Biography by Series

One of the great benefits of a biography series is that readers can become accustomed to a reading level that works for them, and learn about a variety of people without worrying about difficulty or writing style. Some of our favorite biography series are the work of many authors, but even then there's usually a series editor to ensure consistency.

This sameness can also be a pitfall: readers (especially kids) can just get in a rut of breezing through the volumes without growing much or learning a whole lot. If you have kids who read a lot, however, this is potentially the case no matter what they're reading, and at least with a series you can have a pretty good idea where the individual authors will be coming from, whether you're familiar with them or not.

Most of the series we offer are written from a Christian perspective. While many might assume this makes them okay across the board, we do offer a caution: not all of these series offer the same level of discernment. For instance, while the Sowers Biographies are generally very good (and very popular), the editors chose to include a biography about Johnny Appleseed, a known heretic of the Swedenborgian variety.

For the most part, however, we can get behind the series we offer. Our favorite right now is probably the Christian Encounters series, which offers short but incisive biographies of great Christians who may not get as much attention as they should (like St. Patrick, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and William F. Buckley).

We do encourage you to mix things up now and then. It's easy to get in a rut, and it's easy to get familiar with an author or group of authors, and then to simply accept everything they say as Gospel truth. Reading across a spectrum of biographies will fill in gaps that may exist in your understanding, and offer different interpretations of people and events.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

 

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67 Items found Print
Active Filters: 3rd grade (Ages 8-9), Trade Paperback, In-Stock Books & Materials
Abigail Adams: Girl of Colonial Days
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Jean Brown Wagoner
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$6.79
Abraham Lincoln
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.26
Adventures of Richard Wagner
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$12.71
Benjamin Franklin
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.26
Buffalo Bill
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.26
Columbus
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.26
Dwight Eisenhower
by Janet & Geoff Benge
from Emerald Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$10.19
Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines
by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 1st-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$12.71
Elizabeth Fry
from Emerald Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$10.19
Franz Schubert and His Merry Friends
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$12.71
Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland: Early Years
by Opal Wheeler, illustrated by Christine Price
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$11.86
Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland: Later Years
by Opal Wheeler, illustrated by Christine Price
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$11.86
Frederick Douglass: The Right to Dignity
from Emerald Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$10.19
George Washington
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.26
Handel at the Court of Kings
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$12.71
Hannibal
by Jacob Abbott
from Canon Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$10.20
Igor Stravinsky
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Joseph Haydn
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$12.71
Leif the Lucky
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.26 $9.60 (1 in stock)
Leif the Lucky
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from University of Minnesota
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.26
Ludwig Beethoven and the Chiming Tower Bells
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$12.71
Mozart the Wonder Boy
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$12.71
Paganini, Master of Strings
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$12.71
Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$12.71
Pocahontas
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.26
Robert Schumann and Mascot Ziff
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$12.71
Rosa Parks: Young Rebel
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$6.79
Sebastian Bach
by Opal Wheeler & Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$12.71
South Sea Island Rescue
CF4Kids Trail Blazers
by Kay Walsh
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in TorchBearers & TrailBlazers (Location: BIO-TRAIL)
$3.60 (2 in stock)
Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 1st-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$12.71
Story of Peter Tchaikovsky
by Opal Wheeler
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$12.71
Who Is Jane Goodall?
by Roberta Edwards
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Is Sonia Sotomayor?
Who Was?...Series
by Megan Stine, illustrated by Dede Putra
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 3rd-5th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Who Was Abraham Lincoln?
Who Was?...Series
by Janet Pascal
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.09 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was Albert Einstein?
Who Was?...Series
by Jess Braillier
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.94
Who Was Alexander Graham Bell?
Who Was?...Series
by Bonnie Bader
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.09
Who Was Anne Frank?
Who Was?...Series
by Ann Abramson & Nancy Harrison (Illustrator)
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Who Was Charles Darwin?
by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Nancy Harrison
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Who Was Christopher Columbus?
Who Was?...Series
by Barbara Bader
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 3rd-5th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Who Was Clara Barton?
Who Was?...Series
by Stephanie Spinner, illustrated by David Groff
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was Confucius?
Who Was?...Series
by Michael Burgan, illustrated by Robert Squier
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-5th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was Davy Crockett?
Who Was?...Series
by Gail Herman, illustrated by Robert Squier
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was Ernest Shackleton?
by James Buckley
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.09
Who Was Franklin Roosevelt?
Who Was?...Series
by Margaret Frith, illustrated by John O'Brien
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-5th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was Gandhi?
Who Was?...Series
by Dana Meachen Rau, illustrated by Jerry Hoare
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was George Washington Carver?
Who Was?...Series
by Jim Gigliotti, illustrated by Stephen Marchesi
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was George Washington?
by Roberta Edwards
from Penguin Press
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Who Was Harriet Tubman?
Who Was?...Series
by Yona Zeldis McDonough, illustrated by Nancy Harrison
Revised from Grosset & Dunlap
for 2nd-5th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was Helen Keller?
Who Was?...Series
by Gare Thompson
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Who Was Henry VIII?
Who Was?...Series
by Ellen Labrecque, illustrated by Jake Murray
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was Jim Henson?
Who Was?...Series
by Joan Holub, Illustrated by Nancy Harrison
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was Johnny Appleseed?
Who Was?...Series
by Joan Holub, illustrated by Anna DiVito
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-5th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Who Was King Tut?
Who Was?...Series
by Roberta Edwards
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 3rd-4th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.09 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?
by Patricia Brennan Demuth
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.94 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Who Was Leonardo da Vinci?
Who Was?...Series
by Roberta Edwards
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 2nd-5th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Who Was Louis Armstrong?
Who Was?...Series
by Yona Zeldis McDonough
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.09
Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Who Was?...Series
by Bonnie Bader
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 3rd-5th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Who Was Nikola Tesla?
Who Was?...Series
by Jim Gigliotti, illustrate by John Hinderliter
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was Paul Revere?
Who Was? Biographies
1st edition from Grosset & Dunlap
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.94
Who Was Rachel Carson?
by Sarah Fabiny
from Penguin Random House
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was Ronald Reagan?
Who Was?...Series
by Joyce Milton & Elizabeth Wolf
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 2nd-4th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.09
Who Was Rosa Parks?
Who Was?...Series
by Yona Zeldis McDonough, Illustrated by Stephen Marchesi
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was Susan B. Anthony?
Who Was?...Series
by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso, illustrated by Mike Lacey
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Who Was Thomas Alva Edison?
Who Was?...Series
by Margaret Frith
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 3rd-5th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.09 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Who Was Ulysses S. Grant?
Who Was?...Series
by Megan Stine, illustrated by Mark Edward Geyer
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-5th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Who Were the Beatles?
Who Was?...Series
by Geoff Edgers
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.94
Young Brahms
by Sybil Deucher
from Zeezok Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$11.86