Biographies

Biographies are a wonderful way for children to really get to know the people they’re reading about. Many children who read well-written biographies feel as if the biographical subject become personal friends. Often, these children carry with them into adulthood a love of nonfiction that portrays the lives of interesting people with whom they can identify and from whom they can learn.

Writers of biographies have a wonderful array of people from which to choose from. These historical figures are brave men and women who conquer seas, encounter new continents, and explore space.
By reading biographies, children can have an understanding of what life was like for that particular historical figure when they were living (or even if that person is still living today), and this helps children relate (sometimes) to that person(s).

 

Teachers should consider the following criteria when choosing informational books for their classroom:
  1. Does the biography meet the criteria for good literature?
  2. Is the subject of the biography worth reading about?
  3. Is the biography factually accurate in relation to characters, plots, and settings?
  4. Does the biography distinguish between fact and judgement and between fact and fiction?
  5. Does the biographer use primary sources when conducting research for the text? Are these sources identified in the bibliographies or other notes to the readers?
  6. Does the biographer include photographs and other documents that increase the credibility of the text?
  7. If the biographer uses illustrations other than photographs, are the illustrations accurate according to the life and time of the person?
  8. Does the writing style appeal to readers?
one beetle too many

One Beetle Too Many by: Kathryn Lasky is a wonderful biography about the adventures of Charles Darwin.

 

Books posted so far for this type of literature:

  1. Thomas Jefferson Builds A Library by: Barb Rosenstock & Illustrated by: John O’Brien

  2. Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln by: Doreen Rappaport & Illustrated by: Kadir Nelson

  3. The Streak: How Joe DiMaggio Became America’s Hero by: Barb Rosenstock & Illustrated by: Terry Widener