Who Was Walt Disney?
Author: Whitney Stewart
Illustrator: Nancy Harrison
Genre: Biography
Grade level: 2-7
Who Was Walt Disney? is a biographical book about the life of the great Walt Disney. He grew up loving to entertain people and draw pictures. He grew up living on a farm, which caused him to always love the small town feel. This book explains Walt Disney's life before he created his extremely successful theme parks.
Nancy Harrison created the illustrations in this book. The cover illustration is in a different style of cartoon. It looks similar to a caricature with exaggerated features and a large head. The illustrations throughout the book are black and white and simple.
This is a fun read for readers from ages seven to twelve. This story has a great message for students in school because Walt Disney did not come from a whole lot but continued to try and made a whole lot of himself. It also encourages students to be creative and allow their imaginations to roam wherever they want to go.
I've Seen the Promised Land: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
Author: Walter Dean MyersIllustrator: Leonard JenkinsGenre: BiographyGrade level: PK-3
I've Seen the Promised Land: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a biography of the life of one of the most celebrated African American men to date. This book tells the story of how he led African Americans in their pursuit for equality, rights, and true freedom.
Leonard Jenkins's illustrations are beautiful paintings that are detailed to look as realistic as the man himself. The images are very vivid and moving. The images do a great job of recreating the feel of the 1960s through the use of striking color choices.
I would suggest this book for students who are young readers from pre-schoolers up to third grade. Children begin to learn of the history of the civil rights movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. even in preschool. This book would be a great introduction into those topics. It contains many great details of his life and the amazing things he did to create equality.
Eleanor
Author/Illustrator: Barbara Cooney
Genre: Biography
Grade level: 2-5
This is a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt's childhood. Eleanor came from a wealthy family, but her home was not the most loving so she was very shy and lonely. In her later years, Eleanor discovered her intelligence and strength. Eleanor grows up to be an inspiration and beloved first lady.
Barbara Cooney also does the illustrations for this book. She has won two Caldecott Medals in the past, so her illustrations show her immense talent. She paints detailed picture of Eleanor's childhood world. They show beautiful watercolor art of upper class Manhattan.
This book is great for middle or late elementary. Eleanor has a great message to it that would speak to students who do not have a great home life, absent parents, or are shy. This true story shows that a woman who did not know who she was finally found herself and found that she was intelligent and capable of anything.
Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man
Author: David A. Adler
Illustrator: Terry Widener
Genre: Biography
Grade level: 3-5
This is a biography about the great baseball player, Lou Gehrig, and his legendary perseverance. He was an amazing first baseman for the New York Yankees. He considered himself a very lucky man, even though when he turned thirty-six, he was diagnosed with a fatal disease that was so rare it was named after him.
Terry Widener created the illustrations for this book. He captured the emotion of this story so well with his pictures. The energy given by the illustrations make the book come to life.
This book is great for middle or late elementary. It depicts a very emotional story of losing out on the completion of a dream. This is a great book for Black History Month as Lou Gehrig is a very prominent black man who is very inspirational to many.
The Darkest Dark
Author: Chris Hadfield
Illustrator: Terry & Eric Fan
Genre: Biography
Grade level: K-3
The Darkest Dark is an autobiography of a man named Chris Hadfield who writes of his childhood. When he was a young boy he loved space, but he was scared of the dark until he watched the moon landing on tv. He realized space was the darkest dark, but it was so exciting and his biggest dream to be apart of it. This is a true story of how a little boy's dreams of being an astronaut become true.
Terry and Eric Fan's illustrations in this picture book bring to life this true story. They cleverly used graphite colored illustrations to give the reader a feeling of space and the moon. Most of the illustrations are two-paged to show off the glow of the moon.
I would suggest this book for students who are young readers from five to about eight although readers of all ages would enjoy this book. It has a great message of not giving up on your dreams and overcoming your fears. It also includes a section of more information about Chris Hadfield that is a great addition to this autobiography.
