Blessedfamily Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 My dd abolutely loves biograhies. I didn't know it until I had already done a good portion of my curriculum order. She was gushing over Ben Franklin as if he was a rock star.:blink: Then she started asking for a bunch of biographies. I think she get's enthralled with seeing how these people were as children, and what they became. I have no way of telling which are quality or well written. This is for extra reading and history. We're just getting to late Assyria/Early Rome in history, so I can use any time period from there forward. I'm looking for all the standard people, and some you don't generally run across in texts. Examples- Franklin Washington-Carver Jefferson Einstein Beethoven Benjamin Banneker Sacajawea etc........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 (edited) She was gushing over Ben Franklin as if he was a rock star.:blink: Then she started asking for a bunch of biographies. I think she get's enthralled with seeing how these people were as children, and what they became. Mom, Ben Franklin is totally AWESOME! :lol: Read this bio and see for yourself. :D The Story of Benjamin Franklin by Enid Lamonte Meadowcroft. http://www.amazon.com/STORY-BENJAMIN-FRANKLIN-Signature-Biography/dp/B000VBK2BA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235137603&sr=8-1 I got it from the library and loved it so much I had to buy it. I love, love, love the Signature biographies from the 50's because they have a great amount of detail without being too much for the age. Plus, they all (at least the four or so I've read already) start with the childhood of the subject. I truly believe it lets kids connect. George Washinton's bio in this series starts by talking about how GW can't spell the word blue. My son LOVED that! They're all called The Story of... so you can search for the person you want that way. I think the Signature books are well written and age-appropriate for 3-4. I'll try to link you to some more. Then there are the Sterling Point biographies which are wonderful--my favorite, in fact, notwithstanding my accolades of the Signature series. The Sterling Point are a bit more advanced. I have no idea what level they're written for. They're older books that are being republished in paperback and I can't find them on my book leveler. However, the one on Abraham Lincoln won Newberry Honors and held me rapt. It was a wonderful book. Same as with the others, it got me hooked on the series. http://www.amazon.com/Sterling-Point-Books-Abraham-Lincoln/dp/1402751176/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235137984&sr=8-1 Franklin (see above recommendation) Washington-Carver http://www.amazon.com/story-George-Washington-Carver-Signature/dp/B0007DDX6I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235138049&sr=1-1 Jefferson http://www.amazon.com/Signature-books-Earl-Schenck-Miers/dp/B0007DT10K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235138156&sr=1-2 Einstein & Beethoven - sorry, not there yet in history Benjamin Banneker http://www.amazon.com/What-Are-You-Figuring-Now/dp/0876145217/ref=ed_oe_p (pretty good, a picture book) Sacajawea http://www.amazon.com/Sterling-Point-Books-Pacific-Sacagawea/dp/1402741383/ref=pd_sim_b_16 The Sterling Point books are fairly easy to find in the "customers who looked at this also looked at this" way. Or you can type in Sterling Point for whoever else you're looking for. Good luck! We're doing American history for the next two years, which is what got me started on the biography hunt. I'm hoping my kids are where your daughter is soon! :001_smile: Edited February 20, 2009 by Alte Veste Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 (edited) What do you know? Signature has Beethoven... http://www.amazon.com/Story-Beethoven-Signature-Books/dp/B0007DT3EE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235138874&sr=1-1 OK, for anyone interested (because I know I would have been...), here is a list of the people who have a Signature bio. Louisa May Alcott John J. Audubon Dan Beard Beethoven Good Queen Bess Buffalo Bill Daniel Boone George Washinton Carver Edith Cavell Winston Churchill Christopher COlumbus Crazy Horse Madame Curie General Custer Amelia Earhart Thomas Alva Edison Dwight Eisenhower Leif Ericson Stephen Foster Benjamin Franklin Geronimo Ulysses S. Grant Haydn Andrew Jackson Thomas Jefferson Joan of Arc John Paul Jones Helen Keller Jacqueline Kennedy Martin Luther King, Jr. Lafayette Robert E. Lee Abraham Lincoln Mozart Florence Nightingale Annie Oakley Louis Pasteur Pocahontas Marco Polo Eleanor Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Robert Louis Stevenson Mark Twain George Washington Martha Washington Mad Anthony Wayne I would personally be hesitant to buy some of the Civil War and modern books because of the racial prejudices of the time. These books were written in the 50's and 60's. I haven't read any from that time frame but would tend to get more modern versions based on what I've seen in other books. Edited February 20, 2009 by Alte Veste Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 For American -- try Childhoods of Famous Americans. It has more about their childhoods (duh) but a reasonably wide array of biographies. As I recall, at the end of the book they'd tell about what they did when they grew up that made them notable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Yup, 3rd is when my dd binged on COFA's... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruth Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 YWAM puts out some great bio, my kids have enjoyed many of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 Wow! Thanks folks. Looks like dd will be able to feed her bio hunger! Thanks Kristina! Great information! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlotteb Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I second the "Childhood of Famous Americans" series. My kids and I love these! They probably have around 100 in the series, so plenty to chose from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 A question for those who love the COFA books... I looked at these when I started looking at bios and they came highly recommended. Indeed, the samples on Amazon look pretty good. My concern about them was based on the fact that they were mostly about the childhood? Is that true? Based on the title, obviously... :D I was worried about frustration (maybe even more on my part than for the kids) if the childhood aspects were detailed and the adult aspects were truncated. I would love to love them, for that price especially! And 4 for 3, no less... Can anyone offer some insight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apCrazy4Jesus Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 My 8yo son absolutely loves the COFA books. He picks it up and gets so wraped up in it that he can't put it down. In one hour he is done and runs to me telling me all about the book (it does tell more about the childhood but does include his adulthood accomplishments). Once he is hooked on that life I have him read another biography. He is so excited about the life he can't wait. Also, he is all ears and participating in our history class. I think the childhood aspect causes them to make a connection with the person. I don't buy these almost all of them are available at my library so we just check them out. Maybe you could get some from your library and see if they work for you before you make your purchase. We also love the YWAM: Christian heroes then and now series (for missionaries) and Heroes of History. On My Own Biographies ( too easy for 4th grader) Ingri & Edgar D'Aulaire Books (Not many books, but great) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNC Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I love the older editions of COFA that my library has. In the back they have project ideas, questions, main ideas etc. They do cover what the famous person accomplished as an adult, but mostly the time period when they were younger. Neat perspective! We usually find another book about the person we are studying. I love the Signature biographies - great authors in that series! The Sterling series are mostly reprints of the older Landmarks. A great way to get a collection started! Those three are the bio series I focus on. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 (edited) My youngest is really enjoying the biography series written by Janet B. Pascal, Who Was ...? They are written for ages 9-12 and contain a lot of background information. He is currently reading Who Was Abraham Lincoln? and in addition to the biographical info on AL it also includes background info on the Dred Scott case, Abolitionists, Whigs and Democrats, and more. Edited February 21, 2009 by Karenciavo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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