Synopses & Reviews
Every U.S. president is the focus of public scrutiny, but how well do we know these men? What kind of fathers do presidents make? Husbands? Neighbors? Other books focus on the historical achievements of those who have occupied our country's highest office;
Lives of the Presidents looks instead at their bad habits, silly nicknames, and strange pets. Every president--from George Washington to Bill Clinton--is included, with an emphasis on those who have had the greatest impact on history. Discover their high points, low points, and the times in between. In this stunning addition to their acclaimed series, Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt take us beyond politics and photo opportunities, revealing the entertaining, complex, and very real lives of the presidents.
Review
"Mightily entertaining."
—Kirkus
Review
"Mightily entertaining."
—Kirkus
"This collective biography is perfectly suited to thematic research as well as to reading for pleasure."
—Booklist
Review
"Mightily entertaining."
and#8212;Kirkus
"This collective biography is perfectly suited to thematic research as well as to reading for pleasure."
and#8212;Booklist
"Another wonderful addition to the series, detailing common knowledge and little-known facts about historical figures."
and#8212;School Library Journal
"Yes! Krull and Hewitt are back with another of those books, the eighth entry in their delightful Lives of . . . series."
and#8212;Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Eight short, lively chapters introduce twenty influential scientists of the modern era. Krull emphasizes memorable, and often humorously indiosyncratic, character traits."
and#8212;The Horn Book Magazine
Review
"Fresh, spirited, and unconventional."and#8212;Kirkus Reviews and#160; "A lively, entertaining presentation."and#8212;Booklist and#160; "Kids will enjoy this brush with greatness."and#8212;Bulletin and#160; "Krull's brief biographies provide basic facts as well as intriguing details. The subjects chosen range from the famous (Michelangelo Buonarroti) to the infamous (Andy Warhol) to the less well known. Hewitt's caricaturelike illustrations reflect and extend the lively text."and#8212;Horn Book
Review
PRAISE FOR THE LIVES OF
Review
* and#8220;Thereand#8217;s enough substance here for a quick report or to enliven a longer one. . . . An irresistible package.and#8221;and#8212;School Library Journal, starred review
and#160;
and#8220;The stories Krull tells will be enough to whet readersand#8217; appetites for more biography and for the writersand#8217; actual works.and#8221;and#8212;Booklist
and#160;
"This compendium of brief biographies of literary luminaries is as much fun as a tete-a-tete with a gossipy friend. Krull knows exactly how to captivate her audience; she goes right for the juicy stuff, adding to historical fact the kind of chatty incidentals and amusing anecdotes that put flesh and blood on dry literary bones. . . .These exuberant thumbnail sketches are ably matched by Hewittand#8217;s sophisticated caricatures, which will delight sharp-eyed readers with their many visual references to particulars and oddities about each of the subjects. A must-have for the reference shelf.and#8221;and#8212;Publishers Weekly
and#160;
and#8220;Another colorful, enthralling excursion into our cultural heritage.and#8221;and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
This fascinating new installment in the popularand#160;Lives of... series of collective biographies is full of juicy tidbits about history's greatest scientists.
Synopsis
Scientists have a reputation for being focused on their workand#8212;and maybe even dull. But take another look. Did you know that itand#8217;s believed Galileo was scolded by the Roman Inquisition for sassing his mom? That Isaac Newton loved to examine soap bubbles? That Albert Einstein loved to collect joke books, andand#160;that geneticist Barbara McClintock wore a Groucho Marx disguise in public? With juicy tidbits about everything from favorite foods to first loves, the subjects of Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewittand#8217;s Lives of the Scientists: Experiments, Explosions (and What the Neighbors Thought) are revealed as creative, bold, sometimes eccentricand#8212;and anything but dull.
Synopsis
What is your favorite athlete's biggest fear? Strangest habit? Craziest quirk? And what did their neighbors have to say about them? Find out all you ever wanted to know about your favorite sports stars in Lives of the Athletes.and#160;Biographical information has never been this much fun to read!
