Biographies

"Did they tell you stories about the saints of old,
stories about their faith?
Stories like that make a boy grow bold,
stories like that make a man walk straight..."

Rich Mullins, Boy Like Me, Man Like You

Stories about people have a way of affecting us in ways other stories can't. The Bible is primarily stories about people, and it is through these multiple biographies that we understand human nature, the history of redemption, and even to a great extent God Himself. The purpose behind any other biography is largely the same—to help us understand what it means to be human from the examples (sometimes even the bad examples) of those who have preceded us.

The biographies we have chosen for this section represent those of great leaders in history, social and military heroes, and Christian saints past and present who struggled to conform their lives to Christ's perfect example. We have avoided for the most part biographies of history's villains and chronic immoralists, not because they aren't interesting but because they don't represent lives worthy of imitation. We've also decided not to focus on athletes, actors, and celebrities, unless they've made important contributions outside their fields. That's not to say everyone found here was above reproach or even a Christian, but they all demonstrated real human virtues for which they are remembered.

Biographies are also useful for better understanding of a given historical period. While history books can provide good overviews of a period or events, the intimate detail of a good biography can better illustrate a time period and what it was like to be alive then. This also serves to demonstrate the universality of human nature, that people will behave basically the same during any given period and in any given place. Sometimes we get the impression that people of the past, especially people like missionaries and ministers, were somehow more pious than we are—the personal view offered by a good biography dispels this myth and offers encouragement that not even the best men and women are any closer to perfection than we are.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
Did you find this review helpful?
Parent Categories
Subcategories by Grade
Subcategories
121 Items found Print
Active Filters: Hardcover, New Books & Materials
32 Christians Who Changed the World
by Glenn S. Sunshine
from Canon Press
for 10th-Adult
in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS)
$21.95
A is for Abigail
by Lynne Cheney
1st edition from Simon and Schuster
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$19.99
Abraham Lincoln (hardcover)
by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire; edited by Rea Berg
75th Anniversary from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 1st-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.95
Adventures of Herge
by Michael Farr
from Last Gasp
for 4th-10th grade
in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN)
$29.95
Answering the Cry for Freedom
by Gretchen Woelfle, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
from Calkins Creek
for 4th-7th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$19.99
Bach's Goldberg Variations
Once Upon a Masterpiece
by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel
from Charlesbridge
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$16.95
Bad News for Outlaws
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
for 5th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Because Barbara
by Sarah Mackenzie, illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen
from Waxwing Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.99
Becoming C. S. Lewis
by Harry Lee Poe
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$22.99
Beethoven's Heroic Symphony
Once Upon a Masterpiece
by Anna Harwell Celenza, illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel
from Charlesbridge
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$16.95
Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci
by Romola Anderson, R. C. Anderson
1st edition from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$19.99
Book Lover's Bucket List
from British Library
for Adult
in Great Britain / England (Location: HISMC-BRIT)
$24.95
BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom
by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Michele Wood
from Candlewick Press
for 4th-6th grade
2021 Newbery Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.99
Boy Who Drew Birds
by Jacqueline Davies
from Houghton Mifflin
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.99 $11.50 (1 in stock)
Boy Whose Head was Filled With Stars
by Isabelle Marinov; illustrated by Deborah Marcero
from Enchanted Lion Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.99
Boys in the Boat adapted for Young Readers
by Daniel James Brown, adapted by Gregory Mone
from Penguin Putnam
for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$20.99
Breaking Through the Clouds
by Sandra Nickel; illustrated by Helena Perez Garcia
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$19.99
C. S. Lewis: A Life
by Alister McGrath
from Tyndale House
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$24.99
Calvin and the Calvinists
by Paul Helm
from Banner of Truth Trust
Biography for Adult
in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
$14.50
Carver: A Life in Poems
by Marilyn Nelson
from Boyds Mill Press
for 7th-11th grade
2002 Newbery Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Honor Award
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.95
Children of the Northlights
by Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Ingri d'Aulaire
Reprint from University of Minnesota
for Preschool-4th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$16.95
Chooch Helped
by Andrea L. Rogers, illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz
from Levine Querido
for Preschool-2nd grade
2025 Caldecott Medalist, American Indian Youth Literature Award
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Choosing Brave
by Angela Joy, illustrated by Janelle Washington
from Roaring Brook Press
