Annotated Bibliography
Bridges, R. (1999). Through my eyes. New York: Scholastic Press.
Through My Eyes is an autobiography written by Ruby Bridges. Not only is this story about a person from a different race or ethnicity, but it is also a story about an important historical event. Ruby Bridges was one of the first African Americans to walk past angry parents and citizens and into a public school. This happened during the desegregation process in the United States. This autobiography is told through the eyes of Ruby Bridges as she went through these events.
Meltzer, B., & Eliopoulos, C. (n.d.). I am Amelia Earhart.
I Am Amelia Earhart is a picture book intended for emergent readers. The biography follows the great female pilot, Amelia Earhart, from her childhood all the way through her record-breaking career as a pilot. This story provides the reader with the opportunity to better understand this historical figure, and have fun while doing so.
Pascal, J., & Brien, J. (2008). Who was Abraham Lincoln? New York: Grosset & Dunlap.
Who was Abraham Lincoln is a story about the life of the sixteenth President of the United States. The story starts with Abraham Lincoln guiding the nation through the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. The text is slightly more complex so it is ideal for higher elementary grade classrooms. The book contains multiple illustrations and maps that are relevant to this historical context of Abraham Lincoln’s biography.
Stanley, D. (2009). Mozart, the wonder child: A puppet play in three acts. New York: Collins.
Mozart: The Wonder Child: A Puppet Play in Three Acts is a biography about a musical prodigy, Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgang Gottlieb Mozart (although most people know him as Mozart). The book portrays Mozart’s life in the form of a marionette show, starting with when he was just three years old and his life was altered forever. This text is intended for higher-level elementary graders (third or higher) because the writing is slightly more complex, although, the text can be read aloud to younger students.
Winter, J. (2011). The watcher: Jane Goodall's life with the chimps. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.
The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps is the story of the female scientist, Jane Goodall, and her life from childhood to adulthood. The story follows Jane Goodall through her years in African, where she devoted her life to the study of chimpanzees. This text is intended for emergent to early readers and provides an amazing opportunity to discuss the endangered species, and an important female scientist’s contributions.
Reflection
Chapter Ten of Charlotte Huck’s Children’s Literature: A Brief Guide was very informative. The chapter starts with discussing what an authentic biography is and that it “follows many of the same rules as serious scholarly words…” (QUOTE, pg.287). It goes in depth criteria for quality biography literature. The most important (in my opinion) is the accuracy and authenticity of the text. The Teaching Feature 10.1 (QUOTE, pg.296-300) was the most useful tool throughout the chapter. Overall, this chapter was very informative and provided a multitude of information that I can use currently and in the future.
References
Kiefer, B., & Tyson, C. (n.d.). Charlotte Huck's children's literature: A brief guide(Second ed.).