35 Best Picture Book Biographies That Teach Resilience and Courage

The Mollys B.

By Joann Howeth

Read the beautifully illustrated picture book biography of the two Molly’s. The first Molly is a renowned Titanic survivor, and the other is a cow. Both are determined to beat the odds and survive. Sharing more than just their names, these two Molly’s share courage and resilience in the face of adversity.

The Red Bicycle

By Jude Isabella

In this non fiction picture book, the main character is a red bicycle. Follow the life of a bike from North America, all the way to Africa. This bicycle sees it all, from helping a child get to school, to bringing medicine to the sick. This unique story highlights the significance of our actions in other people’s lives and encourages the reader to help those in need.

Boxes for Katje

By Candace Fleming

After World War II, Katje is left picking up the pieces in Holland with her family. Like most families after the war, hers often goes without many things they need, like milk and soap. Until one day, Katje receives a mysterious box from America. It’s a box full of soap ,chocolate, and socks from a girl in America. Katje writes a thank you note and so begins a beautiful friendship between the girls. This book shows readers that anyone can make a difference in another’s life.

The Matchbox Diary

By Paul Fleischman

A little girl visits her great grandfather and asks him about his collection of matchboxes. He shares with her the stories of each item as they relate to his journey from Italy to a new country. The olive pit from his mother, the ticket from his first baseball game, and a bottle cap he found on his way to the boat. This tale of immigration will entertain generations of readers.

A Boy and a Jaguar

By Alan Rabinowitz

Alan loves animals and is saddened to see them in cages at the zoo. He wants to speak for them, but there is one problem- his stutter stops him from saying what he wants to say. Follow the life of this man as he works to find his own voice and speak for those who can’t.

A Different Pond

By Bao Phi

Waking long before sunrise, Bao and his father started their day with a fishing trip to catch food for the family. While they wait for the fish to bite, his father tells Bao stories of another pond in their homeland of Vietnam. This gentle story, thoughtfully written, will have readers nostalgic for fishing trips with their own dads.

It Jes’ Happened

By Don Tate

Bill Traylor grew up in slavery working the cotton fields of Alabama. Once his family got their freedom, they stayed on as sharecroppers. As an adult he worked the fields until he got too lonely and decided to move to the city. At the age of 85, he began drawing pictures of his memories. He is considered to be one of the most important self-taught American folk artists. Learn more about him in this picture book biography.

The Boy Who Loved Math

By Deborah Heiligman

Paul Erdos was anything but ordinary. At the age of four, he could calculate how many seconds you had been alive, in his head. Meanwhile, he didn’t learn to butter his own bread until he was twenty years old. He spent many years of his life travelling around the world working with other mathematicians. Read more about his interesting story and love for math in this picture book biography.

A Picture Book of Helen Keller

By David A. Adler

After getting sick at 19 months old, Helen Keller was left deaf and blind. This picture book biography shares her story of perseverance in learning how to interact with the world around her in new ways.

The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto

By Natalie Standiford

Temperatures are well below freezing and Balto is lead dog in a sled team. He must get his team to push through the storm in order to deliver medicine to sick children. Can he make it in time and survive the harsh Alaskan winter? Children will enjoy reading this true story of Balto and his team.

Hachiko

By Pamela S. Turner

Hachiko is a real dog who lived in Tokyo. Everyday for 10 years he would walk to the train station to wait for his owner. The only problem was, his owner was no longer around to meet him anymore. Finally, a young boy became friends with Hachiko and both of their lives were changed forever. Read his sweet story in this picture book biography.

Togo

By Robert J. Blake

This book is based on the true story of dogs who saved the lives of countless people in Alaska in 1925. This team of sled dogs braved the harsh Alaskan winter to deliver the medicine to stop the mass outbreak of diphtheria.

The One and Only Ivan

By Katherine Applegate

Told from the point of view of a captive gorilla named Ivan, this story shares his perspective of life in the zoo. Content with living in the zoo, Ivan spends his days with his friends, watching TV, and painting. Until everything changes when a young elephant enters his life and he sees his world from a new point of view.

Owen & Mzee

By Hatkoff, Hatkoff, and Kahumbu

An inspiring and true story about a baby hippo and a 130 year-old tortoise becoming friends after a tsunami in Kenya. The two enjoy swimming, eating, and playing together everyday. This unlikely pair will teach you the importance of being there for others in times of trouble.

Saving Fiona

By Thane Maynard

Fiona is the first premature hippo to be born and raised in captivity. Prompting new research into a hippos needs, Fiona led to many new discoveries about hippos. The public soon fell in love with her story and rallied behind her as she fought for her life. Discover what made her such a hit around the world and what her plans are for the future in this picture book biography.

