Biographies can captivate readers

As a child (and even now) a biography had the power to thrill me in a way a work of fiction never could. Knowing that the events in whatever I was reading, (whether it was about a person enduring great hardship, or about a prodigy creating works of art, or simply about an unusual individual), actually happened, that it was “really real,” gave it a special status in my mind and on my bookshelf.

Here are a few powerful picture book biographies you can find at the Marion County Library.

When author Uri Shulevitz’s father returns from the market with a large map of the world, instead of the bread his impoverished family was hoping for, young Uri soon forgets his anger after he discovers that the colorful map with strange sounding place names nourishes his imagination and transports him far from the hunger and misery of his life as a Polish refugee in Kazakhstan during World War II. The contrast between the bleak reality of his life and what he envisions while contemplating the map are exquisitely depicted in Shulevitz’s intricate watercolor illustrations in the book How I Learned Geography.

Before John Was a Jazz Giant: a Song of John Coltrane by Carole Boston Weatherford offers a bold and melodic introduction to the jazz great’s childhood in the South of the 1930’s. Each page repeats the title refrain and then follows with a vibrant description of the myriad of sounds which must have inspired the boy who “was all ears”: his father’s ukulele strumming, steam engines whistling, his grandfather’s sermons, and the big bands on the radio. Sean Qualls’ rich acrylic and collage illustrations pulse with a visual rhythm that bursts forth on the story’s final pages in homage to the legend’s music.

William Carlos Williams’ poetry was inspired by “ordinary things, plums, wheelbarrows, and weeds, fire engines, children and trees, things I see when I walk down my street or look out my window.” Despite choosing a career as a medical doctor in order to make a living, Williams’ great passion was words and he published more than a dozen poetry books in his lifetime. Author Jen Bryant combines snatches of that poetry with a clear and appealing account of “Willie’s” childhood spent watching everything around him, his youthful attempts at traditional poetry, his college days with other artists, and his medical practice with house calls and baby deliveries. Illustrator Melissa Sweet crafted crowded mixed-media collages to illustrate the busy life of a brilliant man who was so moved to write poetry he left behind A River of Words.

Although Theodore Roosevelt apparently never quite figured out What to Do about Alice ?, her fellow Americans were absolutely fascinated by Alice Lee Roosevelt and when you read Barbara Kerley’s lively tale of the first daughter’s tomboyish, impetuous, and unconventional ways, you will be also. Whether she was speeding in her runabout, greeting White House visitors with her pet snake, or waving to her friends from the inaugural podium, Alice was a fireball of energy and enthusiasm. Edwin Fotheringham’s digital media illustrations capture her daring deeds and make readers wish for a friend like Alice.