Biography – Autobiography- Memoir

The Young Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Anderson was born in the slums of Odense, Denmark. His parents were hardworking, and Hans received little formal education, but his childhood was his opening to the world of folklore and fairy tales. Much of his work depicts characters who gain happiness in life after suffering and conflicts and many of his childhood experiences inspired his most famous tales, such as The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid. In this intimate and gripping biography of one of the world’s greatest storytellers, Karen Hesse and acclaimed artist Erik Blegvad connect Hans’s own experiences

Witnesses To War

For millions of children, living in Europe during World War II was a terrifying experience. Here, eight of those children share their true stories — of living in the Warsaw Ghetto, of being sent to concentration camps, of being selected for “Germanization”. Each story is different, but each represents the stories of millions of innocent victims of the Holocaust. B&W photos.

Leaving China

James McMullan was born in Tsingtao, North China, in 1934, the grandson of missionaries who settled there. As a little boy, Jim took for granted a privileged life of household servants, rickshaw rides, and picnics on the shore—until World War II erupted and life changed drastically. Jim’s father, a British citizen fluent in several Chinese dialects, joined the Allied forces. For the next several years, Jim and his mother moved from one place to another—Shanghai, San Francisco, Vancouver, Darjeeling—first escaping Japanese occupation then trying to find security, with no clear destination except the unpredictable end of the war. For Jim, those ever-changing years took on the quality of a dream, sometimes a nightmare, a feeling that persists in the stunning full-page, full-color paintings that along with their accompanying text tell the story of Leaving China.

Stand Up, Mr Dickens

Portrays the life of the famed English novelist and describes how he entertained audiences by reading his stories aloud. Includes excerpts from “The Pickwick Papers,” “Oliver Twist,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Dombey and Son,” “David Copperfield,” and “Great Expectations.”

Step Right Up

A picture book biography of Dr. William Key, a former slave and self-trained veterinarian who taught his horse, Jim, to read and write and who together with Jim became one of the most famous traveling performance acts around the turn of the twentieth century. Includes afterword and author’s sources.

Searching for Sarah Rector

Sarah Rector was once famously hailed as “the richest black girl in America.” Set against the backdrop of American history, her tale encompasses the creation of Indian Territory, the making of Oklahoma, and the establishment of black towns and oil-rich boomtowns.

Some Writer!: The Story Of E. B. White

White’s personal letters, photos, and family ephemera with her own exquisite artwork to tell the story of this American literary icon. Readers young and old will be fascinated and inspired by the journalist, New Yorker contributor, and children’s book author who loved words his whole life.

George Washington Carver

A Coretta Scott King Honor Award author offers a fresh look at this pioneering American innovator Shampoo from peanuts? Wallpaper from clay? Ink from sweet potatoes? Discover Carvers imagination and inspiration in this one-of-a-kind biography. With imagination and intellect, George Washington Carver (18641934) developed hundreds of unexpected products from everyday plants. This book reveals what an exceptionally uncommon man Carver was: trailblazing scholar, innovative scientist, pioneering conservationist, and impassioned educator. This book follows his life from slave and orphan to his college days as the first African American to attend Iowa State College (where he later taught), and on to his life and work in the field of agriculture. Illustrated with historical artifacts and photographs, the book traces Carvers life, discoveries, and legacy.

Gifts From The Enemy

Gifts from the Enemy is the powerful and moving story based on From a Name to a Number: A Holocaust Survivor’s Autobiography by Alter Wiener, in which Alter recalls his loss of family at the hands of the Nazis and his internment in five prison camps during World War II. This picture book tells one moving episode during Alter’s imprisonment, when an unexpected person demonstrates moral courage in repeated acts of kindness to young Alter during his imprisonment.