Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - picture book biographies - 7.01.2020

Wednesdays I join Alyson Beecher from kidlitfrenzy and other

#kidlit bloggers to share wonderful nonfiction picture books.

The intention of today's blog post is to give professionals that work in the
education field new nonfiction reading material and ideas to use 

with students to promote a love of reading nonfiction materials.

Ready for some more picture book biographies?  I have you covered!



Hard Work, But It's Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter
written by Bethany Hegedus
illustrated by Kyung Eun Han
President Carter is the first president I really remember being in office, even though President Ford was in office when I was born.  Even now, I don't remember a whole lot about President Carter, except I do remember having a book about the presidents and being fascinated with his daughter, Amy!  I'm surprised this is the first picture book biography I've seen about his life, glad young readers will learn more about him.
This book covers his early life and lets readers get a feel for how he felt about the civil unrest of his times and how he wanted to confront it.  It covers his entry into politics and quickly gets to his time in office.  I'm especially glad it focused on the wonderful humanitarian work he has done since his time in office.


Jump!  from the life of Michael Jordan
by Floyd Cooper
I don't know how I don't have this biography.  One of the best things in my late teen, early adult years was growing up watching the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan.  I was very lucky that I got to see Jordan play in several games during that time.  The Bulls were absolutely electric to watch, but nothing was better than watching Jordan.
I really liked that this book focused on his foundations, what made him who he became.  You don't just step onto the court being that good, it's the years and decades that come before all of that.  The hard work and dedication that goes into everything.  
This is a book I need to buy for my library!


Ready to Fly: How Sylvia Townsend Became the Bookmobile Ballerina
written by Lea Lyon and A. LaFaye
illustrated by Sylvia Townsend
We always say books hold the power to open your world.  Well, Sylvia Townsend made that happen.  As a young girl she loved to dance, but because she lived in times of segregation, she could not find a ballet school that would allow her to attend because of the color of her skin.  She continued to teach herself ballet, checking out book after book from her local bookmobile!  She taught herself and soon taught other neighborhood girls.  After a ballet teacher saw what she could do, she became her mentor and Sylvia was on her way of a lifetime of dancing.
I thought it was an interesting choice to have the book told in the first person.  While Sylvia Townsend did write the foreword of the book, she is not listed as an author.


How to Solve a Problem: The Rise (and Falls) of a Rock-Climbing Champion
written by Ashima Shiraishi
illustrations by Yao Xiao
This narrative nonfiction picture book is really amazing.  Ashima is a rock-climbing champion... and she's only a teenager!  The way she looks at her rock climbing path and viewing one "problem" at a time is really a fantastic way of looking at growth mindset.  She also talks about learning from her mistakes and gaining insight from them.  The timeline in the back is awe-inspiring - she's been climbing (the first known climb is from out of her crib, ha) since she was six, and solving rock climbing problems that put her at expert levels since she was eight!  Just amazing.


Happy July reading to all!