chapter 13

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Saddle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.


This chapter was about biographies. Biographies are a good tool to get children interested in history and historical figures. Children who read a few sentences about a historical figure in a textbook will more than likely not remember anything about that person. By reading a biography they will learn that the person was more than a fact or something they need to memorize for a test. Biographies bring people to life. It is important for children to understand that these people had real lives. The information that novels present us with will be remembered because it is interesting. It will not just be memorized and then forgotten in a month. I also liked the idea of children reading the biographies that were listed as other interesting people. There are people today who make a big difference in our world. They are not celebrities or presidents, but seemingly normal people. I think these type of biographies can inspire children and adults.