Synopsis
Babe Ruth was the greatest slugger ever--and off the field snacked on pickled eels and chocolate ice cream. Johnny Weissmuller swam to Olympic fame--and on land practiced the Tarzan yell. and#8220;Krull hits another home run.and#8221;--
American BooksellerSynopsis
Most people can name some famous artists and recognize their best-known works. But what's behind all that painting, drawing, and sculpting? What was Leonardo da Vinci's snack of choice while he painted Mona Lisaand#8217;s mysterious smile? Why did Georgia O'Keeffe find bones so appealing? Who called Diego Rivera "Frog-Face"? And what is it about artists that makes both their work and their lives so fascinatingand#8212;to themselves, to their curious neighbors, and to all of us? This book presents the humor and the tragedy in twenty artists' lives as no biography has done before.
Synopsis
This installment in the acclaimed LIVES OF series profiles the swashbuckling adventures of history's most famous piratesand#8212;and dispels a few rumors along the way.
Synopsis
Every kid knows that pirates talk funny, swing a big sword, and seek buried treasureand#8212;donand#8217;t they? What do we really know about Blackbeard, Madame Cheng, Sir Francis Drake, and other men and women of pirate history? What drove them to sail the high seas? What were their bad habits, favorite foods, and silly quirks? And did they actually talk like that?
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; A lively style, lots of surprises, and solid research have made the Lives of . . . series of collective biographies popular with both kids and adults. Now the series returns, spanning the globe with profiles of the nineteen most notorious pirates in history.
Synopsis
Here are the life stories of such diverse figures as Vivaldi, Mozart, Scott Joplin, Nadia Boulanger, and Woody Guthrie. Readers will learn of both their musical natures and the personal, humorous characteristics that make their lives so fascinating. and#8220;Living, breathing anecdotes--the stuff of which the best biography is made.and#8221;--
Publishers WeeklySynopsis
Not all governments have been run by men.
Lives of Extraordinary Women turns the spotlight on women who have wielded power, revealing their feats--and flaws--for all the world to see. Here you'll find twenty of the most influential women in history: queens, warriors, prime ministers, first ladies, revolutionary leaders. Some are revered. Others are notorious. What were they really like?
In this grand addition to their highly praised series, Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt celebrate some of the world's most noteworthy women, ranging from the famous to those whose stories have rarely been told.
Features twenty extraordinary women, including:
Cleopatra
Joan of Arc
Elizabeth I
Harriet Tubman
Eleanor Roosevelt
Eva Perandoacute;n
Synopsis
Galileo, Einstein, Curie, Darwin, Hawkingandmdash; we know the names, but how much do we really know about these people? Galileo gained notoriety over his battle with the Vatican, but did you know that this andldquo;father of modern scienceandrdquo; was also an accomplished lute player? And Darwin of course discovered the principle by which new species are formed, but his bold curiosity extended to the dinner table as well. (And how many people can say theyandrsquo;ve eaten an owl!) In Eureka! John Grant -- author of Debunk It!, Discarded Science, Spooky Science and many others -- offers fifty vivid portraits of groundbreaking scientists. From lutes and owls to astronomy and evolution, Eureka! explains how these scientific geniuses have shaped our understanding andndash; and how they spent their free time as well.
Synopsis
Shakespeare wrote with a feather quill and ink; Emily Dickinson wrote with a fountain pen; Isaac Bashevis Singer wrote on a Yiddish typewriter. But what did such writers do when they weren't writing? What did Jane Austen eat for breakfast? What could make Mark Twain throw his shirts out the window? Why would Zora Neale Hurston punch a fellow elevator passenger? Lives of the Writers tells all that and more.
About the Author
Kathleen Krulland#160;has written muchand#160;innovative nonfiction for young people, including all of the books in the
Lives of . . . series, and has made a chatty, accessible approach to biography her hallmark. She lives in San Diego, California. Visit her website at
www.kathleenkrull.com