Jun 112025
 

David Brearley (born near Trenton, New Jersey, 1745; died Trenton, New Jersey, August 17, 1790) represented New Jersey at the Constitutional Convention. He suggested that the boundaries of the original 13 states should be re-drawn so that the states were about the same size, Obviously, his idea was not popular. Children could learn more at: David Brearley.

Jacques-Ives Cousteau (born Saint-Andre-de-Cubzac, France, 1910; died Paris, France, June 25, 1997) was a famous oceanographer. He became interested in the ocean when he was a gunnery officer for the French navy. He, along with Emile Gagnan, made the aqualung practical. He wrote more than fifty books and produced many films and documentaries about the ocean. He earned three Academy Awards for his work in films. Idea: Children could find out how the aqualung works.

Satoshi Kitamura (born Tokyo, Japan, 1956) has written and/or illustrated at least 66 children’s books. He moved to London in 1979 and began illustrating books. Ultimately he returned to Tokyo. His works include Stone Age Boy and Millie’s Marvelous Hat. Children can see and hear Elijah Wood read Kitamura’s Me and My Cat at: http://www.storylineonline.net/me-and-my-cat/.

Meg Medina (born Alexandria, Virginia, 1963) writes books for children. Her book Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass received the 2014 Pura Belpre Award. Mango, Abuela and Me was a 2016 Pura Belpre Honor Book. Her book Merci Suárez Changes Gears received the 2019 Newbery Medal. Children can learn more at: Meg Medina.

Robert Munsch (born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1945) is a children’s author who is now a Canadian citizen and one of Canada’s most prolific authors. He has written at least 75 books! He wrote among other works Moose and Too Much Stuff! Children can visit his website at: Robert Munsch.

Jeannette Rankin

Jeannette Rankin (born Missoula, Montana, 1880; died Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, May 18, 1973) was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives. A Republican from Montana, she served two different times, from 1917 to 1919 and from 1941 to 1943. She stated, “I want to be remembered as the only woman who ever voted to give women the right to vote.” A pacifist, she voted against the United States entering both World War I and World War II.  Children could read a good biography, Jeannette Rankin: Political Pioneer by Gretchen Woelfle. Children could also learn more at: Jeannette Rankin.

Richard Georg Strauss (born Munich, Germany, 1864; died Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, September 8, 1949) was a composer. One of his works is Also Sprach Zarathustra, composed in 1896.

Jun 122025
 
George H. W. Bush, President of the United States, 1989 official portrait.jpg

George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush (born Milton, Massachusetts, 1924; died Houston, Texas, November 30, 2018) was the forty-first president (1989-1993) of the United States. During World War II he was a navy pilot. He was shot down during a flight over the Pacific Ocean. After the war, he went to Texas and found wealth in the oil fields. He was a Congressperson and a United Nations ambassador. During his presidency he approved Operation Desert Storm. Children could visit a website at: George H. W. Bush.

Anne Frank (born Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 1929; died in Belsen concentration camp, 1945) kept a diary during World War II. She and her family left Germany in 1933 because they were Jews. They sought sanctuary in Amsterdam. In July of 1942 they had to go into hiding. Anne began to record her thoughts and her activities in a diary. In August of 1944 they were found. She died the next year in a concentration camp. Her diary was found, and it was printed in 1947. In 1952 it was printed in the United States with the title The Diary of a Young Girl.

Kristiana Gregory (born Los Angeles, California, 1951) has written at least 30 historical novels for middle school children. She is best known for her Dear America series and the Royal Diary series. Children can visit her website at: Kristiana Gregory.

Helen Lester (born Evanston, Illinois, 1936) has written at least 27 books for children. Her books include Tacky the Penguin series and Batter Up Wombat. Children can visit her website at: Helen Lester.

Johanna Spyri (born Hirzel, Switzerland, 1827; died Zurich, Switzerland, July 7, 1901) wrote at least fifteen books for children and adults. She is most known for her novel Heidi. Children can read the book or listen to a recording at: Project Gutenberg. They can also learn more at: Johanna Spyri.

