Summer time is a great time relax and sit down and read with your children.  Below are seven of my favorite picture book biographies.

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein 

By Jennifer Berne and Illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky

Published by Chronicle Books

Albert Einstein was a man of genius recognized all over the world for developing a profound understanding of the universe. Jennifer Berne and Vladimir Radunsky take readers along on Einstein’s journey full of curiosity, laughter, and scientific discovery.

The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art

By Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Mary Grandpre

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Vasya Kandinsky was a proper little boy who studied math and history. He practiced the piano, sat up straight, and was perfectly polite. When his family sent him to art classes, they expected him to paint pretty houses and flowers. But Kandinsky had other ideas.

Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell

By Tanya Lee Stone and illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

Published by Henry Holt and Co.

In the 1830’s, Elizabeth Blackwell would not take no for an answer. She refused to believe that women weren’t smart enough or too weak to become doctors. She led for way for women to be accepted in the field of medicine.

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau

By Jennifer Berne  and illustrated by Eric Puybaret

Published by Chronicle Books

Jacques Cousteau was a curious little boy who grew up to be an international oceanographer and champion of the seas. This lovely book, with poetic text and gorgeous illustrations, portrays an inspiring and magical portrait of Cousteau.

Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever

By H. Joseph Hopkins and illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Published by Beach Lane Books

Kate Olivia Sessions was the first woman to graduate from the University of California with a degree in science. After graduation, she took a job teaching in the dry desert town of San Diego where there were almost no trees. Kate decided that San Diego needed trees. So single handedly started a movement to turn San Diego into the green, garden-filled oasis it is today.

Rosa

By Nikki Giovanni and illustration by Bryan Collier

Published by Henry Holt and Co.

This book is a tribute to Rosa Parks who over fifty years ago refused to give up her seat in the white section of a city bus and was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa was a 2006 Caldecott Honor Book and the winner of the 2006 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award.

Barnum’s Bones: How Barnum Brown Discovered the Most Famous Dinosaur in the World

By Tracey Fern and illustrated by Boris Kulikov

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Barnum Brown’s parents named him after the circus tycoon P.T. Barnum. They hoped he would do something extraordinary. And he did! He became a paleontologist for the American Museum of Natural History and discovered the first documented skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Barnum’s Bones is one The Washington Post‘s Best Kids Books of 2012.

Happy Reading!