Benjamin Franklin by Kathleen Krull

The Giants of Science biography series for middle-grade brings Benjamin Franklin - a man who was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was born in Boston. He was ten when his formal education came to an end. He had only two years of schooling but was always an avid reader.

At twelve, he became apprenticed to his brother at printing house. His brother was a bit of a tyrant. After a few years, Ben quit and left Boston for NYC, then Philadelphia, then London. There were always some challenges, but ever resourceful, he landed on his feet.

At twenty-one, back in Philadelphia, he worked at print shops and missed the lively atmosphere he enjoyed in London. Thus, he created Junto group of like-minded men who wanted to improve themselves and their community.

When he set up his own printing shop, he founded his own newspaper. He was bringing topics that were grabbing readers’ attention, and becoming a respected man in his community.

Meanwhile, he went through illness which almost claimed his life, and through a death of his son. This was a sharp reminder for him that time was not limitless, and that he wanted to make his mark, to be useful with his knowledge.

At the time, the way the homes were heated was inefficient. He came up with a new kind of wood-burning stove.

It was also a time of great mysteries in science – electricity. He avidly started experiencing with it.

He made himself useful in politics and science, beginning each day with a question, “What good shall I do this day?” And ending each day with a question, “What good have I done today?”

In 1757, Pennsylvania Assembly sent him to London as its agent to serve as colonial “ambassador” to negotiate on behalf of thirteen colonies to be treated fairly. At the same time, he continued with his scientific experiments. But it was actually the alliance he formed with France which had been vital to victory in the American Revolution.

Surrounded by family, he died at the age of eighty-four.

This biography exemplifies a man who understood the purpose of life and the limited time we have on this earth. He used his time wisely, to serve humanity.

Source: Puffin Books, 2014

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: “Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults.” – Ben Franklin

 

Traits:

·         His education was very limited but he was an avid reader.

·         He was very resourceful.

·         When he missed the lively atmosphere he enjoyed in London, he created Junto group of like-minded men who wanted to improve themselves and their community.

·         When he founded his own newspaper, he was bringing topics that were grabbing readers’ attention.

·         His illness and his son’s death made him realize that time is not limitless, and every moment counts.

·         When heating system was inefficient, he came up with a new kind of wood-burning stove.

·         He avidly started experiencing with electricity.

·         When he entered political fray, he acted as “ambassador” between the thirteen colonies and British Crown to be treated fairly.

·         He began each day with a question, “What good shall I do this day?” And ended each day with a question, “What good have I done today?”

 

“Better slip with foot than tongue.” – Ben Franklin

“Look before, or you’ll find yourself behind.” – Ben Franklin

“Don’t throw stones at your neighbors, if your own windows are glass.” – Ben Franklin

“Well done is better than well said.” – Ben Frnaklin

Who Was Abigail Adams? by True Kelley

 Who Was...? biography series for middle grade captivates with the story of Abigail Adams – who was both, wife and mother of a president. Above all, she was a smart and independent woman who believed in the power of education, and spoke out for the right of women and African American. 

Abigail Smith (1744-1818) was a curious child, always with her nose in all the books the family owned. She was also stubborn and strong-willed which worried her mother but the grandmother was of different opinion. 

Visitors often gathered at family’s library and talked about politics. Abigail’s father encouraged her to have her own opinions. 

One of the visitors was John Adams. With time, they discovered that they both had lively minds, thought alike and loved politics. This led to their marriage. 

John was a lawyer but he loved farming, and Abigail loved tending to farm duties. 

As different battles began between colonists and British, people sought shelter which Abigail provided and food. With money becoming tight, she was becoming creative with continuously providing what was needed. She made soap, spun cloth, ink from ashes and berries. She even melted down pewter spoons to make bullets for the soldiers.

John was spending a lot of time in Philadelphia doing important work in the Congress. Abigail felt lonely but she also understood how important was her husband’s work. 

While her husband was working on Declaration of Independence, she wrote him about equal right for everyone. She believed that there should be no slavery in a free country. And women should have the same right as men. 

When her husband became the second president of the United States, she became busy with writing letters, organizing, planning the days and holding dinners for important people. 

This biography exemplifies a woman who was a wife and a mother and yet very independent with her mind. She was ahead of her time, believing in equal rights for all. She was also very resourceful. In hard times, coming up with ideas for survival, which also led further to good profits.

This illustrated biography for young readers, ages 8-12, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences, and insightful inserts. 

Source: Penguin Workshop, 2014

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: “Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands.” – Abigail Adams

 

Traits:

·         From childhood, she was immersed in books.

