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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
6
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
7
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.
8
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.
9
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
10
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.
11
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