), I did find some other treasures adults are sure to love.

 Yes, My Accent Is Real – Kunal Nayyar

When a celebrity writes a book their signings are often a “ticketed event”, meaning if you aren’t one of the first 200 to show up, you aren’t getting a signed copy of the book. For really special famous people they often tell you that you cannot take a picture WITH the person only OF the person, and when a person is signing 200 autographs, unfortunately you cannot ask for the signature to be personalized. This was the case with Kunal Nayyar, author of Yes, My Accent is Real and is more famously known as the actor who plays Raj on The Big Bang Theory. When you know you only have 20-30 seconds with a famous person, what you choose to say in that moment is critical (if you can muster up the strength to say anything at all other than “Thanks!”). Since I am the most confident person I know, I took my picture of Kunal while he stopped and smiled for the person in front of me to take his picture and then I said “Just so you know, my husband always loved your character the best because when he was little he was scared to talk to girls, and he totally related to you the most”. (Super eloquent right?!) Then Mr. Nayyar said “Well he married a beautiful girl so he must be doing alright now!” And then I lost it (Not as much as the lady behind me) but I was on such a high from this moment that I probably had a goofy smile on my face for the next 3 days (who am I kidding? I am still smiling from this moment!) When this book of essays (maybe he feels too young to call it an autobiogrpahy?) comes out on September 8, find yourself a copy because you will seriously laugh out loud and you won’t put it down until you are finished with the whole thing.

 

The Marvels – Brian Selznick

Brian Selznick was on that “ticketed only” list I previously mentioned and if you have ever read The Invention of Hugo Cabret or Wonderstruck then you know just how amazing and talented Brian Selznick truly is. While I was extremely saddened that I wouldn’t meet him, the wonderful team at Scholastic had a really nice compensation package – you can pick up a regular copy of the book that isn’t autographed. I thought AWESOMMMMEEEE! Then another funny thing happened, just as I made a mental note to come back to the booth at 2 pm for my book, who other than Brian Selznick is hanging out in front of the really cool backdrop they made out of his new cover! Obviously I had to let him know that when I worked in the public library I made everyone and their mother (literally) read his books and that I also always pushed them on older reluctant readers since there were always more pictures than actual words. Sure enough, I got my photo with Brian Selznick and maybe when his next book comes out I will finally get his autograph. The Marvels tells a story in both pictures and words about two stories which seem unrelated and then magically combine. It goes on sale on September 15, but you better preorder it today!

Fuzzy Mud – Louis Sachar

I have always been a huge fan of Louis Sachar. I read all five of the Wayside School series books so many times in elementary school I can still repeat some of the text by heart. Obviously I loved Holes and Small Steps and I jumped at the chance to have my picture taken with one of my favorite authors of all time. Sometimes I like to play down how much I truly love an author in the moment to seem less star-struck so I had my book personalized to my husband who is obviously “also a HUGE fan of yours from when we were younger” but let’s be honest – this was really for me all along! Fuzzy Mud is a mystery-thriller about two middle schoolers who end up in the woods and discover mud that may create an ecological disaster. It is exciting and funny and all things Louis Sachar. Get excited!!

The Look Cookers – Jim Malloy

This book is for every child who has high anxiety about making new friends or meeting new people. Matthew, the protagonist in the story is a shy boy who believes he is a secret spy, on the lookout for the different kinds of people who are “out to get him”. He feels like they can read his mind when they make eye contact or blink or ask him questions. The book takes us through Matthew’s first day of school and just when you think he may crack, he shows the reader his way of proving he can get through the day on his own. This debut picture book is ideal for older readers (6+) who can get anxious about new surroundings.

Through The Town – Craig Shuttlewood

Let me introduce you to Little Bee Books – a brand new imprint of Bonnier Publishing Group. They publish really awesome books for children ages 0-5. I was lucky enough to be given a copy of Through the Town, a book about traveling all around the neighborhood with an opportunity for the young person to follow the trail. The “streets” on each page are grooved to put your finger in (or a small Hot Wheels car if you are my three year old) and you can practice fine motor skills while jumping over puddles or zig-zagging in the sky. This book has simple text and any child that loves to combine reading with activities is sure to keep this book open for hours.

I also want to give a shout-out to the School Zone Publishing Company. If you are unfamiliar with their products, they have amazing coloring and activity books as well as their own easy reader series called “Start to Read” that make excellent resources for children ages 2-6. They have apps as well and I highly recommend checking out schoolzone.com to see what they can offer your child!

Some other great books that I highly recommend include:

Red Bird: Friends Come in Different Sizes by Barney Saltzberg (who wrote Beautiful Oops) - This very brightly illustrated books reminds children that friends come in all shapes and sizes and we love people for who they are.

Look At Me Now! By Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones – This book is narrated by a toddler who is excited to share all the things he can now do by himself (or with a little help) with the world. If you have a toddler, they too will be proud that they can eat with a spoon, find their nose and walk up stairs along with all the other day to day activities highlighted in this book.

Bulldozer’s Big Day – Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann – it’s Bulldozer’s big day but to everyone else on the construction site it seems to be just a regular day at the office. Can you guess why Bulldozer is so excited? Two champion authors come together to write a great birthday tale – guaranteed to be loved by all children (but especially truck enthusiasts).

Click, Clack, Ho, Ho, Ho! – Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin – Duck is at it again! This time he wants to play Santa and poor old Farmer Brown just wants Christmas to be perfect... (no worries - it is the BEST Christmas!)