Piece by Piece: Ernestine's Gift for President Roosevelt by Lupe Ruiz-Flores

 This biography is intended for audience of 5-9 years old and brings an inspiring story.

During the Great Depression, Ernestine Guerrero’s family was among many families who relied on wooden crates of free food from the government. Ernestine wanted to show President Roosevelt how grateful she was for the program that fed them and others. She didn’t have any money and wasn’t sure how to express it in the best possible way.

In San Antonio, Texas, Ernestine helped her father who worked as a carpenter before the Great Depression. She learned from him how to work with wood. When her uncle gave her a woodworking pattern for a clock case, she knew she found the perfect thank you gift.

The wooden crates that once held food would be used as material for building clock case. The work composed of many pieces wasn’t easy. Ernestine made a lot of mistakes, but piece by piece she continued. She used a simple tool of coping saw to cut intricate designs. After over a year of work, she glued 156 pieces of wood together.

This is one of the most inspiring stories, showing that with very little you can still inspire to do great things. This clock case is admired by millions of people who visit Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York.

The title beautifully flows with the text. The illustrations amazingly express feelings of Ernestine. The combination of interesting text and defined illustrations makes it an engaging read for children that sheds light on amazing story.

Published in 2023 by Millbrook Press

Source: Millbrook Press

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Be grateful.

Traits:

·         Be grateful

·         Be creative

·         Have a plan

·         Learn a skill from whomever you can

·         Don’t let a hurdle stop you from achieving your goal

"Planning is like bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it." - Alan Lakein

Ruth First Never Backed Down by Danielle Joseph

 This biography is intended for audience of 7-11 years old and brings an inspiring character.

Ruth First was born into Jewish family who fled Eastern Europe. Her grandparents felt welcomed in South Africa where Ruth’s parents grew up and Ruth was born. But there was a dark side to South Africa. It had a system called apartheid.

Ruth grew up in a household where parents held meetings and spoke up against anti-Black racism. Ruth from young age became active in making a difference. She started a book club where they discussed inequality. Then, she spoke out in public. In college, she wrote for the school newspaper.

During her studies, she met other activists, among them Nelson Mandela. Her life was dedicated to fight for equality. She never stopped doing it, even when the newspaper she wrote for was banned and after she was released from prison.

This is a very touching story, beautifully presented, and commemorating one of incredible voices that ended the apartheid system in 1990s in South Africa. The words are exquisitely chosen and reflect the spirit of this incredible character. The story has a good flow, and is supported by nice illustrations.

Published in 2023 by Kar-Ben Publishing

Source: Kar-Ben Publishing

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Speak up and take action when you see injustice.

Traits:

·         Take positive action in making a difference

·         Speak out when you see injustice

 

"A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions." - Confucius

Sigmund Freud by Kathleen Krull

 This biography for middle-grade, part of Giants of Science series, brings a figure of Sigmund Freud, a man who was ahead of his time with his ideas. 

When Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is four, his family moves from Freiberg to Vienna, Austria. At school, he is an eager student. Each month he buys a new book and adds to his library. He is inspired by great leaders he reads about. When attending the World Exhibition in Vienna bursting in science and technology, he gets inspired and sees a future in science.

In 1859, when Charles Darwin publishes his book On the Origin of Species, he rocks the world with his controversial theories. But Freud foresees advancement and decides to study medicine. He is fascinated with bacteriology. He enjoys observation over microscope. He becomes interested in curing serious diseases. He is appalled by mistreatment of mentally ill patients.

When he falls in love, he realizes that he can’t provide for a woman. The microscope research doesn’t pay much. He searches for something revolutionary. He tries experimenting with cocaine. He hopes for a breakthrough in his research. But the addictive side of the drug makes him look suspicious. He drops this research.

At thirty, he opens his own office to treat patients with mental illness as this is something that interests him.

It’s fascinating to see how understanding the brain has progressed over one hundred years. Some of the past methods to treat the mental patients were simply barbaric.

There is a lot of information here which is explained in the most possible simple way, but some of it may still be hard to grasp by young readers.

This biography is mostly focused on his work. It would be nice to get to know him more on personal level; how his childhood shaped him and how he was with his own children. 

