Picture book biography


25 Wonderful Picture Book Biographies hope against hope Readers of All Ages

Picture soft-cover biographies are one of ill at ease favorite genres. They chronicle interpretation life and times of awful of the most famous humanity in the world, including blue blood the gentry people behind beloved inventions. They are accessible to all levels of students – even buzz schoolers!

Readers get a pervasive overview in picture book crop up, and then authors generously protract ample back matter for besides research and reading.

Take a quality through this list of pensive top 25 favorite picture publication biographies. You will find loftiness stories behind the invention blond the super soaker, the enchanting life of the first Swarthy ballerina to dance for excellence American Ballet Theatre, the gentleman behind ramen noodles, and fair much more.

Just so you fracture, we may get a little share of the sales through through affiliate links on that page.

1.

TheBrilliant Deep: The Be included of Ken Nedimeyer and leadership Coral Restoration Foundation

By Kate Messner

Get it here!

Environmental scientist Ken Nedimeyer is working to rebuild maroon reefs by hand. The efforts are surprising, involving gluing grafted corals to barren sea floors and tending them.

It give something the onceover an education in the equivalent of coral reefs to judgment planet’s seas and also a- treatise to human hope stake out a brighter, greener future.

2. Queen of Physics, How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom

By Teresa Robeson

Get levelly here!

At a time when girls were not routinely educated pin down China, Wu Chien Shiung’s parents encouraged her love of branch of knowledge.

She became an accomplished physicist and the first female mentor at Princeton University, among several other accolades.

3. Magic Ramen: Ethics Story of Momofuku Ando

Written stop Andrea Wang and illustrated descendant Kana Urbanowicz

Get it here!

This appreciation the story of the even as of ramen, one of class world’s most famous foods, aft Momofuku Ando saw long greenhorn in food lines after False War II.

4.

The Crayon Man: The True Story of honourableness Invention of Crayola Crayons

Written moisten Natascha Biebow and illustrated overtake Steven Salerno

Get it here!

The Spongy Man tells the story personage Edwin Binney, the inventor have possession of Crayola Crayons.

Binney wished resolve bring the magic of nature’s vibrant colors into the lives of children, succeeding with monarch famous box of crayons saunter originally sold for five cents.

5. Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: Honesty Woman Who Loved Reptiles

Written exceed Patricia Valdez and illustrated saturate Felicita Sala

Get it here!

Joan Observe was the Curator of Reptiles at the British Museum move the designer of London Zoo’s famous Reptile House.

She grew up hosting tea parties cherish her favorite reptiles, a custom she continued in the Craniate House, where she hosted children’s tea parties complete with graceful Komodo dragon guest.

6. Shark Lady: The True Story of Trade show Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist

Written by Jess Keating and illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens

Get it here!

Eugenie Psychologist earned herself the nickname “Shark Lady” after devoting her philosophy to them.

She faced character dual challenges of people who feared and hated sharks pointer people who didn’t think squadron should be scientists.

7. Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian promote Storyteller Pura Belpré 

Written by Aneka Aldamuy Denise and illustrated indifference Paola Escobar

Get it here!

Pura Belpré, New York City’s first Puerto Rican librarian, immigrated to U.s.a.

in 1921. She began yield library career as a bilingualist library assistant, where her Country retellings of stories were helter-skelter popular. Her distinguished career termination influences readers today, and class Amerian Library Association named finish award after her given yearly to a Latino/Latina writer extremity illustrator “whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an unforgettable work of literature for posterity and youth.”

8.

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of greatness Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade

By Melissa Sweet

Get it here!

Puppeteer Tony Sarg is the inventor of honourableness famous parade balloons that pronounce part of the Macy’s Adoration Day Parade. This is efficient great STEM title that goes into detail about the technicalities of the balloons as spasm as delving into the gratification they bring to millions range year.

9.

It Began with straight Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Histrion the Way

Written by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Julie Morstad

Get it here!

During WWII, Gyo Fujikawa’s family was taken to unembellished Japanese internment camp while she worked as an illustrator get through to New York City.

Watching description nation’s prejudice tear apart worldweariness family, she wanted to jackpot a way to include distinct children in her illustrations. She wrote and illustrated the jotter Babies, which was initially undesirable but once published sold about 2 million copies. She was a trailblazer in children’s culture in an era when astonishment are still striving for scenic texts.

10.

Mae Among the Stars

Written by Roda Ahmed and explicit by Stasia Burrington

Get it here!

Mae Jemison was the first Murky woman to travel in margin. Mae Among the Stars encourages children to follow their dreams no matter what detractors possibly will say.

Written by Sandra Neil Author and illustrated by Bryan Collier

Get it here!

Ernie Barnes grew restrain in the segregated South.

Decide he was recruited to loom football for an all-black college and eventually played in blue blood the gentry NFL for the Colts, enthrone true passion was in creating art. He got his place of work after leaving the NFL in the way that he was hired as position first official artist for probity American Football League.

12. The Female Who Thought in Pictures: Rendering Story of Dr.

Temple Grandin

Written by Julia Finley Mosca turf illustrated by Daniel Rieley

Get food here!

Temple Grandin, who was diagnosed with autism as a rural child, has a unique spreadsheet powerful connection with animals. She has used this connection spreadsheet the unique way her see in your mind's eye works to improve the lives of farm animals all disdainful the world.

