History For Kids

It would be no exaggeration to say that James Dean has been more mythologized than any other actor in history, a development due more to his off-screen personality and conduct than the films he actually starred in. History for Kids: An Illustrated Biography of James Dean for Children profiles the life and legacy of the famous actor and rebel without a cause. Your kids will learn about James Dean like never before.

Over 450 years after his reign, Henry VIII is still the most famous and recognizable King of England, but it’s for all the wrong reasons. Though well regarded by contemporaries as a learned king and "one of the most charismatic rulers to sit on the English throne", he is best remembered today for his gluttony and multiple marriages. History for Kids: An Illustrated Biography of King Henry VIII chronicles Henry VIII’s life and reign.

In a story that could have come straight out of Hollywood, the golden actor rose through California politics to become California governor and eventually the 40th President. The 70-plus-year-old former actor then went on to have one of the most consequential presidencies of the 20th century, unquestionably making him one of the most influential men of the last 50 years. And his name is still as relevant in American politics today, with every politician with an R next to his or her name trying to claim Ronald Reagan’s conservative mantle.

Eleanor is one of her country’s most famous and admired first ladies, an ironic fact considering she was worried being the wife of a successful politician would force her to take on what she considered to be irrelevant ceremonial roles. History for Kids: An Illustrated Biography of Eleanor Roosevelt for Children chronicles the amazing life and career of one of the nation’s most important First Ladies, but it also humanizes her to paint the fuller picture.

John Calvin (1509-1564) was one of the most important religious figures of the last millennium and an instantly recognizable name across the globe. An influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation, the period when he was most active, namely the 1530s and 1540s, was marked by increased complexity and the diffusion of the Reformation into several branches. Alongside Martin Luther, Calvin was one of the central reformers.

History for Kids: The Illustrated Life of Franklin D. Roosevelt covers all the well known highlights of Roosevelt's life and presidency, but it also humanizes the nation's longest-serving president, covering Roosevelt's family and famous wife, the philosophical shift Roosevelt led the country through with the New Deal, and the tenacious fighter who battled polio and Adolf Hitler.

Churchill will forever be most associated with World War II, but his life was far more adventurous and complex than that, and these other aspects of the man are often overlooked and overshadowed. History for Kids: An Illustrated Biography of Winston Churchill for Children details Churchill's life and career, while humanizing the young child who was both aristocrat and hellion, and the man who overcame a speech impediment to become one of the 20th century's most dazzling orators.

Rosa Parks is one of the most famous women in American history thanks to the events of December 1, 1955. That afternoon, on her way home from work, Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white person in defiance of Montgomery's segregated bus policies. Within days of her arrest, Montgomery's civil rights activists had organized a wide-scale boycott of Montgomery's buses by blacks. To lead the boycott, organizers formed the Montgomery Improvement Association, electing a young, 26-year-old pastor president of the new group. His name was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

History for Kids: The Illustrated Life of John F. Kennedy humanizes the nation's youngest elected president, explaining the roots of the Kennedy family, the basis for John’s presidential ambitions, his war service and journalism, his political career and assassination, and all of the accomplishments and shortcomings in between. Along the way, your kids will learn interesting facts about JFK you never knew, like which famous relative also died on November 22.

It would be impossible to sum up the life and legacy of Bill Clinton in one sentence or even one paragraph, as the former president represents many different things to many different people. Indeed, the yin and yang of Clinton’s life and career are inescapable....

In the annals of American history, few moments have been so thoroughly seared into the nation's conscience that Americans can remember exactly where and when they heard about an earth-shattering event. In the 20th century, there was Pearl Harbor and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. November 22, 1963 started as a typical Friday, and many Americans were unaware that President Kennedy was even heading to Dallas, Texas. John and Jackie arrived in Dallas in the morning, with Texas Governor John Connally alongside them and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson due to arrive later to meet them there.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) needs no formal introduction. He is known around the world as one of history’s most brilliant geniuses, and one of its most influential scientists. History for Kids: The Illustrated Life of Albert Einstein profiles the life and legacy of the famous scientist, while examining his career and contributions to science and technology.

Nikola Tesla was one of history's greatest scientists, and though he is best known for his pioneering work with electricity, the fact that he is mostly remembered solely for that actually does a disservice to his legacy. Born a Serb in the Austrian Empire, Tesla came to the United States and worked in a laboratory for none other than the Wizard of Menlo Park, Thomas Edison.

In some ways, Robert Francis Kennedy (1925-1968) is the forgotten Kennedy, eclipsed in life while working in his brother John's administration, eclipsed in death both by his older brother's assassination and his younger brother's long, influential career in the Senate as a liberal lion. And yet, the politics of the 1960s and the ultimate legacy of the Kennedys, including the "Kennedy Curse", would have been incomplete without Bobby's place in the narrative.

During the middle of the 20th century, the United States completed its transformation into one of the world's superpowers, and few were as instrumental in this development as Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), renowned for being the nation's principal commanding general during World War II and president during the early, tumultuous Cold War years. Despite being one of America's oldest presidents, Eisenhower redefined the public relations nature of the office. His most lasting contribution as president was the construction of the interstate highway system.

Of all the politicians who have left their mark on American history, few have had a political career or list of accomplishments and accolades that can even come close to rivaling Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson is one of only four Americans to serve as a House Rep, US Senator, Vice President, and President, and he made the most out of each experience. The hard-nosed Texas Democrat became one of the legendary strongmen in the Senate. A fateful chain of events propelled then propelled Johnson from Capitol Hill to the White House.

In Charles River Editors' History for Kids series, your children can learn about history's most important people and events in an easy, entertaining, and educational way. The concise but comprehensive book will keep your kid's attention all the way to the end. As one of the most influential men of the 20th century, there is no shortage of adjectives to use when describing Woodrow Wilson's two terms as president of the United States.

In Charles River Editors' History for Kids series, your children can learn about history's most important people and events in an easy, entertaining, and educational way. The concise but comprehensive book will keep your kid's attention all the way to the end. Includes Helen's writings and explanations about how she overcame her disabilities.

At 9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969, time stands still throughout the world, as thousands converge on the Kennedy Space Center and millions tune in on live television. At that instant, the first rumbles began to shake the ground as a small spacecraft attached to a giant Saturn V rocket starts to lift off. Quickly being propelled several thousand miles per hour, it takes just a few minutes to enter orbit. Apollo 11 is on its way to a historic first landing on the Moon.

In this sequel to The Kinder Poison—which People magazine proclaimed a "delicious high-stakes adventure"—the magical kingdom of Orkena is on the brink of war, and the only person who can save it is Zahru, the girl they once doomed to death. After surviving the Crossing, Zahru has sworn off...