Picture Book Biographies

river of wordsPicture Book Biographies

Picture book biographies are excellent choices for introducing students of all ages to a particular author or historical figure. Many times they are also good examples of research, characters who persevere in the midst of adversity, interesting historical anecdotes, and just plain good stories—true stories.

The Criteria

Essentially, a good picture book biography gives us all the things a good novel-length biography does:

  • well-researched information on the person in question.
  • a well-rounded look at that person, ideally placed in his or her historical context.
  • documented sources for any direct quotations.
  • a bibliography for further reading.
  • a quality book that stands on its own even if we aren’t interested in doing “research” but just want to read a good book.

To all that, a good picture book biography adds something unique: the pictures! In today’s world, those may be actual photographs, collage-style art, cartoon-style drawings, realistic art, or any other artistic style.

shakespeare1A good picture book biography often hones in on one particular element of a person’s life: a specific event, a running theme throughout his or her life, a certain skill. In contrast to novel-length biographies, a picture book biography is more of a snapshot. And the subject matter covers the gamut from the invention of bubble gum or neon paint to spiritual leaders or major historical figures. All in all, picture book biographies are good places to start (for any age group!) to find out about a person of interest. If you still need more information, then it’s time to track down a longer work.

The Books

Picture book biographies are found in libraries mixed in with other biographies in the juvenile section. Look for them under the last name of the subject of the book (as opposed to the author). The push for informational texts in schools under Common Core has benefited the picture book world; outstanding and interesting picture book biographies are becoming more common and easier to find. They are also winning awards in categories other than nonfiction. Nonfiction awards to note include the Orbis Pictus Award for nonfiction for children and the Sibert Award, also awarded to nonfiction books for children.

Titles to Note (reviewed here on Redeemed Reader)

this post was adapted from an earlier post on RedeemedReader
cover image from amazon

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Betsy Farquhar

Betsy is the Managing Editor at Redeemed Reader. When she reads ahead for you, she uses sticky notes instead of book darts and willfully dog ears pages even in library books. Betsy is a fan of George MacDonald, robust book discussions, and the Oxford comma. She lives with her husband and their three children in the beautiful Southeast.

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2 Comments

  1. Cathy on October 9, 2014 at 10:10 am

    One that we love is:
    Martin Luther, A Man who Changed the World by Paul Maier

  2. Betsy Farquhar on October 13, 2014 at 7:27 am

    Oh, Cathy, that sounds like one to check out!

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