Jun 132025
 

Winfield Scott
Painting by Robert Walter Weir

Winfield Scott (born Petersburg, Virginia, 1786; died West Point, New York, May 29, 1866) was an outstanding military leader. He also negotiated peace treaties with Native Americans. He was nominated twice for the presidency.

Jun 142025
 

John Bartlett (born Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1820; died Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 3, 1905) was an editor and a publisher. He owned a bookstore. During his free time he produced Familiar Quotations: Being an Attempt to Trace to Their Sources Passages and Phrases in Common Use. It first appeared in 1855; and it has had numerous revisions since then. Children can visit an interesting website at: http://www.bartleby.com/quotations/.

Margaret Bourke-White (born New York, New York, 1906; died Stamford, Connecticut, August 27, 1971) was a famous photojournalist. She photographed a number of World War II battles. When the Nazi concentration camps were opened, she photographed the horrors. She also photographed Gandhi. One of her most famous books was You Have Seen Their Faces, photographs of southern poverty. Children could view some of her works and learn more about her at: Margaret Bourke-White

Bruce Degen (born Brooklyn, New York, 1945; died Newtown, Connecticut, November 7, 2024)) wrote and/or illustrated at least 40 children’s books. He illustrated among other works the Magic School Bus series. His written works include Daddy Is a Doodlebug and Sailaway Home. 

James Gurney (born Glendale, California, 1958) writes and illustrates books for children. He is known for his Dinotopia series. Children can visit his website: James Gurney.

Lensey Namioka (born Beijing, China, 1929) has written at least 23 books for children and young adults. Her books include Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear and Half and Half.

Harriet Beecher Stowe (born Litchfield, Connecticut, 1811; died Hartford, Connecticut, July 1, 1896) was an author. She is best known for Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The book greatly aided the abolitionist movement and may have been one of the main causes of the Civil War. Children can visit a website about her at: Harriet Beecher Stowe. They can also read many of her works, including Uncle Tom’s Cabin, at: Project Gutenberg.

Janice May Udry (born Jacksonville, Illinois, 1928) writes books for children. Her books include A Tree is Nice and Let’s Be Enemies.

Laurence Yep (born San Francisco, 1948) has written at least 46 books for children. He received the 1978 Jane Adams Book Award for Child of the Owl. He earned a 1976 Newbery Honor Award for Dragonwings and another Newbery Honor Award in 1994 for Dragon’s Gate. The 2005 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal was presented to him for his body of work.

Jun 152025
 

Edvard Grieg (born Bergen, Norway, 1843; died Bergen, Norway, September 4, 1907) was a Scandinavian composer and conductor. He was heavily influenced by Norwegian folk music. One of his most famous works is the Peer Gynt Suite.

Rachel Jackson

Rachel Jackson

Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson (born Halifax County, North Carolina, 1767; died Nashville, Tennessee, December 22, 1828) was the wife of Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States. She died after he was elected but before he was inaugurated. Children can visit a website at: Rachel Jackson.

Brian Jacques (born Liverpool, England, 1939; died Liverpool, England, February 5, 2011) was an author. He wrote the Redwall series and The Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series. Over 20 million copies of his books have been sold, and the works have been translated into 28 languages. Children could learn more at: Brian Jacques.

Loreen Leedy (born Wilmington, Delaware, 1959) has written and illustrated about 40 books for children. Her books include Fraction Action and The Shocking Truth about Electricity. Children can visit her website, especially her projects page, at: Loreen Leedy.

Betty Ren Wright (born Wakefield, Michigan, 1927; died Racine, Wisconsin, December 31, 2013) wrote at least 35 books for children. Her works include The Ghost in the Window and Nothing but Trouble.

Jun 162025
 

Archie Carr (born Mobile, Alabama, 1909; died Micanopy, Florida, May 21, 1987) was a conservationist, professor, and herpetologist best known for his research regarding sea turtles. He revealed that sea turtles were dropping in population because their habitats were being destroyed. He also pointed out that humans were harvesting sea turtles and sea turtle eggs to the point where the numbers were in danger. He wrote nine books sharing his knowledge. Children can learn more at: Archie Carr National Refuge.

