The twists and turns of fate revealed in biographies

Review by Alice Cary

"I sit at my desk, and I never know where the page will take me, or who I'll meet, or what adventure we may go on." That's how author and illustrator William Joyce describes the challenge he faces every day as he works to create books. His words also capture the very essence and pleasure of biographies -- the joy of discovery, the unexpected twists and turns of fate, and the sense of sharing exciting lives without ever leaving the comfort of home. Here are several outstanding examples of biographies about well-known authors, sports heroes and African Americans.

Author, author!

"The Divide," by Michael Bedard, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully. Art and text combine into a remarkable whole in this tale of Willa Cather's childhood. Young Cather's family sets off by train and then by wagon to the prairies of Nebraska. At first Willa can't bear the new landscape, "the flat, empty land, as bare as a strip of sheet iron." She clings helplessly to a few precious treasures from home, such as a music box, a scrapbook, books, seashells and her memories. But when spring comes, she sees the barren land burst alive with flowers, and as the seasons change she comes to appreciate a new kind of beauty in "precious things," in both the land and in her hardworking immigrant neighbors, a beauty that becomes the foundation of Cather's fiction. A good story about a famous writer as well as a valuable lesson in adjusting to new situations.

The Divide, by Michael Bedard
Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
Ages 5-8
Doubleday, $16.95
ISBN 0385321244


Children will be more familiar with another author spawned by the American prairies -- Laura Ingalls Wilder. A noted historian and specialist on the Ingalls and Wilder families, William Anderson tells her story in "Pioneer Girl." He presents in simple, non-sentimental language the reality of Wilder's hardships and many moves across the midwest, as well as her writing career which did not begin until late in her life. Young readers will be eager to align the real events with Laura's adventures in her much-beloved "Little House" books, and they will gain a new appreciation for her determination and pluck. Illustrator Dan Andreason also has experience with the Ingalls family, having illustrated two books about the childhood of Laura Ingalls's mother, Caroline. In "Pioneer Girl" his full-color pictures suggest the style of Garth Williams (illustrator of the Little House books), but are more refined.

Pioneer Girl, by William Anderson
Ages 7-up
HarperCollins, $15.95
ISBN 0060272430



"Richard Wright and the Library Card," by William Miller, illustrated by Gregory Christie. This fictionalized account, based on Wright's life and a scene from his novel, "Black Boy," encompasses both racial discrimination and the rewards of reading, making it a super choice for young school-age children. Young Richard leaves his family to find work in Memphis, but as an African American, he isn't allowed to borrow books from the public library. He enlists the help of a white co-worker who lets him borrow his card on the pretext that he is fetching books for the cardholder. Instead, Wright fools the librarian (who thinks he can't read) and has the treat of picking out and devouring the books he chooses.

Richard Wright and the Library Card, by William Miller
Illustrated by Gregory Christie
Ages 5-8
Lee & Low, $15.95
ISBN 188000571



"The World of William Joyce Scrapbook," text and art by William Joyce, is one of the best autobiographies by an author/illustrator I've come across. Joyce's books include "Santa Calls," "The Leaf Men" and "Dinosaur Bob," and, naturally, this volume is heavy on his whimsical artwork, along with family photos, sketches, letters and postcards. Dip in and learn about Joyce's childhood, see drawings he made as a boy, hear how each of his books evolved, meet his family, watch the over-the-top ways he celebrates holidays such as Halloween and Christmas, see his studio, even get a glimpse of four stories with which the author is currently "messing around." Joyce's magical pens and paintbrushes will enchant everyone from preschoolers to adults.

The World of William Joyce Scrapbook
Text and art by William Joyce
For all ages
Laura Geringer/HarperCollins, $16.95
ISBN 0060274328



"Jack London: A Biography," by Daniel Dyer. Older readers can treat themselves to this solid biography of the author of "The Call of the Wild" and "White Fang." Daniel Dyer is a dedicated London scholar who has traveled to the Yukon to retrace the writer's steps in the Klondike gold rush. An exciting, well-told book.

