Biography mentor texts for characterization

Recently, I have been writing a picture book biography. I love the topic, I love the research, but I do not love how it’s structured at this point. I haven’t yet captured the essence of the story through the way I’m telling it.

So, I began investigating unique ways to structure a picture book biography. I sifted through biographies I really, really loved and narrowed my focus to the ones that truly embodied what I was trying to learn.

There are so many different structures, and I have just scratched the surface with these examples.

One Person, Many Books

One of the things I love about picture book biographies that are being published is that many new angles are being presented about “old” subjects.

For example, Thomas Jefferson is a person that nearly every child studies in school, but I am always fascinated by the ways that authors present him in new ways.

Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by John O’Brien

Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liber