Best Biography Books for Kids
One of the most common projects in elementary school, especially around 4-6 grades is a biography project or book report.
It can be tricky to find biography books for kids that hit that sweet spot between a picture book and an absolutely overwhelming non-fiction tome (lots of biographies lean too far into the young adult realm and they’re just too hefty for an elementary school reader!).
Here are some great options that are interesting, readable and perfect for school or personal reading!
(P.S. If you’re looking for biography series like the extremely popular “Who Was. . .?” series, I have a whole list of favorites here! The books on that list tend to steer a little younger and shorter).
10+ Great Kids Biography Books
The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P. T. Barnum by Candace Fleming
If your child was obsessed with The Greatest Showman, this book is for them. It is almost unreal how fascinating the real P.T. Barnum was and what a life he lead. I included this one on the family reads section in the 2020 Summer Reading Guide. (Full review here)
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton
After Bethany Hamilton, a teenage surfer, lost her arm in a shark attack off the coast of Hawaii, she does what ever it takes to return to surfing. This incredible biography shares the details of her recovery and what she has done to make her way back to the top of the surfing world.
Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift’s “Chocolate Pilot” by Michael O. Tunnell
This is the incredible story about post WWII pilot, Gail S. Halvorsen, who begins dropping candy for the children in post-war occupied Berlin. This middle grade biography does a great job explaining the post-war occupation of Berlin more clearly than I’d understood it before. (Full review here)
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin
Steve Sheinkin writes fantastic nonfiction (I will always recommend his book Bomb), and he doesn’t miss with this biography either. This one has it all – Native American history, the history of American football, and the life story of the talented Jim Thorpe.
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance by Jennifer ArmstrongI first learned about Shackleton in college when a friend wrote a paper about him and I was hooked on this incredible story of Ernest Shackleton and his 27 men who got trapped in ice as they attempted to cross Antarctica and then spent five months camping on ice floes, finally navigating 800 miles of open ocean in a tiny boat to find a rescue ship. I can’t stop thinking about this one!
Endurance: My Year in Space and How I Got There (Young Readers Edition) by Scott Kelly
My girls have really taken a liking to non-fiction read alouds after reading Sir Charlie in 2022, and Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World last year. After spending a year in space, Scott Kelly shares his journey of what it was like living aboard the ISS. This one sounds FASCINATING!
Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist by Sylvia AcevedoIn this inspiring memoir, Sylvia Acevedo shares the story of her life as a Latina rocket scientist at NASA and the CEO of the Girl Scouts. After an illness swept through her community as a young girl, Sylvia joined the Brownies and she gained the confidence and skills to forge her own path to success.
Hidden Figures (Young Readers’ Edition) by Margot Lee ShetterlyYou may have read the full book or watched the movie of this amazing true story of the African-American women behind some of our greatest space feats, and this Young Readers’ version lets you share the story with your younger children.
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
The format of Amelia Lost is a clever one – it alternates between the disappearance part (the Coast Guard that’s hearing her radio signals but can’t seem to get her to hear them, the people that, tuning in on AM radios, claim to have heard her over the next few days, and the desperate search for her goes on) and her life, starting at her birth and eventually meeting up with the final doomed flight portion. I loved this because – for me and most readers, I’d guess – her mysterious disappearance is the most fascinating part of Amelia’s story. By not hoarding it for the end, I didn’t feel like I needed to race through the book to get to the “good” part. (Full review here)
Little Author in the Big Woods: A Biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Yona Zeldis McDonough
I grew up on the Little House books (I lived in Wisconsin until I was almost 7 and we went to the rebuilt Little House in the Big Woods which I still remember very clearly) and waited my whole life to have children of my own to read them to. This narrative biography shares a better look into Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and reveals that a lot of her well-loved books are actually pretty autobiographical.
Hispanic Star: Roberto Clemente by Claudia Romo EdelmanThe 7 book Hispanic Star series follows Latinx heroes who have made great contributions to American culture. In this particular one, you learn all about the life of Roberto Clemente, the first Latin American baseball player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Wait? What? Muhammad Ali Was a Chicken? by Dan GutmanDan Gutman is known for his wildly popular Wayside School series, but in this 7 book series following historical figures, he reveals some of the most surprising and unusual facts about each. And only with Dan Gutman humor, of course!
if you liked this post about biography books for kids, you might also like these other posts:
- The Best Biography Series for Kids
- 11 Great Middle Grade Nonfiction Books for Kids
- 35 Ideas For How To Read More
