Biography Book File #1 (Ages 0-7)

Author: Doreen Rappaport

Title: Martin’s Big Words
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Synopsis: This book is an excellent introduction of the hero that was Martin Luther King Jr. for
young children. Its contents describe the life of one of the most influential leaders in America
and the world.
Evaluation: This beautifully illustrated picture book, along with the author’s well written text
using Martin Luther King Jr.’s immortal words, makes this a powerful portrait of a man whose
dream changed America forever.
Style and Language= 10
Comment: With the author using Martin Luther King Jr.’s exact words, it helps the reader to
understand the influence he had on the world, while realizing his compassionate heart for all.
Compelling details= 10
Comment: The quotes from his mother in this biography added a personal touch to his story.
Fascinating comparisons= 9
Unusual subjects or viewpoints= 9
Personalized content= 10
Comment: I got a new perspective on the man of Martin Luther King Jr. though his and his
mother’s dialog in the book.
Accuracy= 10
Attractive design= 10
Comment: I was so moved by the illustration where the two black people were holding hands
while Martin Luther King Jr. was stating, “Love is the key to the problems of the world.”
Photo or artwork captions= 10
Is it a well-rounded piece? = 10
Rating (1-10) = 10
Comment: This book shows that a picture book can correctly portray the biography of a heroic
man through outstanding illustrations, and powerful but understated words with accuracy.
 Biography Book File #2 (Older Reader)

Author: Whitney Stewart

Title: Who Was Walt Disney?
Publisher: Grosset and Dunlap
Synopsis: This is a book about the life of the amazing Walt Disney, from his early days as a boy,
all the way to his death and all of his accomplishments in between.
Evaluation: This book was filled with specific details of Walt Disney and his amazing life. It
lets the reader into his ever creative mind and his never quit attitude. I brought a real side to the
man who is responsible for creating an imaginary life through his movies, cartoons and
Disneyland itself.
Style and Language= 10
Comment: The language used in this book makes it an easy and informative read. The facts of
the story are told precisely, and the added facts and notes about what was going on in the world
at the time in Walt Disney’s life really drew me into that time in history.
Compelling details= 10
Comment: The details and facts written about world history during Walt’s life, helped me to
understand why he made certain decisions in his business and home life.
Fascinating comparisons= 9
Unusual subjects or viewpoints= 9
Personalized content=
Comment: I appreciated how the author told this story from multiple views such as, Walt’s, his
employees, and his brother. I made Walt Disney the person more real with flaws and all.
Accuracy= 10
Comment: This book included many facts, including a timeline of Walt’s life next to a timeline
of the world during his life span. The information was factual and not of the author’s opinion.
Attractive design= 9
Photo or artwork captions= 9
Is it a well-rounded piece? = 9
Comment: Yes, this was a very informative biography and an easy read, appropriate for a young
reader.
Rating (1-10) = 9
 Biography Book File #3 (Ages 0-7)

Author: Kathryn Lasky

Title: The Librarian Who Measured the Earth
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Synopsis: This picture book biography is about a very inquisitive and smart boy born in ancient
Greece. Eratosthenes was curious about everything and it was this curiosity that led him from
one discovery to the next. It was his question of how to measure the earth that made him so
famous, as he calculated a measure over 2,000 years ago that was only off by 200 miles from the
measurement that modern technology figured out less than 2 decades ago. But how did he do
this?
Evaluation: I found this story of an extraordinary man fascinating to read! The lengths he went
to gain knowledge was truly inspiring.
Style and Language= 9
Comment: The author not only gave accurate details of ancient Greece, but she included
pronunciation of key words in the story.
Compelling details=
Comment: I enjoyed learning about how books (scrolls) were written over 2,000 years ago.
Fascinating comparisons= 9
Unusual subjects or viewpoints= 8
Personalized content= 9
Accuracy= 10
Comment: At the end of the book, I was impressed to see the author’s bibliography and how
much research she had done all the way back to the 1800’s in order to write with such accuracy.
Attractive design= 9
Comment: The illustrations were so expressive that I could feel how the characters were feeing.
Photo or artwork captions= 9
Is it a well-rounded piece? = 9
Rating (1-10) = 9
Comment: This book is a great example to never lose your love to learn. It is also a wonderful
reminder of how far we have come in technology.
 Biography Book File #4 (Ages 0-7)

Author: Lesa Cline-Ransome

Title: Helen Keller the world in her heart
Publisher: Harper Collins
Synopsis: This is a picture book biography of Helen Keller and her struggle to live with her
disability, and how she found the meaning of love through a teacher.
Evaluation: This book is a good introduction to young children about the amazing life of Helen
Keller and a picture of what it’s like to live with a disability.
Style and Language= 9
Comment: I thought it brought a more personal touch to this biography that the author added
words or phrases from Helen herself.
Compelling details= 8
Fascinating comparisons= 7
Unusual subjects or viewpoints= 8
Personalized content= 9
Comment: I felt the author helped the reader to really understand what Helen was enduring as
she struggled to deal with her disability.
Accuracy= 8
Attractive design= 9
Comment: The illustrations in this book were beautiful and especially expressive with the
characters facial expressions.
Photo or artwork captions= 8
Is it a well-rounded piece? = 8
Rating (1-10) = 8
Comment: I thought this was a good introduction to Helen Keller’s life for young children,
although I felt the details were fairly surface and didn’t give a lot of information about Helen’s
life.
 Biography Book File #5 (Older Reader)

Author: Gail Herman

Title: Who Was Jackie Robinson?
Publisher: Grosset and Dunlap
Synopsis: This is the true story of an incredible athlete, a wonderful family man, and a
courageous and inspiring human being named Jackie Robinson. He broke the color barrier in
professional baseball and was a true example of bravery.
Evaluation: I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, but was filled with tons of interesting
facts about Jackie’s inspiring life.
Style and Language= 9
Compelling details= 10
Comment: The author not only gave interesting facts about Jackie’s life, but she also added
details about what was going on in America at the time of his life.
Fascinating comparisons= 9
Comment: In the story the author mentioned that Jackie was the highest paid baseball player for
the Dodgers and yet wasn’t allowed to stay in the same hotels as the other players, which gave
true insight as to how bad the segregation was that he had to deal with.
Unusual subjects or viewpoints= 9
Personalized content= 10
Comment: There were specific details about his life as a child, all the way until his death. The
timeline of his life was a nice summary of what was written in the biography.
Accuracy= 9
Attractive design= 9
Comment: Although the illustrations were black and white, they added to the story with
expression and extra details.
Photo or artwork captions= 10
Comment: In the story the black and white segregation was talked about, and the author took it
deeper by adding information about what the Jim Crow Laws were all about.
Is it a well-rounded piece? = 9
Rating (1-10) = 9