Book picks similar to
Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activites by Kathleen Thorne-Thomsen
nonfiction
non-fiction
biography
kids
Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
Robert Byrd - 2012
In pictures and text, master artist Robert Byrd documents Franklin's numerous and diverse accomplishments, from framing the Constitution to creating bifocals.
Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla
Katherine Applegate - 2014
Brian Karas present the extraordinary real story of a special gorilla.Captured as a baby, Ivan was brought to a Tacoma, Washington, mall to attract shoppers. Gradually, public pressure built until a better way of life for Ivan was found at Zoo Atlanta. From the Congo to America, and from a local business attraction to a national symbol of animal welfare, Ivan the Shopping Mall Gorilla traveled an astonishing distance in miles and in impact.This is his true story and includes photographs of Ivan in the back matter.
The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just
Mélina Mangal - 2018
He saw the whole, where others saw only parts. And he noticed details others failed to see. Through stunning illustrations and lyrical prose, this picture book presents the life and accomplishments of Ernest Everett Just, an African American biologist who made important discoveries about the cell in the 1930s. Through his careful observations and hard work, Ernest opened up the wonder of the universe to all of us, through a tiny egg cell.
Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California's Farallon Islands
Katherine Roy - 2014
Each fall, while the city's inhabitants dine on steaks, salads, and sandwiches, the great white sharks return to California's Farallon Islands to hunt their favorite meal: the seals that live on the island's rocky coasts. Massive, fast, and perfectly adapted to hunting after 11 million years of evolution, the great whites are among the planet's most fearsome, fascinating, and least understood animals. In the fall of 2012, Katherine Roy visited the Farallons with the scientists who study the islands' shark population. She witnessed seal attacks, observed sharks being tagged in the wild, and got an up close look at the dramatic Farallons—a wildlife refuge that is strictly off-limits to all but the scientsts who work there. Neighborhood Sharks is an intimate portrait of the life cycle, biology, and habitat of the great white shark, based on the latest research and an up-close visit with these amazing animals.
The Moon Seems to Change
Franklyn Mansfield Branley - 1960
But it doesn't really. The moon revolves around the Earth. It takes about four weeks to make the journey, and as it travels round we can only see certain parts of it. Try the simple experiment described inside using an orange, a pencil, and a flashlight, and you'll understand why the moon seems to change.
Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré
Anika Aldamuy Denise - 2019
Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistant, she turned her popular stories into libros and spread story seeds across the land. Today, these seeds have grown into a lush landscape as generations of children and cuentistas continue to share her stories and celebrate Pura’s legacy.This portrait of the influential librarian, author, and puppeteer reminds us of the power of storytelling and the extraordinary woman who opened doors and championed bilingual literature.
Just Like Rube Goldberg: The Incredible True Story of the Man Behind the Machines
Sarah Aronson - 2019
Want to become an award-winning cartoonist and inventor? Follow your dreams, just like Rube Goldberg! From a young age, Rube Goldberg had a talent for art. But his father, a German immigrant, wanted Rube to have a secure job. So, Rube went to college and became an engineer.But Rube didn’t want to spend his life mapping sewer pipes. He wanted to follow his passion, so Rube got a low-level job at a newspaper, and from there, he worked his way up, creating cartoons that made people laugh and tickled the imagination. He became known for his fantastic Rube Goldberg machines—complicated contraptions with many parts that performed a simple task in an elaborate and farfetched way. Eventually, his cartoons earned him a Pulitzer Prize and his own adjective in the dictionary. This moving biography is sure to encourage young artists and inventors to pursue their passions.
Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections Castle
Stephen Biesty - 1994
SEE INSIDE AN AMAZING 14TH-CENTURY CASTLEFrom the creators of INCREDIBLE CROSS-SECTIONSWHY...did castles have wooden walkways around the top of their walls?...did one castle attacker set fire to 40 dead pigs?...was the longbow such a fearsome weapon?WHO...was a "gong farmer"?...catapulted animals over the castle walls?...ate elaborate dishes of porpoise and peacock?WHAT...was strewn on castle floors?...was a quantain?...was a squire's job?Follow the story of life in the castle in both peace and war - and find the enemy spy!
Pocahontas and the Strangers
Clyde Robert Bulla - 1971
A fictionalized account of the life of Pocahontas woven about the few facts known from historical records.Reading Level: Age 7 and Up
Ain't Nothing but a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry
Scott Reynolds Nelson - 2007
Historian Scott Nelson brings John Henry alive for young readers in his personal quest for the true story of the man behind the myth. Nelson presents the famous folk song as a mystery to be unraveled, identifying the embedded clues within the lyrics, which he examines to uncover many surprising truths. He investigates the legend and reveals the real John Henry in this beautifully illustrated book. Nelson’s narrative is multilayered, interweaving the story of the building of the railroads, the period of Reconstruction, folk tales, American mythology, and an exploration of the tradition of work songs and their evolution into blues and rock and roll. This is also the story of the author’s search for the flesh-and-blood man who became an American folk hero; Nelson gives a first-person account of how the historian works, showing history as a process of discovery. Readers rediscover an African-American folk hero. We meet John Henry, the man who worked for the railroad, driving steel spikes. When the railroad threatens to replace workers with a steam-powered hammer, John Henry bets that he can drive the beams into the ground faster than the machine. He wins the contest, but dies in the effort. Nelson’s vibrant text, combined with archival images, brings a new perspective and focus to the life and times of this American legend.