Biography/Autobiography Review
ENG 210 1902 40 points Choose one picture book biography or autobiography to evaluate. If you prefer to use a book with chapters, select several chapters to get a good sense of the book. Refer to Chapter 13, Biography in your textbook Children’s Literature, Briefly (CLB) as needed. 1. Title, Author, Illustrator, Publisher, and original copyright date (assumed) 2.Please add a book image. (5 points) 3. Type of biography (see pages 170-172 in CLB) (5 points) 4. Describe the focus of the book. Provide a short summary. What portion of the individual’s life is described? How is it described or written? Can you give an example? (10 points) 5. Describe the illustrations (if any) and note how they add to the understanding of the individual. (5 points) 6. Does the book present a balanced view of the person? Please explain. See the section on “Judging Biographies for Young Readers” in CLB.) (5 points) 7. Does the author acknowledge his/her sources and seem to give an authentic profile? (5 points) 8. What is your reason for selecting this book? (5 points) The Chapter 13 Overview : Biography is due in the drop box.
Project 6: You will write a review (essay) about a good children’s biography in a class forum on biographies. 40 points. Suggestion: Write the review in Word and then copy it into the forum. Add an image. There are some really beautiful and interesting picture book biographies for kids. Spend some time in the library and peruse several. Librarians are great sources for what is new in this area. My granddaughter confided that she didn’t like informational books, and then told me how much she liked two biographies, both about strong women abolitionists. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, (a Caldecott Honor Book) that is in the Osterlin Library, and a biography of Sojourner Truth. Abraham Lincoln is one of my favorite children’s biography topics, probably because my grandparents’ home was near New Salem, IL, where he lived as a young man. I also love books by Peter Sis who has intricately illustrated pages and chooses subjects for their controversial stands for their period, e.g. Galileo and Darwin. The Chapter 13 Overview : Biography is due in the drop box.
