Stories About Real People

I like reading non-fiction books to the kids. I think it's good to expose them to that genre and also they learn about things that they didn't know about before. All but one of these books would not be considered non-fiction, however they are based on real people.

I've always been a fan of Jane Goodall. I think it's amazing when, particularly women, stand up and continue to do what they believe, even when being doubted. This story is about her and her love of all things science and nature--how that lead her to become who she is today. So often I don't think we think about our heroes as young children. And, I'm a sucker for a clever title.....:)

Another favorite of my kiddos is:

It's about Alice Roosevelt (Teddy's daughter) who apparently was quite the little firecracker! She was the Princess Diana of that time period and all eyes were on her. My favorite part, when she says she wants to "eat up the world".

I actually learned some things I didn't know from this one! It's about Audrey Hepburn-how she got her start, the ton of work she did for charity and why she chose to do that. Just someone that the kids definitely don't know about before you read it, but a great role model to learn about.

 A little bit of a selfish pick, I know and one that's a higher reading level. I think Mark Twain was one of the wittiest writers in the history of time. This story about him is told by his daughter who is secretly watching him for  few days in order to gather information for the biography she's writing about him. My favorite part: he's reading a book off his shelf and chuckling. His wife asks him what he's reading and he says he doesn't know, just pulled a book off the shelf. Turns out it was one of his books!

Who can resist a story of unlikely friendship? Owen lost his mom in a storm and they rescued him after lots of effort and took him to a wildlife reserve. It took some work, but the crusty old tortoise eventually warmed up to him and now they are inseparable!