The Story of Fannie Lou Hamer by Margeaux Weston

 This biography series for Young Readers, ages 6-9, brings an inspiring character – Fannie Lou Hamer – who dedicated her life to civil rights movement. She is an inspirational symbol of strength and persistence.

Fannie Lou grew up during segregation in the US. She also grew up in a large family. She was the youngest of twenty siblings. Thus, she learned how to speak up for herself early on.

Fannie loved going to school and learning, but she also had to help her parents pick cotton. Thus, during the summer time, she worked in the fields and during the winter time, she went to school. While at school, the division between white and “colored” was the first injustice she experienced. But at thirteen, she had to help her aging parents full time, and stopped going to school at all.

In 1944, she got married and with her husband continued to work as sharecroppers. Fannie was the timekeeper as she was the only worker who could read and write. Soon, she noticed that the plantation owner was paying less than what the time card showed. That was another injustice she recognized.

In 1961, she went to hospital to have a surgery and the doctors removed an organ without her permission. That was another injustice she experienced.

In 1962, she learned about the right to vote, but it was very challenging for black people. She became active in helping black people register. Later, joining an activist group and becoming its leader, speaking up or even singing at the meetings.

She became known for her powerful songs, strong faith, and leadership.

Her protest with other activists put her in jail in 1963 where she was beaten and mistreated. She lost some of her eyesight and had other health issues after the beating. But she didn’t give up.

She continued to fight for equal voting rights in Mississippi.

She shared her efforts with Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

There were many people who supported her activism, but others thought she was not educated enough to lead a movement. This didn’t stop her as she knew how to connect with people. She used her Southern style of storytelling, singing, and even comedy to fight for voting rights.

This biography brings truly an inspiring character who wasn’t held back by anything as she knew how to connect with a large number of people. She understood their problems as she shared the same problems and injustices. Her life was dedicated to making her state a fair state for all. She became an important voice for equality and justice.

The book is divided into short chapters and written with simple language to make it accessible for young readers. The issues and what Fannie stood up for are presented in accessible way for the target audience.

Published in January 2025 by Callisto Kids

Source: Sourcebooks

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Know How to Connect with People - today's humanity is lacking it. Despite lack of education she achieved great things because she knew how to connect with people.

 

Traits:

·             She grew up in poverty and faced inequality all her life. This caused her to fight for the right of others. – Her adversity strengthened her determination.

·             She concentrated on her community (state of Mississippi) to improve the lives of the people.

·             She encouraged her friends, family, and neighbors to use their voices to elect people who would treat them fairly.

·             Her strong faith helped her when people treated her unfairly.

·             She kept fighting for fair treatment until she died.

·             Her lack of education didn’t hold her back as she knew how to connect with people.

“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” – Fannie Lou Hamer (was fed up with racial injustice and made a difference with her persistence) 

“You don’t run away from problems – you just face them.” – Fannie Lou Hamer

“I feel sorry for anybody that could let hate wrap them up.” – Fannie Lou Hamer

“Never to forget where we came from and always praise the bridges that carried us over.” – Fannie Lou Hamer

Who Was Thomas Alva Edison? by Margaret Frith

 Who Was ...? biography series for middle grade brings inspiring character of Thomas Alva Edison– a man who lit up the world. 

Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) was born in Milan, Ohio. He was a very curious child. He loved reading. When he became interested in science, he started simple experiments. When he read about Morse’s telegraphic alphabet, he became fascinated with telegraph.

At twelve, he got a job as a newsboy on the train. At his stop in Detroit before heading back home, he noticed a newspaper getting rid of ink, paper, and old pieces of type. This led him to starting his own newspaper. 

Then, he got an offer to learn how to become a telegraph operator, which led him to work for Western Union. At night, he worked as an operator, and during the day he worked on his inventions. He slept very little and this habit stayed with him. He always had a notebook with him to write down ideas. 

He created electric machine for much faster voting, but the politicians preferred the slower count. So there was no interest in this machine. Despite this disappointment, he quickly became known as someone with original ideas. He worked on developing new machines. The most successful became the universal stock printer which he sold to Western Union. 

