Our world is so big, and there are so many wonderful people who have made a difference in a variety of ways. The South Huntington Public Library Children’s Department has a robust biography collection full of true life stories about many influential people, including some highly recommended biography series that you just have to try! Please come and browse through our biographies, or use this list as a jumping off point. How many of these amazing people do you know?
Muhammad Ali Was a Chicken? (Wait! What? series) by Dan Gutman (2nd- 5th gr.)
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Dan Gutman is well known in children’s literature for the My Weird School series, the Baseball Card Adventures, and many more -- but his new venture into the world of biographies might be his best offering yet! In his biography on Muhammad Ali (and the one on Albert Einstein), Gutman seamlessly blends humor and information together in a knockout book (see what I did there?), that readers will not be able to put down.
Kamala Harris (My Itty Bitty Bio series) by Katlin Sarantou (K - 1st gr.)
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This biography series is for the earliest readers and provides an overview or introduction to the lives of notable people like Walt Disney, Sacagawea, and Kamala Harris. In the Harris book, little ones will learn about our first woman U.S. Vice-President through age appropriate sentences that encourage word recognition and reading skills.
Stephen Hawking (Little People, Big Dreams series) by Ma Isabel Sanchez Vegara (PreK - 2nd gr.)
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Playful illustrations and simple narration make this series a winner with the younger set. Little ones can learn a lot about Hawking, arguably the greatest scientist of the past half-century. If your young learners are eager for more, you can also try Bruce Lee, Amelia Earhart, Martin Luther King, Jr., Audrey Hepburn, and others.
Who is Chloe Kim? (Who HQ Now series) by Stefanie Loh (3rd - 6th gr.)
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The Who HQ Now series is a branch of the Who Is?/Who Was? Biography series, but these titles specifically focus on trending topics and important figures that are currently making headlines. In this particular volume, readers can learn about the life and career of Chloe Kim, the Olympic Gold Medalist snowboarder who has been breaking barriers -- including being the only athlete to ever win three gold medals at the X Games before turning 16! We have two more titles in this new series (Christiano Ronaldo and Dale Earnhardt, Jr), and we have plans to add more soon!
Yayoi Kusama (You Should Meet series) by May Nakamura (K - 2nd gr.)
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Do you know Yayoi Kusama? She is a contemporary artist who is sometimes known as the Princess of Polka Dots! She has a very unique vision and style and excels at making art her own way. She is a very interesting person, and is one of many You Should Meet biographies in our library. Others include John Lewis, Roberta Gibb, and Shirley Chisholm, just to name a few!
Lin-Manuel Miranda: Raising Theater to New Heights (Trailblazers series) by Kurtis Scaletta (3rd - 7th gr.)
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In this biography, you can learn all about the creator of the Broadway blockbuster Hamilton! The Trailblazer books are perfect for readers who are ready for the next step after the Who Is?/Who Was? biographies. Our library also has the Trailblazer books about Neil Armstrong, Jackie Robinson, and Stephen Hawking if you’re in the mood for more.
Maria Tallchief (She Persisted series) by Christine Day (3rd - 6th gr.)
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Maria Tallchief, America’s first prima ballerina, is the focus of this She Persisted series entry. Tallchief is a great example of a woman who succeeded on her own terms, not bowing to others who tried to get her to hide her Osage native heritage in an effort to more easily achieve dancing success. Each volume of this series features a woman who stood up, spoke up, and rose up against the odds. Along with the biographical narrative, readers will also get advice and tips on how to follow in the footsteps of these inspiring women. Want to read more? Try the volumes on Diana Taurasi, Sonia Sotomayor, or Nellie Bly.
Greta Thunberg (First Names series) by Tracy Turner (4th - 8th gr.)
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When Greta Thunberg was only eight, she learned about global warming in school and couldn’t believe that people weren’t up in arms about this devastating world travesty. Even at that young age, she knew that she needed to do everything she could to make people wake up and take serious positive action. Years later, she is one of the most renowned social activists in the world -- proving that you’re never too young to make a huge difference. If you like this First Name biography, you can also read about Beyonce and Harry Houdini.
Kid Activists: True Tales of Childhood From Champions of Change (True Tales of Childhood series) by Robin Stevenson (3rd - 7th gr.)
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I’m adding a collective biography series into the mix -- and if you don’t know the True Tales of Childhood series already, you’re in for a treat! Each volume in the series focuses on a group of people, such as presidents, athletes, authors, scientists, artists, and trailblazers, and really brings those people to life by sharing anecdotes from their childhood, along with informing readers about their lasting contributions to our world. In the activists volume, you can read about Iqbal Masih, Janet Mock, Harvey Milk, Emma Watson, Dolores Huerta, Autumn Peltier, Malala Yousafzai, and others.