for 1st-4th grade
2023 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$19.99
Church History ABCs
by Ned Bustard, Stephen J. Nichols
from Crossway Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$16.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Completion of C. S. Lewis
by Harry Lee Poe
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$34.99
Confessions of St. Augustine
by St. Augustine (translation by Philip Burton)
from Everyman's Library
for 10th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$17.60
D'Aulaires' Book of Animals
by Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Ingri d'Aulaire
from New York Review of Books
for Preschool-4th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$24.95
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Doubleday Book For Young Readers
Greek Mythology for 4th-9th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$29.99
D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from New York Review of Books
Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$29.95
D'Aulaires' Book of Trolls
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from New York Review of Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$22.95
Dandelion Wine
by Ray Bradbury
Reprint from Avon Books
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$20.00
Elizabeth Prentiss
by Sharon James
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 4th-7th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$26.00
Final Race
by Eric T. Eichinger, Eva M. Everson
from Tyndale House
for 7th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$22.99
Finding Narnia
by Caroline McAlister, Illustrated by Jessica Lanan
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$21.99
Finding Winnie
by Lindsay Mattick
First Edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
2016 Caldecott Winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya
by Ruth Tucker
2nd edition from Zondervan
History of missions for 11th-Adult
in History of Missions (Location: XCH-MIS)
$32.99
Giant
by Judith McQuoid
from Little Island Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$17.99
Girl Who Drew Butterflies
by Joyce Sidman
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for 3rd-8th grade
2019 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$21.99
Give Me Liberty
Leaders in Action Series
by David Vaughan
from Cumberland House
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA)
$17.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Go Forth and Tell
by Breanna J. McDaniel; illustrated by April Harrison
from Penguin Random House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.99
Good Queen Bess
by Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema
from HarperCollins
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$19.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Granny Smith Was Not an Apple
by Sarah Glenn Fortson, illustrated by Kris Aro McLeod
from Peter Pauper Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.99
Great Christian Classics Volume I - Teacher Guide
by Kevin Swanson
2nd edition from Master Books
for 9th-12th grade
in Classical Literature Guides (Location: LIR-CLA)
$21.59
Great Christian Classics Volume I - Text
by Kevin Swanson
2nd edition from Generations with Vision
for 9th-12th grade
in Classical Literature Guides (Location: LIR-CLA)
$39.99
Haydn's Farewell Symphony
Once Upon a Masterpiece
by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel
from Charlesbridge
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$16.95
Hiding Place - A Graphic Novel
by Corrie Ten Boom, adapted by Mario DeMatteo, illustrated by Ismael Castro
from Chosen Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$24.99
Hole Story of the Doughnut
by Pat Miller
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Home Fires
by Mally Ham, introduction by Ken Ham, foreword by Heidi St. John
from Master Books
for Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.59
How I Learned Geography
by Uri Shulevitz
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 2nd-5th grade
Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$21.99
How Sweet the Sound
by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Frank Morrison
from Atheneum
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
How the Heather Looks
by Joan Bodger
Reprint from Living Book Press
for 7th-Adult
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$24.99
Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown
by Mac Barnett
First Edition from Balzer & Bray
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$17.99
Inventor's Secret
by Suzanne Slade; illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt
from Charlesbridge
for 1st-4th grade
in Inventions & Discoveries (Location: SCI-INV)
$17.99
Irenaeus of Lyons
Heroes of the Faith
by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$14.00
James I
Sacred Fool Quartet Volume 1
by Otto Scott
from Chalcedon / Ross House Books
for 11th-Adult
in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
$14.00
John Calvin
Christian Biographies for Young Readers
by Simonetta Carr
1st edition from Reformation Heritage Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$18.00
John Knox
by Simonetta Carr
from Reformation Heritage Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$18.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
John Ronald’s Dragons
by Caroline McAlister, Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$22.99
Jonathan Edwards
by Iain H. Murray
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 11th-Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$23.10
Joni Eareckson Tada
by Kristyn Getty; illustrated by Hsulynn Pang
from Good Book Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$14.99
Karl, Get Out of the Garden!
by Anita Sanchez
from Charlesbridge
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Laura Ingalls Wilder: Pioneer Girl
by Laura Ingalls Wilder, edited by Pamela Smith Hill
from South Dakota State Historical Society Press
for 7th-Adult
in Little House Materials (Location: LIR-LHM)
$39.99