Overall, it is written interestingly and has a good flow.

Published in 2006 by Viking

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Get inspired by great people who make a difference by learning their stories.

Traits:

·         Read about people who inspire you

·         Be an eager student in whatever interest you

·         Be active and look around for inspiration

·         Whatever you do, do it with passion

 

"The quality of your life, depends on the quality of your mind." - Sam Harris

“Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility.” – Sigmund Freud

 

“Being entirely honest with oneself is a good experience.” – Sigmund Freud

 

“Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.” – Sigmund Freud

 

Trailblazers: Jane Goodall: A Life with Chimps by Anita Ganeri

 The Trailblazers biography series is for middle grade. 

This book brings a fascinating figure of Jane Goodall, who became a leading expert on chimpanzee. When she began her work, it was a man’s world. It was her strong will to follow her dreams that pushed the boundaries.

Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall (born April 3, 1934) comes from a family supportive of women’s following their passions. Something that is unique of her time. She is fascinated with animals from the young age. After reading The Story of Doctor Dolittle who travels to Africa, where he has many extraordinary adventures, makes her dream of such adventures herself.

Her family doesn’t have money to pay for college. So after High School, she gets a few positions, mostly secretarial. Nothing seems exciting to her until she receives a letter from her friend inviting her to Kenya.

In 1957, her dream of African adventure comes true. She quickly realizes that in Africa, she feels at home. She gets hired by Louis Leakey, famous paleoanthropologist, as his secretary. That leads to an opportunity of studying chimps in the wild. With time, she becomes the leading expert on chimpanzee research.

With growing poaching problems and labs mistreating chimps for their research, she becomes a big advocate fighting for awareness of endangered animals.

Her work takes her from Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania, where she spends her first years on the research. To setting up different projects inspiring children to volunteer and make a difference in their communities. And setting up an institute where she makes it possible for young adults to do a research.

Conservation efforts by others open her eyes to the plight around her. She was so focused on the small area of doing certain research that she wasn’t aware what was happening in the world with other animals. Thus, leading her to become an advocate for endangered animals.

The storytelling is engaging. There is one scene where Jane is attacked by a male chimpanzee. It presents a moment how dangerous her work is. This well-presented story shows that it doesn’t always begin with our dream. There are other things we need to do meanwhile in order to get where we want to be. The important message is to continue dreaming and grabbing an opportunity when it comes our way.

The story has black and white illustrations which are interesting, and also give some additional information.

Published in 2019 by Random House Book for Young Readers

TRENDING INSPIRATION: With a strong will one can push any boundaries. Keep dreaming and grabbing opportunities. 

Traits:

·         Challenge the boundaries

·         Follow your passion

·         Be adventurous

·         Finds solutions to obstacles rather than giving in to them

·         Find a place that feels like home

·         Volunteer

·         Be resourceful

·         Dream big

·         Grab opportunities when they come your way

"He who does good to others makes the biggest gift to himself." - Seneca

“Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right.” – Jane Goodall

                     

“From my perspective, I absolutely believe in a greater spiritual power, far greater than I am, from which I have derived strength in moments of sadness or fear. That’s what I believe, and it was very, very strong in the forest.” – Jane Goodall

Isaac Newton by Kathleen Krull

 This biography for middle-grade, part of Giants of Science series, brings a fascinating figure of a man who during his childhood doesn’t form any deep bonds. It has a reflection later in his life as one of the leading scientist of his time instead of collaborating with other scientist to further the progress of science, he leads a few feuds.

Isaac Newton (1643-1727) was abandoned by his widowed mother when she remarried. He was raised by grandparents. After the death of her second husband, the mother reunited with her son, but it didn't repair the damage Isaac felt. The isolation and abandonment damaged him emotionally.

At twelve, he was sent to Grammar School where he boarded with the apothecary. That was a stimulating place for young Newton, where he learned creating different concoctions. At school, he was a poor student at first, but got noticed for his strange inventions. Later, rising to be a top student.

Newton’s uncle recognized that Isaac was talented and fit more within the university environment rather than tending a farm as his mother wished. Thanks to his uncle, Newton continued his education at Cambridge University. Bored with the school curriculum, he studied on his own the works of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Descartes and others.