·         She was stubborn and strong-willed.

·         From childhood, she was exposed to political conversations and her father encouraged her to have her own opinion.

·         During the battles between colonists and British, when food and other supplies became short, she was very resourceful how to deal with the shortages.

·         Even when she felt lonely, she understood that her husband’s absence was for good cause, serving humanity.

·         When her husband became a president, she became busy with writing letters, organizing events, planning the days and holding dinners for important people. She understood the higher purpose in this all, to serve humanity.

·         She was a wife and a mother and yet very independent with her mind.

 

 

“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.” – Abigail Adams

“If we do not lay out ourselves in the service of mankind whom should we serve?” – Abigail Adams

“We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.” – Abigail Adams

“I begin to think, that a calm is not desirable in any situation in life. Man was made for action and for bustle too, I believe.” – Abigail Adams

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

 When we create labels, we create separation. Thus, stop the labeling process. That’s the path to inner peace.

Dr. Wayne Dyer explores the subject of Oneness in his book “Wisdom of the Ages,” where he further explains that it’s “our ego mind that insists that we’re separate from others and defined by where our boundaries stop and others start.”

Who Was Walt Disney? by Whitney Stewart

 Who Was...? biography series for middle grade captivates with the story of Walt Disney – a leader in the American animation industry.

Walter Elias Disney (1901-1966) was born in Chicago. When he was four, his family moved to a farm in Marceline, Missouri. It was a happy childhood for Walt. He liked to ride on pigs which often meant landing in mud. After school, he fished and skinny-dipped. In winter, he went sledding or skating on a frozen creek. From childhood, he had a natural nag for entertaining people. He liked attention and liked being the class clown. Once, he caught a field mouse, made a leash for it, and paraded his new pet around the classroom. He also had some talent for drawing which at times got him in trouble, especially after drawing with the tar on the side of their white house. 

When his father became sick, the family moved to Kansas City where Walt had to pitch in. At nine, he started delivering papers. 

In school, he wasn’t doing well. Instead, he was thinking of ways to make his classmates laugh. He also liked drawing funny characters or animal in the corner of the pages making it appear as moving while flipping the pages. These were his first cartoons.

Walt attended High School in Chicago where the family returned, but again he was bored in all of his classes. The only thing he liked was drawing cartoons for the school newspaper. After a year, he dropped out of school. At the time, he didn’t know what he wanted to be, but he certainly had faith in himself. 

At night, he took art classes. He bought himself a movie camera. 

When he applied for a job at the post office, he was told that he was too young. He went home, put on a man’s hat, drew a mustache on his face and went back to the post office where this time, he got the job. He knew how to find a solution to a problem. 

When he moved back to Kansas City, he teamed up with another artist. They got jobs at the Kansas City Slide Company. Here, Walt learned all about animation. This was life changing for him. After creating his first cartoon, he sold it to the Newman theatres, and started up a small company. 

He recruited artists to help him make cartoons. He promised to share any money earned from the cartoons. But he went bankrupt. Kansas City was not the center of entertainment business. He moved to Hollywood. 

With his brother Roy, they formed the Disney Brothers Studio. They were doing well with Oswald cartoons which in a way got stolen from him. Then, in secret with a few trusted people, Walt created a new character – a mouse. Mickey Mouse was born. Then, came Donald Duck.

As popular Mickey Mouse is today, at the time of its inception no theater wanted to show mouse cartoons. But Walt wasn’t someone to give up. Once, he added soundtracks, the audience fell in love with Walt’s characters. Then, Mickey Mouse Club was created and sprang up all over America.

Walt was always looking for the next big idea, pushing the boundaries. Up until then, cartoons were short. His next goal was a full – length movie. It took him years to create Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He borrowed more than one and a half million dollars for this project. Snow White was called a masterpiece and won a special Academy Award. 

In the following years, he produced: Fantasia, Pinocchio, and Bambi. 

And he continued to face challenges. There was WWII which affected the sales in Europe. Then, his employees went on strike. His following movies weren’t as successful.

When he spent time with his two daughters, playing and goofing around, it gave him his next idea of an amusement park. Thus, Disneyland was born in Anaheim, California. Even with age, he never slowed down. He had too many ideas to quit working.

At sixty-five, he died of lung cancer. He didn’t get to see the opening of Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida.

This biography illustrates a man who believed in himself and the characters he created. Despite many obstacles, he persisted with what he believed in. 

This illustrated biography for young readers, ages 7-10, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences, and insightful inserts.

Source: Grosset & Dunlap, 2012

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Never Give Up believing in Yourself

 

Traits:

·         From childhood, he had a natural nag for entertaining people.