Letters of Geerhardus Vos
by Geerhardus Vos, James T. Dennison, Jr.
from P&R Publishing
for Adult
in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
$18.00
Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien - Revised and Expanded
by J. R. R. Tolkien, edited by Humphrey Carpenter and Christopher Tolkien
2nd edition from William Morrow & Company
Biographies for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$40.00
Librarian Who Measured the Earth
by Kathryn Lasky
from Little, Brown & Company
Biography for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$19.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Life of Andrew Jackson
by John S. Jenkins
from New Leaf Press
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$13.50
Life of John Calvin
by Theodore Beza
3rd edition from Back Home Industries
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.00
Life of John Knox
by Thomas McCrie
from Back Home Industries
Biography for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
$11.90 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Life of John Newton
by American Missionary Fellowship
from Attic Books
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
$9.50
Luther
by Frederick Nohl
from Concordia Publishing House
for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.99 $7.50 (2 in stock)
Make Way
by Angela Burke Kunkel, illustrated by Claire Keane
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$19.99
Making of C. S. Lewis
by Harry Lee Poe
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$32.99
Martin Luther
by Paul L. Maier
1st edition from Concordia Publishing House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.99
Marvelous Mattie
by Emily Arnold McCully
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.99 $8.50 (1 in stock)
Memoir & Remains of Robert Murray M’Cheyne
by Andrew Bonar
from Banner of Truth Trust
for Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$35.00
Mimic Makers
by Kristen Nordstrom; illustrated by Paul Boston
from Charlesbridge
for 1st-4th grade
in Inventions & Discoveries (Location: SCI-INV)
$17.99
Moses
by Carole Boston Weatherford
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
2007 Caldecott Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.99 $9.50 (1 in stock)
Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition
Once Upon a Masterpiece
by Anna Harwell Celenza & JoAnn E. Kitchel
from Charlesbridge
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$16.95
My First Summer in the Sierra
by John Muir
from Gibbs M. Smith
for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$16.95
O Captain, My Captain
by Robert Burleigh; illustrated by Sterling Hundley
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for 3rd-8th grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$16.99
Ola
by Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Ingri d'Aulaire
Reprint from University of Minnesota
for 3rd-6th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$16.95
Ordinary Hazards
by Nikki Grimes
from Wordsong
for 10th-Adult
2020 Robert F. Siebert Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$19.99
Peddler and the President
by Ann D. Koffsky; illustrated by Pedro Rodriguez
from Apples and Honey Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Peter the Great
by Diane Stanley
from William Morrow & Company
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien
by Christopher Tolkien (editor and text), illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien
2021 Reissue from William Morrow & Company
for 9th-Adult
in Lord of the Rings (Location: LIR-LOTR)
$35.00
Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien
by Christopher Tolkien (editor and text), illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien
2021 Reissue from William Morrow & Company
for 9th-Adult
in Lord of the Rings (Location: LIR-LOTR)
$35.00
Pilipinto: The Jungle Adventures of a Missionary's Daughter
by Valerie Elliot Shepard
Revised from P&R Publishing
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in History of Missions (Location: XCH-MIS)
$22.99
Pilot and the Little Prince
by Peter Sís
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$24.99
Plutarch's Lives Volume I
by Plutarch, translated by John Dryden
from Modern Library
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$20.00 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Poem for Peter
by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Lou Fancher & Steve Johnson
from Penguin Putnam
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$19.99
Queen Victoria
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
$22.95
Radiant Child
by Javaka Steptoe
First Edition from Little, Brown & Company
2017 Caldecott Medal
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Real Jane Austen
by Paula Byrne
1st edition from HarperTrophy
for 9th-Adult
in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
$20.99
Right Word
by Jen Bryant
from Eerdmans
for 1st-4th grade
2015 Caldecott Honor Book, 2015 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.99 $9.50 (1 in stock)
River of Words
by Jen Bryant
First Edition from Eerdmans
for 1st-4th grade
2009 Caldecott Honor Book, Sibert Medal
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.00
Scots Worthies
by John Howie
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 11th-Adult
in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS)
$33.00
Sea of Lemon Trees
by Maria Dolores Aguila
from Roaring Brook Press
2026 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$17.99
Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado
by Marc Aronson
from Clarion Books
for 7th-9th grade
2001 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$17.59 $7.00 (2 in stock)
Sketches of Home
by Suzanne U. Rhodes
from Canon Press
for 10th-Adult
in Hospitality (Location: SS-HOS)
$12.00 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Snowflake Bentley
by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
from Houghton Mifflin
Biographies of Scientists and Inventors for 1st-3rd grade
1999 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.39
12