As it goes with those legendary figures, there is usually some legend attached to them. While napping in the orchard, an apple fell on his head, which led him to many questions and the conclusion of such force as gravity.

In 1667, he became a fellow at Trinity College. He continued what interested him the most – the experiments. He was reluctant to publish his experiments as he feared plagiarism and criticism. Nevertheless, he published his first scientific paper on light in 1672. He hated the criticism and whined about losing his privacy. His next publication was in 1704. By failing to engage with other scientists, perhaps he impended his own and other’s progress.

It was interesting to learn something about Newton besides him being a famous British mathematician. It is a sad and touching story of a boy who never received nurturing, but with the right mentorship he still achieved great things.

The black and white illustrations are just a few in this series, but they are amazing.

Published in 2006 by Viking Juvenile 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Having a mentor helps one in having a purposeful life.

Traits:

·         Cooperate with others for greater benefits

·         Keep learning new skills

·         Study the people who inspire you

"Time wasted rationalizing the mediocre, could be time used at creating the magnificent." - Jen Sincero

“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” – Isaac Newton

 

“We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” – Isaac Newton

 

“I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people.” – Isaac Newton

 

“Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.” – Isaac Newton

 

“Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.” – Isaac Newton

 

“Genius is patience.” – Isaac Newton

 

“My powers are ordinary. Only my application brings me success.” – Isaac Newton

 

The Incredible Yet True Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt by Volker Mehnert

 This biography for middle grade is a great example for young minds that no matter what grades you have at school, you still can achieve great things. Grades shouldn’t be a defining part in their lives.

Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), from Prussia (Germany), was a curious child poking around in the garden with the beetles and flowers. His grades were mediocre at best. While he visited botanical gardens, he dreamed about faraway places. That came true when he met Georg Forster who sailed with the British explorer James Cook. Alexander started with places close to England. As soon as he was able to fulfill his dream he was off to Americas.

Right before that he met Aime Bonpland, a young French scientist, who was interested in the study of plants. He accompanied Humboldt on all his travels across Americas. Aime collected most of the 60,000 plant varieties they brought back to Europe. Despite that for most of the part, he remained in the shadow of the famous Baron von Humboldt.

At nearly sixty, Humboldt accepted an invitation of Russian Tsar to explore Russia. He hoped to do a quick detour to Himalaya Mountains, but quickly realized that the guides he was given were there to monitor him and to make sure he stayed on the fixed route.

Alexander’s childhood and schooling time are very brief. The message of him being someone who defied the odds is reinforced through his courageous exploration of Americas. 

This biography’s main concentration is his voyage with Aime Bonpland. It sheds light on Bonpland. Their story chronicles the geography, climate, flora and fauna of the places they visited, and what experiences those places entailed. In Mexico City, they had a bit different experience, with cobbled streets and booming economy, they examined the life, work, and economy of the people.

This enjoyable story is filled with colorful illustrations which help young readers understand the context of the story. 

(Intended audience MG 8-12 years)

Published in 2019 by Experiment 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: School grades don’t defy a person. One can still achieve great things.

Traits:

·         Be curious

·         Dream big

·         Be courageous

·         Keep trying different things

"The world allows for many ways of being. If you don't succeed at one, you can try another." - Jordan B. Peterson

Hispanic Star: Sonia Sotomayor by Claudia Romo Edelman

 The Hispanic Star biography series for middle grade celebrates Hispanic and Latinx heroes who have made a difference.

Sonia Sotomayor grew up in the projects in the Bronx. She is a great inspiration, showing children that no matter where you come from you can still achieve great things.

The story gives a brief history of Puerto Rico Island and how it becomes the US territory. How her parents arrive in NYC, and how with other members of the family, they continue with traditions of their island – spending weekends together, preparing their food and listening to their music.

Her mother who is a nurse works hard to be able to send her children to Catholic school. Her mother values education and instills it in her children.

Sonia’s story brings her hardship and aspirations, and what steps she takes to achieve her goals. At the end of her hard work, she receives a full scholarship to attend the Princeton University.

Her hardship isn’t just financial. She loses her father at young age and it takes her mother some time to get over the loss, which has an effect on Sonia and her brother. Sonia is also told that she doesn’t deserve to go to Princeton.

