What Is the Civil Rights Movement?


Sherri L. Smith - 2020
    They couldn't go to the same schools, eat at the same restaurants, or even use the same bathrooms as white people. But by the 1950s, black people refused to remain second-class citizens and were willing to risk their lives to make a change.Author Sherri L. Smith brings to life momentous events through the words and stories of people who were on the frontlines of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.This book also features the fun black-and-white illustrations and engaging 16-page photo insert that readers have come love about the What Was? series!

What Is the Story of Looney Tunes?


Steve Korté - 2020
    If you're a fan of Acme anvils and know that the question "What's up, Doc?" needs no answer, this history of the cartoon favorites Looney Tunes is for you!In the 1930s, Warner Brothers studios introduced the world to the Looney Tunes. A witty rabbit named Bugs, a stuttering pig named Porky, and an erratic duck named Daffy are just some of the characters that have left audiences hysterically laughing for almost a century. These animated short films, starring some of the most iconic cartoon characters in history, went on to have a second, long life on television.In this book, author Steve Korte details how these toons were imagined, which talented folks were tasked with animating and voicing them, the success the shows and films have garnered over the years, and what lies ahead for Bugs and the gang.

What Is the Story of Frankenstein?


Sheila Keenan - 2019
    His iconic look is a go-to Halloween costume for kids and adults alike. But how did the mad scientist and his creation become so popular? Author Sheila Keenan explains his spooky origin story, the history of the movies, and what lies ahead for this monstrous creature.

Who Was Chuck Jones?


Jim Gigliotti - 2017
    They starred Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, Pep� Le Pew, Porky Pig and a slew of other Warner Brothers characters. When he moved on to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, his work includes a series of Tom and Jerry shorts as well as the television adaptation of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas.Jones was nominated for eight Academy Awards, won three, and received an honorary Oscar for his work in the animation industry. His career spanned almost seventy years, during which he made over 250 animated films, including What's Opera, Doc?, a classic Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd short that is considered to be one of the greatest cartoons of all time.

Who Was Sam Walton?


James Buckley Jr. - 2019
     Sam Walton used the money he earned in the army, along with some financial help from his family, to open his first store. Then he opened fourteen more. Then Sam had an even bigger idea. He wanted to build large stores in small towns and reduce the price of everything they stocked. Although other businessmen and potential partners laughed at him, this entrepreneur with humble beginnings used his resourcefulness to create Walmart, which would become the largest company in the world.

Who Was Norman Rockwell?


Sarah Fabiny - 2019
    After hearing President Franklin Roosevelt's address to Congress in 1943, he was inspired to create paintings that described the principles for universal rights: four paintings that portray iconic images of the American experience. Over the course of his lifetime, he painted 322 covers for the Saturday Evening Post. Of his work, he has said: Maybe as I grew up and found the world wasn't the perfect place I thought it to be, I consciously decided that if it wasn't an ideal world, it should be, and so painted only the ideal aspects of it.

Who Is Jackie Chan?


Jody Jensen Shaffer - 2020
    He was eventually enrolled in the China Drama Academy, where he improved his martial arts skills and became a stuntman. That training led to a successful career as an actor. Kong-sang, now known as Jackie Chan, never gave up on his passion for screwball physical comedy. Luckily for Jackie, his determination paid off. His humor and dangerous stuntwork in films like Cannonball Run, Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon, and Karate Kid have made him an international star, and it doesn't look like he'll be leaving the big screen anytime soon.

Who Was Richard Nixon?


Megan Stine - 2020
    He'd participated in a scandal that included secret tape recordings, a burglary, and a cover-up, and now his secrets and lies were catching up to him. How could Nixon, a man who had been reelected in a landslide victory just two years earlier, now be leaving office in disgrace?Author Megan Stine takes readers through President Nixon's life--from his childhood and military experiences during World War II--to his long political career and the Watergate scandal that tarnished his legacy and deepened American's mistrust of the government.

What Is the World Cup?


Bonnie Bader - 2018
    Over one billion people tuned in worldwide to watch the final game of the 2014 competition, making the World Cup the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Summer Olympics! This book takes a look back at what has changed since the first tournament in 1930 and what lies ahead for the most popular sport in the world.

What Is the Stanley Cup?


Gail Herman - 2019
    Ice hockey fans will pull on their skates and gear up for this Who HQ title about the Stanley Cup Finals--the National Hockey League's championship games.Out of the thirty-two pro hockey teams that compete, only one can call itself the champion and proudly hoist up the Stanley Cup--the oldest sports trophy in the world! From the formation of the leagues and the crowning of the first championship-winning team, to the Rangers' Stanley Cup curse and the uncertain fate of the teams during the Spanish flu epidemic, this book recounts the highs and lows of this exciting ice hockey series.

What Are the Ten Commandments?


Yona Zeldis McDonough - 2017
    It also looks at what each individual commandment means and how together they form the basis of leading a moral life as well as forming a just government.

What Is the Story of Batman?


Michael Burgan - 2020
    The character was so popular after appearing in Detective Comics that DC Comics decided to give Batman a comic book of his own. In doing so, they created one of the company's most successful franchises.Author Michael Burgan details the history of Batman--from his tragic origin story and his infamous arch enemies--to his iconic depictions in television and movies throughout the years.

What Was the Bombing of Hiroshima?


Jess M Brallier - 2020
    Now readers will learn the reasons why and what it's meant for the world ever since. By August 1945, World War II was over in Europe, but the fighting continued between American forces and the Japanese, who were losing but determined to fight till the bitter end. And so it fell to a new president--Harry S. Truman--to make the fateful decision to drop two atomic bombs--one on Hiroshima and one on Nagasaki--and bring the war to rapid close. Now, even seventy years later, can anyone know if this was the right choice? In a thoughtful account of these history-changing events, Jess Brallier explains the leadup to the bombing, what the terrible results of it were, and how the threat of atomic war has colored world events since.

Who Was Harvey Milk?


Corinne A. Grinapol - 2020
    He would eventually make history of his own by becoming the first openly gay elected politician in California. While in office, Harvey Milk advocated for equal rights for the gay community.Even though his life and career were cut short, Harvey is still seen by many as one of the most famous and most significantly open LGBT officials ever elected in the United States. His life and legacy continue to inspire and unite the community.

Who Are the Rolling Stones?


Dana Meachen Rau - 2017
    Starting out over fifty years ago, the Rolling Stones took the music of the blues and blended it into rock and roll to create their own unique sound. Decades later, they are still hard at work, recording and playing live to massive crowds of adoring fans. Who Are the Rolling Stones? captures the excitement of the Stones on their journey to become the greatest rock-and-roll band in the world.