Biography is literature that allows readers to glimpse lives they may want to live and helps bridge the gap between non-fiction and historical fiction. Authors of biographies strive for readability while maintaining authenticity of the subject and history. There are two primary types of biographies: Authentic and Fictionalized.
Authentic Biographies must be true in every detail and are well documented, carefully researched accounts of the subject’s life. These types of biographies work very well for adults.
Fictionalized Biographies must be true to factual records and inventions must be believable for the era. However, certain events include invented dialogue and unspoken thoughts (based on journals and diaries.) The author tries to personalize the subject and is able to fictionalize events as long as they remain plausible for the time period.
Authentic Biographies must be true in every detail and are well documented, carefully researched accounts of the subject’s life. These types of biographies work very well for adults.
Fictionalized Biographies must be true to factual records and inventions must be believable for the era. However, certain events include invented dialogue and unspoken thoughts (based on journals and diaries.) The author tries to personalize the subject and is able to fictionalize events as long as they remain plausible for the time period.
Books for Kindergarten - Grade 2
Written by: Audrey Vernick
Illustrated by: Don Tate
Publisher: Collins, p2010.
ISBN13:978-0-06-134920-1
Non-Fiction/Biography
Interest Level:K-3/Reading Level:2.4
Lexile Level: 770
Description:An illustrated biography of baseball fanatic Effa Manley, describing her childhood in Philadelphia, her career as a business manager, how she came to be the owner of the New Jersey baseball team, the Newark Eagles, and her induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Written by: Linda Arms White
Illustrated by: Nancy Carpenter
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, p2005.
ISBN13: 978-0-374-33527-4
Biography/Non-fiction
Interest Level: K-3/Reading Level: 3.0
Lexile Level: 780
Description: In 1869, a woman whose "can-do" attitude had shaped her life was instrumental in making Wyoming the first state to allow women to vote, then became the first woman to hold public office in the United States. Includes biographical references.
Written by: Tiki and Ronde Barber with Robert Burleigh
Illustrated by: Barry Root
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, p2005.
ISBN-13: 978-1-41690-093-1
Biography/Non-fiction
Interest Level: K-3/Reading Level: 3.6
Lexile Level: 590
Description: Brothers Tiki and Ronde Barber, two NFL superstars, tell their story and how loyalty, determination, and the power of teamwork help all succeed.
What to Do about Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!
Illustrated by: Edwin Fotheringham
Publisher: Scholastic Press, p2008.
ISBN13: 978-0-439-92231-9
Interest Level:K-3/Reading Level: 4.8
Lexile Level: 800
Description: An illustrated biography of Alice Roosevelt Longworth that focuses on her experiences while her father was president of the United States.
Barack Obama : son of promise, child of hope *by Nikki Grimes, Illustrated by Bryan Collier
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, p2008,
ISBN-13: 978-1-41697-144-3
Biography/Non-fiction
Interest Level: K-3/Reading Level: 4.8
Lexile Level: 630
Description: Full-color illustrations and easy-to-follow text presents a narrative description of the life of President Barack Obama, beginning with his childhood in Hawaii, his family, his education, and professional achievements. Includes bibliographical references.
Books for Grade 3 - Grade 5
Written by: Jen Bryant
Illustrated by: Beth Peck
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, p2005.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8028-5229-8
Non-fiction/Biography
Interest Level: 3-6/Reading Level: 3.5
Lexile Level: 650
Description: Presents the true story of French composer Oliver Messiaen, who was permitted to write and perform his music while a prisoner in a German POW camp during World War Two.
Written and Illustrated by: Peter Sis
Publisher:Frances Foster Books, p2007.
ISBN-13: 978-0-374-34701-7
Non-Fiction/Autobiography
Interest Level: 3-6/Reading level: 5.2
Lexile Level: 760
Description: Artist Sis Peter describes what it was like growing up in a Communist country and discusses how Western culture influenced his life. Maps on endpapers.
Written by: Kathleen Krull
Illustrated by: Greg Couch
Publisher:Alfred A. Knopf, p2009.
ISBN13:978-0-375-84561-1
Non-Fiction/Biography
Interest Level:K-3/Reading Level: 5.5
Lexile Level: 860
Description: Presents a picture-book biography of Philo Farnsworth, who created the world's first television image in 1928. Includes bibliographical references.
Stealing Home Jackie Robinson: Against the Odds*
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, p2007.
ISBN-13: 978-0-689-86276-2
Biography/Non-Fiction
Interest Level: K-3/Reading Level: 5.9
Lexile Level: 910
Description: Presents a brief biography of legendary baseball player for the old Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson, who, in 1947, became the first African-American to play in major league baseball. Includes bibliographical references.
Yellowstone Moran Painting the American West*
written and illustrated by Lita Judge
Publisher: Viking, p2009
ISBN13:978-0-670-01132-2
Biography/Non-fiction
Interest Level: K-3/Reading Level: 5.0
Lexile Level: 900
Description: A fictionalized account of English artist Thomas Moran's adventure into the land known as "the Yellowstone" in 1871, during which time he created paintings that influenced the establishment of Yellowstone National Park. Includes bibliographical references and map on endpapers.
Books for Grade 6 - Grade 9
The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan; drawings by Peter Sis.
Publisher: Scholastic Press, p2010
ISBN-13:978-0-439-26970-4
Biography
Interest Level: 5-8/Reading Level: 5.3
Lexile Level: 650
Description: A fictionalized biography of the Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who grew up a painfully shy child, ridiculed by his overbearing father, but who became one of the most widely-read poets in the world. Includes bibliographical references.
Written by: Beverly Gherman
Publisher: Chronicle Books, p2010.
Non-fiction/Biography
Interest Level: 5-8/Reading Level: 5.4
Lexile Level: 960
Description: A biography of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, illustrated with photographs and selections from the comic strip. Includes biographical references.
The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano
Illustrated by: Sean Qualls
Publisher: Henry Holt, p2006.
ISBN13: 978-0-8050-7706-3
Non-Fiction
Interest Level: 5-8/Reading Level: 6.3
Description: A portrait in poems of Juan Francisco Manzano, the poet who was born a slave in Cuba in 1797.
Almost Astronauts: 13
Women who Dared to Dream*
Publisher: Candlewick Press, p2009.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7636-3611-1
Non-Fiction/Biography collection
Interest Level: 5-8/Reading Level: 6.9
Lexile Level: 980
Description: Profiles thirteen women who challenged social norms and government policies to prove they could be exceptional astronauts. Includes biographical references.
Marie Curie: Giants of Science
Illustrated by: Boris Kulikov
Publisher: Viking, p2007.
ISBN13: 978-0-670-05894-5
Biography/Non-Fiction
Interest Level: 5-8/Reading Level: 8.3
Lexile Level: 1050
Description: Presents a biography of Polish-French physicist and chemist Marie Curiem, who was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity and won a Noble prize in both physics and in chemistry. Includes biographical references.