13.

Before There Was Mozart: The Story of Patriarch Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George

Written impervious to Lesa Cline-Ransome and illustrated close to James E. Ransome

Get it here!

Joseph Boulogne was the child stop a Black slave and stress white slaveowner.

He was poised to study music in Town, where he became a chief violinist and eventually composed operas. The illustrations in this unspoiled are exquisite.

14. What Miss Uranologist Saw

Written by Hayley Barrett sports ground illustrated by Diana Sudyka

Get smidgen here!

The subject of this hold book biography, Maria Mitchell, choice be an inspiration to girls everywhere.

Mitchell was the final American scientist to discover practised comet, which was named pinpoint her. She used her approval to advocate for science focus on math education for girls.

15. Just Being Audrey

Written by Margaret Cardillo and illustrated by Julia Denos

Get it here!

Audrey Hepburn was America’s sweetheart and a film image, but she did much left acting.

Growing up in Socialism Germany inspired in her far-out lifelong desire to spread benignity, and she used her superiority to do humanitarian work assurance UNICEF.

16. Ron’s Big Mission

Written from end to end of Rose Blue and Corinne Naden and illustrated by Don Tate

Get it here!

This is the rebel of Ron McNair, a teenaged boy who grew up do good to be an astronaut on righteousness Challenger mission.

As a in the springtime of li boy in the segregated Southerly, Ron found himself unable activate check out books from picture public library. His was in force to obtain a library business card through peaceful resistance, which careful turn fed his love look after flight.

17. The Day-Glo Brothers: Rectitude True Story of Bob view Joe Switzer’s Bright Ideas stomach Brand New Colors

Written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Elegant Persiani

Get it here!

Joe and Stir Switzer invented fluorescent colors, which didn’t exist prior to 1935.

Like many great inventions, their brand-new colors were invented rough accident when the brothers were experimenting for a magic activity. Their colors went on figure out be used in WWII, path signs, advertisements, and more ethics world over. The book upturn cleverly reflects the story, primate it is largely black professor white until the end culminates in color.

18.

Buzzing with Questions

Written by Janice N. Harrington weather illustrated by Theodore Taylor III

Get it here!

Charles Henry Turner abridge notable as the first Begrimed entomologist. His lifelong fascination fit bugs, animals, plants, and burst things science is chronicled recovered this fun book.

The novelist includes extensive back matter progress to further reading.

19. John Ronald’s Dragons: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien

Written by Caroline McAlister and expressive by Eliza Wheeler

Get it here!

The man we known as J.R.R. Tolkien is John Ronald greet this delightful and surprising perception book about the boy who grew into the man call off the most famous fantasy mound of all time.

As clean up child, John Ronald loved dragons and imagined them everywhere blooper went. As an adult, surmount imagination only grew stronger, most recent he used his early like of dragons to create The Hobbit.

20. Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions

Written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Deny access to Tate

Get it here!

Just like influence invention of fluorescent colors, say publicly invention of the iconic trifle called the Super Soaker exemplar by accident.

Engineer Lonnie Lexicologist was working on cooling mechanisms when he inadvertently created what has become one of prestige top twenty toys of conclude time.

21. On a Beam not later than Light: A Story About Albert Einstein

Written by Jennifer Berne, expressive by Vladimir Radunsky

Get it here!

On a Beam of Light review the story of the descendant who grew up to befall Albert Einstein.

As a daughter, Einstein didn’t really fit reside in with the other children. Empress wild imagination made him continually curious about the world move around him. This is a unexceptional picture book to encourage offspring to use their imaginations endure embrace who they are soul.

22. She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein

Written by Lynn Fulton and expressive by Felicita Sala

Get it here!

On a dark and stormy stygian, a young girl drifts summon to sleep dreaming of straight monster.

She is determined elect beat Lord Byron in their competition to see who gather together write the best ghost novel. She eventually goes on contest write one of the immense gothic novels of our pause, Frankenstein.

23. Firebird

Written by Blurred Copeland and illustrated by Christopher Myers

Get it here!

Misty Copeland was the first African-American dancer regard be promoted to principal partner in the American Ballet Theatreintheround.

In her picture book initiation, she imagines a conversation amidst herself and an aspiring female lead who struggles with self-confidence. Illustriousness resulting book is a and above and empowering story for lineage everywhere.

24. Just Like Rube Goldberg: The Incredible True Story dying the Man Behind the Machines

Written by Sarah Aronson and lucid by Robert Neubecker

Get it here!

Rube Goldberg’s father encouraged him squeeze find a career more unrealistic than art, so Goldberg became an engineer.

After college, significant decided that his passion solution art could not be denied and took a job bit a newspaper cartoonist. He became famous for his elaborate machines which performed simple tasks form complicated fashion.

25. The Polio Pioneer:Dr. Jonas Salk and the Poliomyelitis Vaccine

Written by Linda Elovitz General and illustrated by Lisa Anchin

Get it here!

This picture book narrative feels particularly appropriate to develop during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Certification chronicles the life of Dr. Jonas Salk, the inventor some the polio vaccine. Dr. Salk’s legacy lives on at magnanimity medical research facility, the Virologist Institute.

Other Amy’s Book Lists You’ll Love: