Library History

Abraham Lincoln stood out in a crowd as much for his wit and rollicking humor as for his height. Here is a warm, appealing biography of our Civil War president. Russell Freedman begins with a lively account of Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood, his career as a country lawyer, and his courtship and...

A spirited picture book biography about composer Aaron Copland and the birth of modern America This is a story about music. But it's also a story about America. Aaron Copland was born in Brooklyn in 1900 at the dawn of a new generation. In a community of immigrants, he had a front-row seat to...

In the same style as the New York Times Best-Selling Who Was? series, What Was? focuses on compelling historical events, great battles, protests, and discoveries. Learn about a pivotal time in American history and its momentous effects on civil rights in America in this enlightening title about...

The What Do We Know About? series explores the mysterious, the unknown, and the unexplained. Are the geometric field patterns fact, myth, or legend? Presenting What Do We Know About: an exciting new addition to the #1 New York Times Best-Selling Who Was? series! What Do We Know About Crop...

Hear ye, hear ye! Get ready to learn all about the most powerful court in the United States. Ever since it was established in 1789, the United States Supreme Court has had a major impact on the lives of all Americans. Some of its landmark decisions have helped end segregation, protected a...

Was Johnny Cash always the rebellious "Man in Black" that we remember him as today? Find out in this biography from the #1 New York Times bestselling series that takes us from Cash's childhood on an Arkansas cotton farm to his first days in rockabilly through his most famous years as a country...

In this addition to the What Was? series, kids will experience what it was like to be in San Francisco in 1906 when the ground buckled in a major, catastrophic earthquake. One early April morning in 1906, the people of San Francisco were jolted awake by a mammoth earthquake—one that registered...

How did a little girl who loved horses become the longest reigning monarch in England? Find out in this addition to the #1 New York Times best-selling Who Was? series! In 1936, the life of ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth of York changed forever. Although she was a member of the British Royal...

"With this powerful, hope-filled story of overcoming one's obstacles, readers will close this book and feel inspired to leave a legacy of their own." -School Library Journal From the world of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls comes the historical novel based on the life of Alicia Alonso, a...

Learn about one of the most influential leaders in the fight for gay rights. Although he started out as a teacher without aspirations to be an activist or politician, Harvey Milk found himself captivated by the history-making movements of the 1960s. He would eventually make history of his own by...

The story of how a girl born into slavery became an early leader in the civil rights movement and the most famous Black female journalist in nineteenth-century America. Born into slavery in 1862, Ida Bell Wells was freed as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. Yet she could see how...

From the world of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls comes a historical novel based on the life of Dr. Wangari Maathai, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist and environmentalist from Kenya. Wangari lives in the lush, green, land of rural Kenya where the soil is perfect for planting, the trees...

The wife of Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King was a civil rights leader in her own right, playing a prominent role in the African American struggle for racial equality in the 1960s. Here's a gripping portrait of a smart, remarkable woman. Growing up in Alabama, Coretta Scott King...

WARNING: DO NOT BELIEVE THE STORY YOU'RE ABOUT TO READ. Well, you can believe some of it. There is some real history. But also hijinks. Time travel. And famous figures setting off on adventures that definitely never happened--till now. Time is getting twisted, and it's up to two kids to...

The Time Warp Trio is staying home for once, and Joe's got a perfect way to keep The Book from getting lost. But when the guys find themselves stuck on top of the half-finished Brooklyn Bridge, they realize that Joe's foolproof Book Tracker wasn't so foolproof after all. Now the guys have to...

Called the "Great Pathfinder", Daniel Boone is most famous for opening up the West to settlers through Kentucky. A symbol of America's pioneering spirit Boone was a skilled outdoorsman and an avid reader although he never attended school. Sydelle Kramer skillfully recounts Boone's many...

Born a slave in Maryland, Harriet Tubman knew first-hand what it meant to be someone's property; she was whipped by owners and almost killed by an overseer. It was from other field hands that she first heard about the Underground Railroad which she travelled by herself north to Philadelphia...

The man who saved the lives of his PT-109 crewmen during WWII and became the 35th president fought-and won-his first battle at the age of two-and-a-half, when he was stricken with scarlet fever. Although his presidency was cut short, our nation's youngest elected leader left an indelible mark on...

Council on Interracial Books for Children award winner From the award-winning author of The Hundred Penny Box comes a sweet story about how one girl can make a difference. Lilly Etta didn't know the men, but she knew those yellow chairs. They were Tanya's, and they were being taken out of...

It's up, up, and away with the Tuskegee Airmen, a heroic group of African American military pilots who helped the United States win World War II. During World War II, black Americans were fighting for their country and for freedom in Europe, yet they had to endure a totally segregated military...