Fantastic picture book biographies
There’s been an upswing in fantastic illustrated biographies for kids in the last few years. Here are some of our favourite visual biographies to inspire, educate and amaze young readers.
You can also find further recommendations by browsing the collections at the bottom of the post.
The Girl Who Ran by Frances Poletti and Kristina Yee
This joyous depiction of Bobbi Gibb’s groundbreaking run in the 1966 Boston Marathon uses rhyming couplets and fluid illustrations to give a sense of motion and excitement. After having her application rejected, Gibb famously donned a hoodie and participated illegally in the Marathon, becoming the first woman to do so.
Handwritten fonts crowd the early pages, delivering the objections of the time to women running the marathon: don’t be silly, good girls don’t run, so unladylike, you’ll hurt yourself. The action-filled text and fiery trails that follow Gibb when she runs, make for a read full of anticipation and admiration. When Gibb tells a fellow runner that she is scared of rejection, he responds with support, just like the real-life runners who formed a protective circle around Gibb she ran. A biographical note and timeline at the end gives context to the story of Gibb’s first marathon – she went on to participate in many marathons in the 50 years since her first success.
For ages 5 and up.
Radiant Child by Javaka Steptoe
The burn-bright life of artist Jean Michel Basquiat is told in suitable style in the Caldecott-Medal-winning Radiant Child. The minimal text is vivid and poetic, detailing Basquiat’s Brooklyn childhood, his parents’ influence through museums and jazz, the effects of a childhood car accident, creative storms and eventual success. Steptoe’s illustrations are an homage to Basquiat’s unique style, and you could not get a better introduction to the inner workings of an artist. There is a longer biography at the end, information about motifs and symbols, and a fascinating author note.
For ages 6 and up.
If you love artist biographies, please also check out Yayoi Kusuma: From Here to Infinity, Frida Kahlo And Her Animalitos, Cloth Lullaby and Mr Matisse and his Cutouts.
If architects are more your thing, consider picking up The Shape of the World (Frank Lloyd Wright) or The World Is Not a Rectangle (Zaha Hadid).
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly and Laura Freeman
Any budding mathematician or space enthusiast will be thrilled to learn the stories of four integral figures in the space exploration of the twentieth century: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and Christine Darden. This wonderful and detailed group biography takes the reader back to a time when computers referred to human mathematicians and follows these four African-American women as they develop their careers at the predecessor to NASA during the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
Katherine, Dorothy, Mary and Christine each get their pages in the spotlight; their obstacles, computing breakthroughs and tenacity are described succinctly, as is segregation, the civil rights movements and key events in space exploration and the space race. The illustrations are an absolute joy, creating a bold and cinematic historical setting for the stories, and aptly depicting the strength of these women. Potted biographies of each woman and a timeline make for an interesting end to this top-notch book.
For ages 6 and up.
Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick and Sophie Blackall
A mother sits down with her son, Cole, at bedtime and tells him a story about a soldier and a beloved bear, and then when it’s finished, tells him another story, about the bear and a child and a writer.
Using gorgeously sympathetic illustrations and sepia photos, we hear about softhearted Canadian soldier Harry Colebourn, who purchased a bear on a train platform, named him Winnie (after his hometown of Winnipeg) and took him overseas as a comforting mascot when WWI hit. When the war gets too dangerous, Colebourn deposited Winnie at the London Zoo, where he finds an adoring fan in Christopher Robin Mile and his father A.A. Milne. Text and pictures work together seamlessly in this sweet story, with Cole’s interjections and questions providing comic relief.
At the very end of the book we discover that author Mattick is the great-granddaughter of Colebourn, and that her son Cole is named after this long-ago soldier who unwittingly played a pivotal role in the creation of Winnie-the-Pooh.
For ages 4 and up.
Who Says Women Can’t Be Computer Programmers? by Tanya Lee Stone and Marjorie Priceman
Told in a classic storybook style, Who Says Women Can’t Be Computer Programmers? contains everything you need to know about groundbreaking mathematician, scientist and engineer, Ada Lovelace. Beginning with Ada’s childhood, we meet her cat, Madame Puff, and her parents, the famed poet Lord Byron and Lady Byron, who valued academics above creativity. Even at a young age, Ada possessed the imagination of an artist and the rationality of a scholar, and this book does a wonderful job of showing how these two aptitudes resulted in her amazing work on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, a precursor to computers.
Who Says Women Can’t Be Computer Programmers? is such a lively introduction to Ada’s life and developments in computation. The illustrations are charming, colourful and full of whirling numbers, ideas, machines and whimsical detail.
For ages 6 and up.
If you enjoy this title, you might also like Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors?, which tells the story of nineteenth century doctor Elizabeth Blackwell.
The Shack that Dad Built by Elaine Russell
The Shack that Dad Built presents a perfect slice of the author’s childhood, when her family lived on the Aboriginal mission at La Perouse, Syney. They lived in a simple and comfortable tin shack among the sand dunes, in full view of the water, and their daily life was filled with long games in the dunes and searching for bush tucker.
Modern city-dwelling kids will be fascinated by, and relate to, Russell’s stories of her secret garden, the joys of hot chips and Christmas hopes being dashed. The bright and bold paintings with dark outlines bring to life the coastal setting, the schoolyard, the shack and community activities brilliantly. Told in a neat episodic style, this is a great book to read together, or for a newly independent reader.
For ages 4 and up.
Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai
This affecting picture book tells Malala Yousafzai’s story in her own first-person voice. She tells of her childhood belief in magic, her growing awareness of economic and gender inequality in Pakistan, and her alarm when education for girls became restricted. Yousafzai describes her decision to use her voice and words to spread her belief in the importance of education for girls, and reiterates her belief in peace, equality and acting decisively to help people in need. The watercolour and ink illustrations are delightful, with gold embellishments underscoring the theme of magic.
The more disturbing aspects of opposition to Yousafzai’s work are not dwelled on in this work for a younger audience, and the result is a hopeful and inspiring read for ages. An afterword contains information about the Taliban, and Malala’s work and achievements.
For ages 5 and up.
The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield and the Fan brothers
Inspired by astronaut Chris Hadfield’s childhood, The Darkest Dark is a sweet story halfway between biography and fiction. Space-loving little Chris can’t sleep in the dark, because his mind keeps conjuring up scary aliens. But after watching the moon landing on the only TV on Stag Island (Ontario), along with a group of equally gobsmacked adults and kids, Chris realises the immensity, wonder and darkness of the universe, and his fears are conquered.
Eric and Terry Fan have done a great job of creating evocative night-time and space scenes, with their blue- and green- and grey-toned illustrations. This reassuring and hopeful story is suitable for toddlers, and there is also an epilogue describing Hadfield’s career, and photos of him as a kid and in action as an astronaut on the International Space Station.
For ages 2 and up.
The Little People, Big Dreams series
Kicking off with Coco Chanel and Frida Kahlo, this series of picture book biographies of accomplished women has been a runaway success. Running to 13 titles, author Isabel Sanchez Vegara is showing no signs of slowing.
The biographies start in girlhood, and then follow the women as they develop their passions, skills, knowledge and ability to weather setbacks and obstacles. The books are colourfully and cutely illustrated, and the text is a simple but effective couple of sentences per page. For older readers there is a more detailed double-page biography and photos at the end.
Look out for books on Georgia O'Keefe, Harriet Tubman and Jane Austen in late May 2018.
