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The past gives lessons for the future

April 03, 2010|By Heather Hart

The world is full of fascinating stories. From early times, the human race has recorded the stories of its people. One reason we love learning about other people is that we gain knowledge and inspiration from hearing about their experiences.

Biographies are a great way to learn about people and the things they do. These recently published biographies geared for boys and girls introduce children and their caregivers to well-known and some not-as-well-known people who have influenced our lives in many ways:

At some point, most American children learn about a little girl named Anne Frank. Her writings give us a glimpse of what life must have been like during World War II. Menno Metselaar has given readers another interesting look into Anne’s life in his book, “Anne Frank, Her Life in Words and Pictures.” Not only do we see pictures of Anne and her family, but photographs of the annex where they hid.

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“Tutankhamun” is a beautiful book written and illustrated by Demi. She used Egyptian paintings, temples and artifacts for her inspiration and the gold lined photos make the pages shine. The life of King Tut is clearly depicted in Demi’s signature style.

If the fluorescent colors on the cover of this book do not grab your attention, the fun story inside will. In “The Day-Glo Brothers,” Chris Barton tells the story of Bob and Joe Switzer, the two brothers who discovered and created fluorescent paint.

Their color creations can be seen around the world on signs, in paintings, on all kinds of objects — even on the clothes you wear!

Susy, the daughter of Mark Twain, writes a biography about her father in “The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy)” by Barbara Kerley. Susy details both the fine and the not-so-fine qualities her father possesses. The book’s construction is intriguing due to a small inset of “journal” pages, where Susy records her observations and the actual text and pictures that tell the rest of the story.

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