Young readers who may be unfamiliar with Rosa Parks will be inspired by this biography of the American hero and her part in sparking the Civil Rights Movement. Valuable historical information is provided as context for understanding the conditions African Americans were forced to endure before Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. Parks continued to serve as a civil rights leader for the rest of her life, making sure her struggles...

Imprisoned for twenty-seven years for protesting against South Africa's system of apartheid, Nelson Mandela was elected the nation's first black president and became known as one of the greatest world leaders in recent memory. His work to end apartheid and unify the people of South Africa has influenced campaigns for human rights around the world. This biography profiles his long, remarkable life, beginning with his boyhood, education, and early involvement...

Learn about the life of the great 19th-century abolitionist, Frederick Douglass.

Although Alexander Hamilton recently recaptured the spotlight as the subject of a hit Broadway show, his role as one of the first and foremost interpreters of the U.S. Constitution means that his importance was never in doubt. This biography introduces readers to the exciting life, and dramatic death, of the man whose accomplishments include (though are hardly limited to) working as Washington's aide during the American Revolution, writing the majority...

Influential lawyer, first lady of Arkansas and then the United States, senator for New York, and U.S. secretary of state-Hillary Clinton has been an influential figure in American politics for over three decades. This biography aimed at the lower elementary market presents Hillary's achievements and policies in a simple, easy-to-grasp manner. If her history proves anything, she'll remain a key political figure in the years to come. Hillary Clinton...

Nearly one hundred years before the advent of the computer age, Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, published the first set of instructions intended to extract data from a machine. This accessible, engaging biography will introduce readers to the mathematician who is considered by many to be the world's first computer programmer. Readers follow Lovelace, the daughter of renowned romantic poet Lord Byron and his highly educated, analytical wife, Annabella,...

Charles Darwin lived in the Victorian era, a time of great change. Many people were debating how life on Earth began. In his twenties, Darwin went on a five-year sea voyage around the world. It shook up his ideas about how life evolved. His radical new insight, natural selection, was so controversial that he feared revealing it for more than twenty years. His classic, "On the Origin of Species," has been called the best science book ever written;...

This comprehensive biography of one of history's greatest composers will bring Beethoven back to life for contemporary young readers. In addition to a biographical treatment of his life, a thorough assessment is made of Beethoven's musical stylings and developments-all in language suitable for upper-elementary-level readers. Eighteenth-century drawings coupled with modern photographs show readers Beethoven's world as it was during his lifetime and...

Sitting Bull is an iconic figure in the history of Native American resistance to white settlement. This thorough lower-elementary-level biography paints the story of the famous Lakota chief's life. Sitting Bull's chronicle is presented in clear language, highlighting special terminology in pop-out Vocabulary Boxes. The text covers Sitting Bull's rise from a typical Lakota child to a fierce warrior chief and then contextualizes Sitting Bull's leadership...