Jennifer L. Holm (born California, 1968) writes books for children. She has received three Newbery Honor Awards: in 2000 for Our Only May Amelia, in 2007 for Penny from Heaven, and in 2011 for Turtle in Paradise. She also writes graphic novels and comic books, illustrated by her brother, Matthew Holm. Children could visit her website at: http://www.jenniferholm.com/.

Barbara McClintock (born Hartford, Connecticut, 1902; died Huntington, New York, September 2, 1992) was a world-famous cytogeneticist, studying genetics at the cellular level. She received the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her work in discovering “mobile genetic elements.” Older children could read Barbara McClintock: Pioneering Geneticist by Ray Spangenburg and Diane Kit Moser.

Joyce Carol Oates (born Lockport, New York, 1938) has written novellas, short stories, poetry, plays, and at least 58 novels. Some of her works have been written for children and young adults, including Freaky Green Eyes and Come Meet Muffin!

Jun 172025
 

William Hooper (born Boston, Massachusetts, 1742; died Hillsboro, North Carolina, October 14, 1790) signed the Declaration of Independence. He represented North Carolina. Born in Massachusetts, he graduated from Harvard and became an attorney. He moved to North Carolina and was elected to the state legislature. Passionate about establishing a new country, he had to hide from the British after they burned down his home. Children can learn more at: William Hooper.

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (born Oranienbaum, Russia, 1882; died New York, New York, April 6, 1971) was a Russian composer. Two of his most famous works are The Firebird and The Rite of Spring.

Jun 182025
 

Pam Conrad (born New York, New York, 1947; died Long Island, New York, January 22, 1996) wrote novels and picture books for children. She received the 1991 Edgar Award for Stonewords. Her book Our House: Stories of Levittown earned a 1995 Newbery Honor Award.

Pat Hutchins (born Yorkshire, England, 1942; died London, England, November 7, 2017) wrote and illustrated around 50 books for children. She received the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1974 for The Wind Blew. Children can learn more at: Pat Hutchins.

Mallory

George Leigh Mallory

George Leigh Mallory (born Moberley, Cheshire, England, 1886; died on Mount Everest, June 8, 1924) was a mountain climber. His body was found in 1999 at around 27,000 feet. Experts are still puzzled as to whether he and his companion died on the way up or on the way down. He was asked why he wanted to climb the highest mountain in the world. His famous response was, “Because it is there.”

Angela Johnson (born Tuskegee, Alabama, 1961) is a poet. She has also written at least 40 books for children. She received the 1999 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award for The Other Side. She has earned several Coretta Scott King Awards: an Honor Award in 1991 for When I Am Old with You, the 1994 Medal for Toning the Sweep, a 1999 Honor Award for Heaven, and the 2004 Medal for The First Part Last. The 2004 Michael L. Printz Award was given to her for The First Part Last. Children can learn more at: Angela Johnson.

Chris Van Allsburg (born Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1949) is a children’s author and illustrator. He earned a 1980 Caldecott Honor Award for The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. He received the 1981 Caldecott Medal for Jumanji and another Caldecott Medal for The Polar Express in 1985. Children can visit his website at: Chris Van Allsburg.

Vivian Vande Velde (born Rochester, New York, 1951) has written close to 40 books for children and young adults. Her Never Trust a Dead Man earned the 2000 Edgar Award. Children can learn more at: Vivian Vande Velde.

Jun 192025
 

That’s Lou Gehrig Sliding into Home Plate!

Lou Gehrig (born Henry Louis Gehrig in New York, New York, 1903; died New York, New York, June 2, 1941) was a baseball legend. He appeared in seven World Series. He died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which has become known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Children could read Lou Gehrig: Iron Horse of Baseball by James Buckley, Jr.

Blaise Pascal

 Pascal (born Clermont-Ferrand, France, 1623; died Paris, France, August 19, 1662) was a mathematician, a physicist, and a philosopher. At age sixteen he had developed Pascal’s Theorem. In 1642 he invented the first adding machine. Along with Pierre de Fermat, he developed the mathematics of probability.

Elvira Woodruff (born Raritan, New Jersey, 1951) has written at least 25 books for children. Her books include George Washington’s Socks and Dear Levi: Letters from the Overland Trail. Children can visit her website: http://ewoodruff.com/.