Biographies

BiographiesNateTrish

Word BankRealNarratesLearnHistoricalHeroesIdealized NewberryCaldecottRepresent

AutobiographyPoliticalExplorersArtistsPersevereAuthors

RealismVulnerabilitiesWeaknessesMulti-culturalTruthTime periodCommonPartialCompleteCollective

What is a biography?Narrates the life of a real individual who has made an impact on the world. By reading this genre of book, children learn that they, too, can make a difference in the world!

Children can learn from the lives of others

Promotes social-emotional development by realizing that choices people make early in their lives can lead to greatness

Connections can be made about people’s lives and the historical time in which they lived

Importance

History of Biography

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Antiquity The first biographies were inscriptions on the

tombs of rulers of ancient Assyria, Babylonia, and Egypt

Early biographies also appear in the Hebrew Bible - Moses, Abraham, Noah

The Greek Herodotus’s Histories, 400 B.C.Plutarch, Greek, wrote Parallel Lives of

Illustrious Greeks and Romans A.D. 100 - more objective

Suetonius Lives of the Caesars A.D. 121- scandal as well as facts

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Middle AgesHagiographies - written by

the Church about the lives of saints

In India, written Sanskrit was the Harshacarita (Deeds of Harsa, A.D. 600’s)

China and Japan, biographical records of emperors and their courts. - Pillow Book (about A.D. 1000) by Sei Shonagon.

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Renaissance During the 1300's, an intellectual movement called

humanism spread. Humanism emphasized the importance, dignity, and achievements of human beings, particularly of individual people.

Sir Thomas Malory Le Morte d’Arthur 1485Shift to the Secular Giorgio Vasari Lives of the Most Eminent Painters,

Sculptors, and Architects (1550)The invention of the printing press leads for a

demand for a larger variety of biographies on the topics of criminals, military figures, explorers, world travelers, and even clergymen and landowners.

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1700sContinued concentration on the

secular - increasing demand for facts in historical biography.

Horace Walpole Historic Doubts on the Life and Reign of King Richard the Third (1768)

Samuel Johnson The Lives of the English Poets (1779-1781)

The rise of the fictional novel also created fictional biographical novels

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1800sHistorical biographies became

increasingly dry and factualThomas Carlyle Oliver Cromwell’s

Letters and Speeches, with Elucidations (1845)

Ernest Renan Life of Jesus (1863) looking at religious persons with a research perspective

Biographers of the heroes of the American Revolution (1775-1783) attempted to create a spirit of nationalism, and their works became especially popular.Seidel, M. (2013). Biography. In World Book Advanced.

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1900sFreud and psychology

have a huge impact on biographies

Freud Leonardo da Vinci (1910), explains the personality of the famous artist

Books called debunking biographies also became popular

Early Children’s BiographiesOldest books for

childrenOnly exposed

children to the lives of national and cultural heroes

Subjects were idealized and larger than life

Not altogether believable

Unsavory RealitiesChildren should not be exposed to:

DiscriminationViolenceAbuseBiographies were

bland and unrealistic

Fictionalized CharactersNarrated by a mouse Narrated by a parrot

Early Recognition1934 First Newberry MedalInvincible Louisa by

Cornelia Meigs

1940Daniel Boone by

James DaughertyContemporary

readers may be appalled by the portrayal of Native Americans

1st Caldecott1940Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire

Established the picture-book biography for younger children

1970’s were a turning point…1973 a new standard was

set…And Then What

Happened, Paul Revere? By Jean Fritz

Authentic biography without invented dialogue

Used conversation and humor

Concentrated on 1-2 events

Also included “Notes from the Author” for additional facts

Biographies give children a wider representation of people !

Men, women, and children of many ethnic and racial backgrounds

Varying occupations and contributions to society

A biography of the Cherokee Indian who created a method for his people to write and read their own language.

Contemporary Authors handle their subjects with:

New realismPresent them as

human beings with vulnerabilities and weaknesses

In their review, Publ Weekly said Stanley and Vennema "make a seemingly effortless leap into ancient times, masterfully relating Cleopatra's life story through words and pictures...This peerless author/artist team makes the captivating, ultimately tragic Cleopatra seem astoundingly real."

TRUTH!1970’s gave birth to the modern biographies

Many cultures outside of one’s own are recognized

Authors delve beneath the surface to give a truer account of the time and people

Common person and time period is explored as opposed to only great people and events

Well Known People

+ social movements of the day

+ portrayed in the context of their time+ concerns of the day

+ choices available to the subject

= a truer account of the person and/or the event

Women’s SuffrageLizzie begins her life as a girl who believes that women “didn’t count for much”. Then she grows up and dedicates her life to women’s suffrage.

Categories of

Biographies

Partial - about a short span of a persons life

Samuel Adams walked the streets of pre-Revolutionary Boston promoting independence from England!

This biography concentrates on Langston Hughes’ childhood.

Complete - birth to death

Collective - about several people that have something in common

Autobiography/Memoir - written by the author about themselves - usually written to inspire or share extraordinary events

Explorers of Earth and Space - risk taking and discovering the unknown

Social and Political Activists - including the traditional president biographies

Artist and Authors - people who have made contributions to the world

People who have Persevered - provide inspiration and valuable lessons about the realities of the world

How Biographies WorkMust be about real

people.

The author must create the personality and events of a person's life.

The author uses a filter to tell the story.

Advanced readers should be aware of this filter and in order to evaluate the truth of the biography.

Major WritersDavid Adler

Russell

Freedman

Jean Fritz

Diane Stanley

Criteria for SelectionCan be about heroes, villains, and regular

people. Remember the needs of your patrons.

How is the characterization handled? Are there stereotypes?

Check to make sure that the information is accurate and that careful research has been made by the author.

Most importantly is the book engaging for the readers, and is the tone appropriate for your patrons?

Awards

There are no “Biography” awards, they compete for non-fiction awards as well as awards that can be given to any genre.Awards are often indicate with a seal on the cover.

QuestionHow would you characterize your personal hero if you were to write a children’s biography of that person?

Categories of Biographies

PartialCompleteCollectiveAutobiography

PoliticalExplorersArtistsPersevere