The book explains well the point of affirmative action. Sonia coming from low-income family is at disadvantage with students who came from well-off families and are well-travelled and have access to things Sonia has no idea about.

Outside school, when she hears of some injustice happening to Puerto Ricans, she quickly becomes their advocate. She stands up to discrimination. She refuses to be disrespected and to remain silent out of fear of losing a potential job.

Her career takes her from a prosecutor, to a law that improves people’s lives instead of enforcing laws. Then, she becomes a federal judge in NY. It leads her to become the judge for the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and finally the judge for the Supreme Court.

This is a well-written story that clearly shows what Sonia Sotomayor had to go through to get where she is now. She didn’t feel sorry for her circumstances. She was close to her family and that’s what mattered the most. It didn’t hold her back to reach for the stars, and in order to reach for those stars she had to take many steps and she worked hard at those steps.

The black and white illustrations are simple, some are like sketches. Most of the series have black and white illustrations for this age group, which seem appropriate.

This is an inspiring story of a phenomenal woman, and it’s part of a wonderful series.

Published in 2023 by Roaring Brook Press

Source: Roaring Brook Press

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Positive mind set. Self -discipline. Persistence. 

Traits:

·         She worked hard, one goal at a time, taking her closer to her dream goal

·         Even with financial disadvantage, she found the way to attend the school she was interested in

·         When hearing of injustice, she took action and stood up to discrimination

·         She refused to be disrespected even if that meant losing a potential job

"If you are undisciplined, you are a slave to your moods." - Eliud Kipchoge

The Extraordinary Life of Alan Turing by Michael Lee Richardson

 The Extraordinary Lives  biography series is for middle grade.

Alan Turing born in 1912 in London was a curious child, fascinated with nature and biology. At school, he developed interest in chess and chemistry experiments, pursued passion for math and science. It was noticeable that he was different than other boys. When other boys played hockey, he examined flowers in the foreground.

First, he attended Cambridge in England, and later, Princeton in NJ where he studied cryptology. And with his knowledge of codebreaking he became one of the most important people during WWII.

As his story begins, the context is easy to grasp for the target audience. Then, the story explores quite a lot about his work, which might be of interest to those children who are into computers. I’m not sure if children at this age comprehend the programming and all information given here related to his work. It’s presented as simple as possible, but I wonder how many children would understand the context.

The first part of the story involving his childhood is very brief. Most of the story is about his work, which may not be easy to grasp for children. I think learning more about his childhood would make it a more engaging story for this age group.

The black and white illustrations are cute.

Published in 2020 by Puffin 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Curiosity is a trait of all geniuses. 

Traits:

·         He developed interests while in school

·         He pursued his passion for math and science

·         Despite being different, he still preferred to pursue what interested him rather than fitting in

"The whole future lies in uncertainty. Live immediately." - Seneca

Stephen Hawking by Nikki Sheehan

 This Life Story biography series is for middle grade.

On January 8, 1942 one of the greatest scientists was born – Stephen Hawking. Both of his parents were highly educated. Stephen’s grades were average, but his classmates noticed how clever he was and called him “Einstein.” When he was working on his PhD, he was diagnosed with ALS disease. At twenty-one, he was told that he had two years left. He defied the odds, dying at seventy-six.

The first half of his story has chapters which are short, with very brief information jumping a few years between the events. The information is more involved in the second half. His character development comes through in the second part. 

Hawking’s disability gave him a different platform. It didn’t take him down. It showed him that every moment counts. He passionately advocated for many things: encouraged disable people to reach for the stars and them being able to have access to different places on wheelchair, caring for the planet. He was also against the Brexit as that wasn’t the way to deal with interlaced economies. 

There are limited black and white illustrations, which seems to be the norm for this age group.

Published in 2019 by Scholastic

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Positive mind set. 

Traits:

·         His grades were average at school, and he didn’t let it defy him

·         His was very clever, and used it as his power force to achieve great things

·         He didn’t let the disease of ALS to defy his life

·         He advocated for disable people as he believed they were capable of doing as much as others

 

"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it faith." - Carl Jung