Jack London: A Biography, by Daniel Dyer
Ages 12-up
Scholastic, $17.95
ISBN 0590222163

Sports heroes

"Michelle Kwan: Heart of a Champion," an autobiography as told to Laura James. I like the fact that this book starts with a tremendous loss for Michelle -- at the 1997 Nationals, she takes an unexpected fall while defending her title. So this is not only the story of her rise to fame, but her successful struggle to make a comeback -- all at age 17, no less. The narration is chatty, as though Michelle were sitting back and telling her life story as she rests at the rink. And note the small illustration of the skater in the corner of each right-hand page. Flip the pages and the skater appears to jump and spin.

Michelle Kwan: Heart of a Champion, by Laura James
Ages 8-up
Scholastic, $14.95
ISBN 0590763407



"Tara Lipinski: Triumph on Ice," an autobiography as told to Emily Costello. After capturing gold in both World and the U.S. Nationals, Tara Lipinski is hot stuff on ice. Here readers learn that her parents named her after the plantation in "Gone With the Wind" and that she has a fondness for stuffed frogs. At age three, she threw a fit when her mother tried to put on a pair of roller skates, but was soon whizzing around the rink. Several years later she stepped on the ice, and the rest, as they say, is history. But watch out, parents -- sure, this book tells about all the hard work required to be a winner, but to starstruck readers, the life probably sounds glamorous.

Tara Lipinski: Triumph on Ice, by Emily Costello
Ages 8-up
Bantam, $15.95
ISBN 055309775X


"Tiger Woods: An American Master," by Nicholas Edwards. Tiger's story is one of the most fascinating and inspiring sports stories in recent years, and this book tells how he became a hero. The writing is particularly informative, with brief essays on the history of golf, golf etiquette, and golf basics, so even readers unfamiliar with the sport can follow Tiger's story of perseverance, family support and love. Check out the word Tiger invented to describe his heritage -- "Cablinasian" -- the "Ca" for Caucasian, the "bl" for black, the "in" for Native American, and the "Asian" for his Thai and Chinese background.

Tiger Woods: An American Master, by Nicholas Edwards
Grades 4-up
Scholastic, $3.99
ISBN 0590767771

African Americans

Leon Tillage is no doubt the least-known person among this group of biography subjects, but his story is one of the most moving. His first-person account of racial prejudice in America would make superb required reading for schoolchildren and adults alike. Tillage works as a custodian in a Baltimore school, where Roth's daughter heard him speak to students about growing up in a sharecropper family in North Carolina, about hiding from the Ku Klux Klan, and about joining the civil rights movement. Roth recorded Tillage's story and transcribed it into vignettes that speak volumes about civil rights and prejudice.

Leon's Story, by Leon Walter Tillage, art by Susan L. Roth
Ages 8-up
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $14
ISBN 0374343799,



"I Have a Dream" is not quite a biography, although it does include a biographical sketch of its famous author, Martin Luther King, Jr. Primarily a presentation of King's famous speech delivered in August 1963 during the historic Washington march, this book will also be treasured for the full-color illustrations by the 15 artists who have won the Coretta Scott King Award and Honor citation. At the back of the book, the artists each describe their feelings about the speech and the media they used in illustrating their particular portion of it. Each illustration is moving and well done, but their variety may lessen the overall impact of the speech.

I Have a Dream
For all ages
Scholastic, $16.95
ISBN 0590205161

All sorts of heroes

"The Children's Book of Heroes," edited by William J. Bennett, illustrated by Michael Hague is another entry from "The Children's Book of Virtues" team. This diverse collection includes short accounts about David and Goliath, Abraham Lincoln, Jackie Robinson, and even the Sphinx and a guardian angel (I plan to read this one to my four-year-old, who recently asked whether angels are real). Especially effective is the entry about Mother Teresa, which answers the question "If you could go visit Mother Teresa and spend a day with her, what would you see?" We see the late heroine walking through the streets of Calcutta, stopping to help an orphan, befriending a homeless man, doling out medicine.

The Children's Book of Heroes, edited by William J. Bennett, illustrated by Michael Hague
Ages 8-up
Simon & Schuster, $21
ISBN 0684839598

Alice Cary writes often about children's books. She lives in Groton, Massachusetts.

©1998, ProMotion, inc.

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