Online biography books for children
One of the most common projects in elementary school, especially around 4-6 grades is a biography project or book report.
It can be tricky to find biography books for kids that hit that sweet spot between a picture book and an absolutely overwhelming non-fiction tome (lots of biographies lean too far into the young adult realm and they’re just too hefty for an elementary school reader!).
Here are some great options that are interesting, readable and perfect for school or personal reading!
(P.S. If you’re looking for biography series like the extremely popular “Who Was. . .?” series, I have a whole list of favorites here! The books on that list tend to steer a little younger and shorter).
10+ Great Kids Biography Books
The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P. T. Barnum by Candace Fleming
If your child was obsessed with The Greatest Showman, this book is for them. It is almost unreal how fascinating the real P.T. Barnum was and what a life he lead. I included this one on the family reads section in the 2020 Summer Reading Guide. (Full review here)
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton
After Bethany Hamilton, a teenage surfer, lost her arm in a shark attack off the coast of Hawaii, she does what ever it takes to return to surfing. This incredible biography shares the details of her recovery and what she has done to make her way back to the top of the surfing world.
Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift’s “Chocolate Pilot” by Michael O. Tunnell
This is the incredible story about post WWII pilot, Gail S. Halvorsen, who begins dropping candy for the children in post-war occupied Berlin. This middle grade biography does a great job explaining the post-war occupation of Berlin more clearly than I’d understood it before. (Full review here)
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe There have been more and more picture books published recently featuring a variety of people who have made a remarkable contribution to society. Dig into these biography books for children to learn more about people who have made a difference. Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. The Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett does an amazing job sharing about a great author while also masterfully weaving in little bits of important nuggets to ponder and wrestle with as we read. It is so clever! It’s a book that works for children and a book that works equally well if not more for adults. After reading, you are left with lots to think about on so many different levels. Pura’s Cuentos by Annette Bay Pimentel introduces us to a storyteller who brings bilingual storytelling to Harlem. Pura Belpré was the first Latina librarian in New York City as well as a storyteller and author. Learn about her and her contribution to young readers as well as breaking rules to include others. A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of The Snowy Day shines the light on an author who brought us so many classics. I could really put this biography in so many categories. Ida B. Wells was a journalist, civil rights activist, businesswoman, and more. Learn all about her Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth: Educator, Feminist, and Anti-Lynching Civil Rights Leader by Michelle Duster, Well’s great-grandaughter. Along Came a Radioactive Spider by Annie Hunter Eriksen is the unauthorized biography of Steve Ditko and the Creation of Spider-Man. It truly must have been a challenge to write about a person who has few published photos, refused interviews, and had a cloud of mystery around him. Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando by Andrea Wang and his invention of quick c All of my children lean heavily toward fiction in their personal reading, but in the last year or so, my two older girls have developed an interest in biographies and our dinner conversations often sounds like a game show as they quiz us about famous people. Whether you’re looking for biographies for a school project or because your child loves learning more about famous individuals, these biography books for kids are a perfect place to start. Ordinary People Change the World by Brad Meltzer, illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos Who Was. . . Series Little Leaders by Vashti Harrison Explore the full range of titles. Discover sports stars, scientists, artists and much more... Welcome to the home of Little People, BIG DREAMS, the best-selling biography series for kids by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara. Discover the lives of key figures from throughout history, from creatives and activists to scientists and politicians. Told as a story, with a facts and photos section at the back, every story begins with that person as a small child. Containing figures from many different experiences, backgrounds and journeys, the series aims to develop children’s empathy and their understanding of the world. Now with more than 12 million copies sold worldwide, the series continues to grow and expand, introducing children around the world to a diverse range of figures from all walks of life. “Strikingly illustrated, they’re superb first biographies for younger readers.” —HuffPost “Stirring encouragement for all 'little people' with 'big dreams.'” —Kirkus Reviews “Informative text…smartly illustrated… Another batch of successful installments in the series.” —School Library Journal “We're obsessed with the ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ series.” —Mother Mag "...adorable illustrations…packs an emotional punch.” —Entertainment Weekly Illustrated by Lizzie Knott Learn about the life of Harry Styles, one of the most beloved pop singers of all time. From a young age, little Harry loved singing… Read more » Find out more Illustrated by Ryoko Ichikawa Learn about incredible story of Yayoi Kusama! The groundbreaking contemporary artist who covered the world in dots. Little Yayoi grew up in Japan and loved… Read more » Find out more Illustrated by Fernando Martín Learn about inspiring story of David Beckham! The much-loved footballer who grew up dreaming of scoring goals for his favourite team. Little Davi
Biography Books for Children
Biography Books for Kids
Biographies of Authors/Writers/Illustrators
Biographies of Chefs or Food Creators
The Best Biography Series for Kids
This wildly popular biography series is perfect for young readers. Each book is 40 pages long, has full-color illustrations and is bursting with interesting stories, quotes, and facts. Both of my older girls (8 and 11) love reading these solo, and my 6 year old loves for me to read them to her. They cover a wide range of people from politicians to athletes, movie stars to artists, historical figures to scientists. I think I love them as much as much as my girls do!
40 pages // 27 books in the series
Ella discovered this series when she was required to read some non-fiction for school (she’s a fantasy or mystery reader all day, every day) and she ended up loving them, plowing through dozens of the books in the series and regaling us with fun facts about various historical figures at dinner time. They’re written by a wide variety of authors so some are better than others, but they are a really engaging series.
100-120 pages // 200 books in the series
This is a little different than some of the biography books on this list, because these books each feature more than a dozen different people rather than each book focuses on a single person. Little Leaders is about women in Black history, Little Legends is about men in Black history, and Little Dreamers features visionary woman around the world. Thes WELCOME, DREAMERS!
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Harry Styles
Yayoi Kusama
David Beckham