Biography Series
 WHO WAS LOUIS ARMSTRONG?
If not for a stint in reform school, young Louis Armstrong might never have become a musician. It was a teacher at the Colored Waifs’ Home who gave him a cornet, promoted him to band leader, and saw talent in the tough kid from the even tougher New Orleans neighborhood called Storyville. But it was Louis Armstrong’s own passion and genius that pushed jazz into new and exciting realms with his amazing, improvisational trumpet playing. His seventy-year life spanned a critical time in American music as well as black history. |
 WHO WAS JOHN F. KENNEDY?
The man who saved the lives of his PT-109 crewmen during WWII and became the 35th president fought-and won-his first battle at the age of two-and-a-half, when he was stricken with scarlet fever. Although his presidency was cut short, our nation’s youngest elected leader left an indelible mark on the American consciousness and now is profiled in our Who Was…? series. Included are 100 black-and-white illustrations as well as a timeline that guides readers through this eventful period in history. [ BUY THE BOOK ] |
 WHO WAS WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART?
Born in Austria in 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his first piece of music, a minuet, when he was just five years old! Soon after, he was performing for kings and emperors. Although he died at the young age of thirty-five, Mozart left a legacy of more than 600 works. This fascinating biography charts the musician’s extraordinary career and personal life while painting a vivid cultural history of eighteenth-century Europe. Black-and-white illustrations on every spread explore such topics as the history of opera and the evolution of musical instruments. There is also a timeline and a bibliography. [ BUY THE BOOK ] |
 WHO WAS HARRIET TUBMAN?
Born a slave in Maryland, Harriet Tubman knew first-hand what it meant to be someone’s property; she was whipped by owners and almost killed by an overseer. It was from other field hands that she first heard about the Underground Railroad which she travelled by herself north to Philadelphia. Throughout her long life (she died at the age of ninety-two) and long after the Civil War brought an end to slavery, this amazing woman was proof of what just one person can do. [ BUY THE BOOK ] |
 A DOLL NAMED DORA ANN
Kate’s grandma gives her a doll that has been in their family for almost 150 years. The doll has shiny black hair, a beautiful painted face, a little trunk of handmade dresses and coats, and even a muff to keep her china hands warm. Here is a sweet Level 3 easy reader that will go straight to the heart of any little girl who loves dolls. [ BUY THE BOOK ] |
