Last week we covered some picture book biographies of inspiring women and this week we are covering the men! Not nearly covering, this is just a small portion of the ones we've read and an even smaller portion of all the ones that exist BUT these are all ones we've read and enjoyed fairly recently even, within the past 12 months. We've been trending towards reading more stories of more recent humans, mostly ones whose lives have overlapped with at least mine, if not the boys as well. Always more amazing things to be accomplished!
Here we go!
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A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider: The Story of E.B. White by Barbara Herkert, illustrated by Lauren Castillo
Luke really loved Charlotte's Web, both when I read it to him and when his 1st grade teacher read it to him last school year. His cousins live on a farm which probably made it a bit extra appealing since he could relate to some of the farm life things just from visiting them. Story of how you don't even really need to leave home to make a difference.
I am Benjamin Franklin by Brad Meltzer, illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos
We've really loved this "Ordinary People Change the World" series by Brad Meltzer, they have all been fantastic and a few have moved me to tears. I don't think the boys knew much about Ben Franklin before we read this one and they really liked hearing about his experiments with electricity as well as everything else he did (not all of which was even covered in the book!). Luke's second favorite president, George Washington, even showed up which helped him anchor this in time a bit.
Swish!: The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Don Tate
I have faint memories of seeing the Harlem Globetrotters play/perform here locally when I was a kid but I might be entirely making that up. This is their origin story (fun fact: they weren't from Harlem) of how they formed in the face of racism and then beat the top (white) teams in the nation at the time. It was FUN and informative.
The Story of Saint John Paul II: A Boy Who Became Pope by Fabiola Garza
This is a longer picture book but Luke, at age 7½, sat through it just fine and Sam even requested it a few times but I never read the whole thing just to him (I think he liked the pictures). Saint John Paul II was the Pope for most of my life but I didn't know a lot about him other than he came from Poland. Luke's life never overlapped with his (they missed by 8 years) but the story of a young boy, like him, becoming Pope and a faith leader is something that seems a little more relevant to Luke since he can relate to the being a kid portion. It was lovely.
Fred's Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers, by Laura Ranuald, illustrated by Brigette Barrager
Someone who had quite the effect on my childhood, Mister Rogers. We watched his show quite a bit growing up and both boys have been interested in Daniel Tiger at the preschool age. Mister Rogers just had just a gentle, kind way about him that I'm sure taught me a lot about emotions without realizing it. I love the neighborhood of make-believe and when they'd have full musical episodes. Picture Picture and the sound of Mister Rogers cutting construction paper for a project. This was a lovely story about a man who made a real difference for countless kids.
Look Up With Me: Neil deGrasse Tyson: A Life Among the Stars by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Lorraine Nam
My Dad graduated high school the same year as the moon landing. He had an interest in space which meant we went to a lot of space museums when I was a kid. I didn't realize *I* had an interest in space until I started reading a ton of space related picture books to my kids. This one is about space and deep space and being curious and following that curiosity. Very important things for kids to do which can turn into a whole life if they are lucky!
Nacho's Nachos: The Story Behind the World's Favorite Snack by Sandra Nickel, illustrated by Oliver Dominguez
We're going from one of the most famous men in modern history to someone you've probably never heard of (I hadn't until this book) BUT you have enjoyed his creation (or a version of it) if you are lucky (and if you ever went to a sporting event in high school, chances are pretty good you've had a knock-off version). We owe a debt of gratitude to the man, whose real last name was Nachos, who invented...Nachos. I definitely don't eat them as invented but I found this a humorous and creative man to read about. There is a picture book for everything!
One Giant Leap: The Story of Neil Armstrong by Don Brown
Speaking
of an interest in space, you can't without talking about the first moon
landing. We live near (ish) to Neil Armstrong's hometown and that
makes his story relatable but also completely not (I am never walking on
the moon). What he went through to become the FIRST man on the moon,
the work and the fear, it's astounding and a worthwhile story to read.
Someone is going to be the first person on Mars!
Oliver: The Second-Largest Living Thing on Earth by Jose Crute, illustrated by John Taesoo Kim
Are we stretching the definition of "man" a bit, yes, yes we are. BUT this tree has a man's name and the author genders him as male so I am going with it because I liked reading about the world's SECOND largest living thing. I guess being the second largest gives you a bit of a chip on your shoulder. I found it fascinating that the exact locations of these tall tall TALL trees are a secret. I never would have thought that was the case! I've never seen the Sequoias, hopefully someday!
This is a genre we are always looking to read more of so let me know if you have any great titles we should add to our list!
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