·         He liked attention and liked being the class clown.

·         He had some talent for drawing. To improve it, he took evening classes.

·         In school, he wasn’t doing well. Instead, he was thinking of ways to make his classmates laugh.

·         He liked drawing funny characters or animal in the corner of the pages making it appear as moving while flipping the pages. These were his first cartoons.

·         While in HS, the only thing he liked was drawing cartoons for the school newspaper.

·         After a year, he dropped out of high school. At the time, he didn’t know what he wanted to be, but he certainly had faith in himself.

·         While working at the Kansas City Slide Company, he learned all about animation. This was life changing for him.

·         After creating his first cartoon, he sold it to the Newman theatres, and started up a small company in Kansas City which went bankrupt due to location.

·         Thus, he moved to Hollywood, with his brother Roy, they formed the Disney Brothers Studio.

·         His Oswald cartoons got stolen from him but this didn’t stop him. Afterwards, came his most successful characters: Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

·         Walt was always looking for the next big idea, pushing the boundaries. Up until then, cartoons were short. His next goal was a full – length movie. It took him years to create Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which was called a masterpiece and won a special Academy Award.

·         In the following years, he produced: Fantasia, Pinocchio, and Bambi.

·         He continued to face challenges. There was WWII which affected the sales in Europe. Then, his employees went on strike. His following movies weren’t as successful.

·         When he spent time with his two daughters, playing and goofing around, it gave him his next idea of an amusement park. Thus, Disneyland was born in Anaheim, California.

·         Even with age, he never slowed down. He had too many ideas to quit working.

 

 

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” – Walt Disney

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

Who Was Bruce Lee? by Jim Gigliotti

 Who Was...? biography series for middle grade enthralls with the story of Bruce Lee – one of the greatest martial-arts masters of all time.

Bruce Lee (1940-1973) from childhood was a bundle of energy, always playing, running or jumping. His family called him ‘never sits still.” 

He was born in San Francisco. His father was an actor in a traveling Chinese opera. 

When he was just a few months, his family returned to Hong Kong, where his parents were born. His dad’s job meant that Bruce was around the performing arts at a young age. 

He didn’t have the same enthusiasm for school. Instead, he was getting into fighting. One day, he lost a fight and got beat up. He decided he had to learn to protect himself better. So he began to study the martial arts called kung fu.

But he continued to get into many fights. When police knocked on the door of the family and warned that next time it will be jail, the family decided to send Bruce back to the US. 

He stayed at their friend’s house in Seattle where he enrolled at the University of Washington where he studied philosophy. It made him question his behavior and his attitude about fighting started to change. 

While still in school, he began to teach his friends kung fu. Later, he opened a teaching studio. 

After getting married and having his son, the family moved to Oakland, California, where he opened his studio and began developing his own martial-arts system. 

In 1964, at the First International Karate Tournament in Long Beach, California, Bruce showcased his skills. Jay Sebring was in the crowd and introduced Bruce to his friend William Dozier, Hollywood producer. Bruce was cast in a few roles but his acting didn’t really take off.

He went back to teaching kung fu, but thanks to his moves on the screen, the martial arts became very popular in the US. The Hollywood stars started knocking at his door. This led him to choreographing the martial-arts scenes in some movies.

In 1970, Bruce developed a pain in his back. He had permanently damaged a nerve in his back. He was told that his career was over. As Bruce was confined to bed, he didn’t waste any time. Instead, he continued to develop his philosophy – his personal code of conduct. After six months, he slowly began his own strategy for getting better.

Same year in 1970, he took a trip to Hong Kong where he met adoring fans. This gave him an idea to do acting in Chinese movies, which he did. He started breaking records in Asia. Then, Hollywood started to make notice of his movies. 

But on July 1973, while working on another movie, he developed a headache. He took some medicine and went to sleep. He never woke up. He had brain swelling.

This biography exemplifies a man who never faltered at challenges. When life knocked him down, he used it to ponder about life; its meaning and how to be a better human being.

This illustrated biography for young readers, ages 7-10, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences, and insightful inserts. 

Source: Penguin Workshop, 2014

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: “If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” – Bruce Lee

 

Traits:

·         From childhood, Bruce was a bundle of energy, always playing, running or jumping.

·         At school, he did poorly as it was hard for him to sit still.

·         He got into fights all the time to a point that he almost faced jail, and was sent from Hong Kong to the US.

·         Despite his lack of enthusiasm for education, he was still encouraged to enroll in philosophy, which was a life changing experience for him. It opened his eyes, and made him realize that he was wrong to have sought out fights as a youngster.