Tom liked working with a team. Thus, he hired people to work in teams on different projects. They worked on as many as forty projects at a time. 

Meanwhile, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Tom was disappointed that it wasn’t his invention, but his carbon transmitter made telephones work better. 

Soon after, with his team, he invented a phonograph. He was thirty. Two years later, he invented an electric lightbulb. It took him another two and a half years to build the infrastructure for the electric light in one part of Manhattan but he did it on September 4, 1882.

He also became a pioneer in developing a system for filming and showing movie pictures. The storage battery became his biggest moneymaker. 

Many of his ideas failed, but he never gave up until he had tried every possibility. 

This biography embodies the true nature of an inventor, a man who was curious about the science and was crafting experiments from childhood to satisfy his curiosity, which led him to many successful inventions.

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

Published in 2005 by Penguin Workshop

 

TREDNING INSPIRATION: Explore what Interests You.

 

Traits:

·         Whatever interested him, he explored more of it.

·         As he was learning a trade, he continued to pursue his experiments at the same time.

·         He always had a notebook with him to write down ideas. Leonardo da Vinci did the same thing. Ideas were constantly coming to him and he didn’t want to miss anything. So he always had a pen and paper with him to write everything that came to him.

·         He preferred to work in teams as more minds put together meant more chances for success.

·         He had many failed projects but that didn’t discourage him from continuing to pursue what he loved.

 

 

“A man who doesn’t make up his mind to cultivate the habit of thinking cannot make the most of himself. All progress, all success, spring from thinking.” – Thomas Alva Edison 

“Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” – Thomas Alva Edison 

“There’s better way to do – find it.” – Thomas Alva Edison 

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Alva Edison

“If we all did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” – Thomas Alva Edison

Albert Einstein by Kathleen Krull

 The Giants of Science biography series for middle-grade brings Albert Einstein, a man who changed notions of space and time.

 

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany, to Jewish family. He was a temperamental child, throwing things. He started talking much later than most children. He preferred to play alone with toys and puzzles. At school, he didn’t like the rigid system. At young age, he already recognized that “Blind respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.”

He dropped out of German school and found a progressive, freethinking school in Switzerland. His rebel ways persisted at Polytechnic. He hated exams. He exasperated his teachers. After finishing school and alienating teachers, he had a hard time finding a job. 

In 1905, at twenty-six, he published four papers in the most important of the science journals, but most of the physics community ignored them.

At age forty, he became the most famous scientist in the world, but with the growing antisemitism came fierce attacks against him. Eventually, because of WWII, he was forced to leave Germany for the US. 

The story also delves into his two marriages, his children, and at the end, his anxiety of developing atomic bomb. The bomb was the opposite of the purpose of science. After the war, he advocated for strict controls on nuclear technology. 

Despite his theories being quite complicated, his perseverance in working for years on each theory is something to admire. In 1922, he received the Nobel Prize for Physics, but he himself knew that his work was quite complicated and said, “I will be dead for quite some time before my current work is appreciated.” 

His advice is precious, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” 

Einstein was rebellious in his own way which had merit, but he was also careless and condescending which complicated his early goal of working at University. He learned it hard way. Nevertheless, he inspires to be curious and question everything and anything.  

The book goes into explaining his theories which is explained in the most possible simple way. Despite that I’m not sure if it all would be understood by young readers.

Published by Blackstone Publishing in 2020

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Be Curious and Keep Asking Questions

 

Trends:

 

·         At school, he didn’t like the rigid system.

·         At young age, he already recognized that “Blind respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.”

·         He dropped out of German school and found a progressive, freethinking school in Switzerland.

·         At age forty, he became the most famous scientist in the world. As many geniuses, they’re not always easy to get along with.

·         He persevered in working for years on each theory.

·         He was curious and questioned everything and anything.

 

“Thinking is hard work. That’s why so few do it.” – Albert Einstein

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” – Albert Einstein