Five Faves: Biographies of Authors

Do you ever finish a book and then instantly want to know more about the person who wrote it? You read the back flap and get the basic information but you think to yourself "but what was their life like when they created this work"? If so, these books are right up your alley.

Jim: Six True Stories About One Great Artist

By Jerrold Connors

New York, New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2025. Biography. 66 pages.

This fun book tells the story James Marshall, who you may know from Miss Nelson is Missing, George and Martha, or his Caldecott-Honor adaptation of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In this uniquely formatted title, his life is told in six stories, which feature characters from many of his influential works. One of my favorite things about this book is that the artwork is all done in James Marshall's style. 

Go Tell It : how James Baldwin Became a Writer

Written by Quartez Harris

Illustrated by Gordon C. James

New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2025. Biography.

In Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer, Quartez Harris tells the story of a young James “Jimmy” Baldwin growing up in Harlem, where he falls in love with books and words. Despite growing up around poverty, racism, and a strict, angry preacher stepfather, Jimmy finds beauty in the books he finds at the library, eventually becoming an author himself. If you are looking for a biography about the power of the written language to heal, this is a great choice.

The Mythmakers

By John Hendrix

New York, NY : Abrams Fanfare, 2024. Informational. 217 pages.

The Mythmakers tells the true story of the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as they inspired each other, as well as why their friendship ultimately unraveled. Chapters about each of the men are followed by comic panels with a lion and a wizard (representing Tolkien and Lewis) giving further information. Kids who are fans of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings will delight in this book.

And She Was Loved 

Written by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Illustrated by Daniel Minter

New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2025. Biography.

This lyrical picture-book biography celebrates Toni Morrison’s life. This story, told in verse, begins with Toni's childhood in Lorain, Ohio, and follows her journey through Howard University to her career as an editor, writer, and mentor. The ultra-saturated tones will draw readers' eyes as they learn more about Morrison through the refrain "and she was loved."

Because Barabara

Written by Sarah Mackenzie

Illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen

Spokane, WA : Waxwing Books, 2024. Biography.

This picture-book biography that celebrates the life and work of beloved children’s book illustrator Barbara Cooney. Every year Barbara and her family would spend their summers in Maine. As she watched her mother paint the Maine landscapes, Barbara began to think like an artist. Her art eventually began to be featured in what have become well-known and classic children's books including Miss Rumphius, Ox-Cart Man, and Chanticleer and the Fox. This picture book is great for both fans of Cooney's works, as well as those who are less familiar with her books.