·         In Hong Kong, he began to study the martial arts called kung fu. In the US, he began teaching it. Later combining it with philosophy, he began developing his own martial-arts system.

·         His acting didn’t take off in the US, but when visiting Hong Kong and seeing all the fans there, he realized that his audience was in Asia. Thus, he got into Chinese movies, and breaking records in Asia, which made Hollywood notice Bruce.

 

“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” – Bruce Lee 

“I don’t believe in pure luck. You have to create your own luck. You have to be aware of the opportunities around you and take advantage of them.” – Bruce Lee 

“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” – Bruce Lee

“Always be yourself; express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” – Bruce Lee 

“Though we possess a pair of eyes, most of us do not really ‘see’ in the true sense of the word.” – Bruce Lee

 

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

 Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy by Sadhguru

Sadhguru is a guru from India. He teaches about self-transformation and exemplifies what he teaches about.

In this book, he relates the moment of his own awakening, and gives guidance to our highest spiritual enlightenment. He is devoted to humanitarian causes.

He explains the term guru: “dispeller of darkness, someone who opens the door for you…” He states, “As a guru, I have no doctrine to teach, no philosophy to impart, no belief to propagate. And that is because the only solution for all the ills that plague humanity is self-transformation. Self-transformation means that nothing of the old remains. It is a dimensional shift in the way you perceive and experience life.” 

Who Was Jane Austen? by Sarah Fabiny

 

 Who Was...? biography series for middle grade captures the story of Jane Austen – a beloved English author whose books are more popular today than they were in her own lifetime. She achieved success as a published author in a time when there were no women writers officially.

Jane Austen (1775-1817) was the seventh child of Reverend George Austen and his wife Cassandra. He looked after a small parish in Steventon, a small village west of London.

The Austen’s house was crowded and noisy, but it was a happy and comfortable place. The Reverend’s library was filled with books and Jane spent a lot of time reading them. The parents also encouraged all children to put on short performances for their entertainment. 

Jane enjoyed the busy atmosphere at home as well as her long walks in the countryside. The nature inspired her to start writing. She was dazzled by their cousin Eliza’s life, married to a French count. Eliza’s exciting life gave Jane further inspiration for her stories. Jane was drawn to strong female characters. She didn’t like the silly or sentimental characters. She was also very outspoken, not afraid to speak her mind, and explore it in her writing. She based her stories on people she met and the events she attended. The more she wrote, the better she got at it.

She was twenty-one when she finished writing First Impressions. It was rejected by the publisher, but Jane wasn’t to give up on her dream of becoming an author. Meanwhile, she wrote two more novels.

At twenty-six, with the help of her brother, she found a publisher for one of her novels, Susan. But at the end, the book was never published. 

In 1810, at thirty-five, she found a publisher for Sense and Sensibility which appeared in bookstores in October 1811, and received good reviews. By July 1813, all copies were sold. In 1813, Pride and Prejudice was published. In 1814, Mansfield was published. In 1815, Emma was sold to publisher. Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published after the death of Jane.

This biography illustrates a strong woman who believed in her writing and the characters she portrayed. Despite many rejections, she persisted with what she believed in. 

This illustrated biography series for young readers, ages 8-12, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences, and insightful inserts. 

Source: Penguin Workshop, 2017

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Never Give Up believing in Your Talent

 

Traits:

·         She spent a lot of time reading books.

·         The walks in nature inspired her to start writing.

·         The exciting life of her cousin gave Jane inspiration for more stories.

·         She was drawn to strong female characters and that’s what she portrayed in her stories.

·         She was outspoken, and explored it in her writing.

·         She based her stories on people she met and the events she attended.

·         The more she wrote, the better she got at it.

·         She received many rejections before her first book was published.

 

“There are people, who the more you do for them, the less they will do for themselves.” – Jane Austen

“There is safety in reserve, but no attraction. One cannot love a reserved person.” – Jane Austen 

“We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.” – Jane Austen

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

 Jane Austen trusted her incredible mind power which served her very well.

Dr. Wayne Dyer explores the subject of Mind Power in his book “Wisdom of the Ages,” where he explains the words of Sir Edward Dyer in his poem. He was an English poet of the Elizabethan period best known for his lyric beginning, “My mind to me a kingdom is.”

Dyer further explains the poet’s words as comfort of detaching from everything, including body, and being in the kingdom of a quiet mind. Your mind gives you the power of choice.

“The need to acquire more than is necessary, to chase after success at all costs, to consistently pursue approval from others is not imposed on us, it is a function of how we choose to use that invisible mystery within us, our mind.”