The Elephant Scientist

By Caitlin O’Connell and Donna M. Jackson

Caitlin O’Connell, an American scientist specializing in elephants, traveled to Namibia to study. One day as she was camouflaged, watching the elephants through binoculars, they began to copy her. This shocking discovery led her to learn some exciting and new information about elephants.

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

By William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

After a terrible drought, Kamkwamba’s village was left with nothing to eat or sell. He was determined to do something to prevent this from ever happening again. After spending hours studying and learning, he built a windmill out of scrap metal. It allowed them to get electricity and pump water for the crops. This windmill changed their lives forever.

This picture book biography version is retold for a younger audience.

Six Dots

By Jen Bryant

This is the story of Louis Braille, a young blind boy so determined to read that he decided to create his own alphabet. Losing his sight at just five years old, he was sent to a school for the blind in Paris. Even though it was a school, there were no books for him to read. He wanted to be able to experience the world like everyone else, so he developed the braille alphabet that is still in use today. Read his story in this picture book biography.

The Noisy Paint Box

By Barb Rosenstock

Kandinsky was a proper boy, raised to play the piano, do math, learn history, and paint. But when he opened up his paints and started mixing colors, he could hear a symphony. The colors were making music, and when he listened to music, he could see colors. Will Kandinsky have the courage to step outside of what is considered proper and paint the music he sees in the colors?

Emmanuel’s Dream

By Laurie Ann Thompson

Emmanuel was born with one deformed leg in Ghana and was dismissed by most people. His mother believed he could still accomplish big things and encouraged him to chase his dreams. He didn’t let his disability stop him, he hopped 2 miles to school everyday, played soccer, provided for his family at just 13 years old, and eventually became a cyclist. His mission is to spread the word that disability is not inability. Read his incredible story in this picture book biography.

Saint George and The Dragon

By Margaret Hodges

This retold classic tale, teaches kids about resilience, perseverance, and the importance of peace. Saint George slays a dragon that had been terrorizing the countryside for years. Restoring peace and joy to the land.

John, Paul, George & Ben

By Lane Smith

Meet the founding fathers of the United States- as kids. These boys were often getting into trouble for one reason or another because they were constantly taking… liberties. Even though they were not always appreciated for their enthusiasm as boys, they did grow up to do some amazing things in securing America’s freedom. This picture book biography makes history easy to understand for kids.

Henry’s Freedom Box

By Ellen Levine

A dramatic story of a slave who mails himself to freedom. Henry was taken from his family at a young age to work in a warehouse. Then once he grew up and married, his entire family was sold at a slave market and he was devasted. Desperate for freedom, he decided to put himself in a shipping container and mail himself to the North. Find out if he finally gets his freedom in this picture book biography.

Davy Crockett: A Life on the Frontier

By Stephen Krensky

This is the real story of Davy Crockett, without all the myths. He was a fearless soldier and leader who always stood up for what was right. Kids will enjoying learning about his life in this easy-to-read picture book biography.

The William Hoy Story

By Nancy Churnin

William Hoy always dreamed of playing baseball. After not being able to join the deaf team, he trained even harder and earned a spot on a professional team. The only problem was, because he was deaf, he couldn’t hear the umpires calls. He asked the umpire to use hand signals to let him know the calls and sure enough, this changed the game of baseball forever.

The Girl Who Ran

By Frances Poletti and Kristina Yee

Bobbi Gibb was determined to run the Boston Marathon as soon as she heard about it. When she tried to register in 1966, she was denied entry, and told that “girls don’t run.” Breaking the rules, she ran anyways and proved that women can indeed run. Bobbi changed the world for female runners everywhere. Read more about her story in this biography.

The Youngest Marcher

By Cynthia Levinson

Audrey is the youngest known civil rights protestor to be arrested in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. Inspired by talks to change, she wanted to be part of it and decided to march alongside the others fighting for civil rights. Find out what happens to her and how she fought for her rights in this picture book biography.

Fly High!

By Louise Borden

Bessie Coleman began her life working in the cotton fields of Texas, but dreamed of doing something bigger. She wanted to leave her mark on the world. Each day she would check the foreman’s numbers to make sure they were accurate and this was just the start of her love for learning. Eventually she was able to become the first African American woman to get her pilot’s license.

Brave Girl

By Michelle Markel

Clara arrived in America as an immigrant and was surprised to learn that women were expected to work instead of learning and going to school. Determined to learn English and get an education, Clara took night classes after her shift at the factory. She wanted to stand up for the rights of the workers and ended up leading the largest strike of female workers in US history.

Shark Lady

By Jess Keating

From the moment she laid eyes on a shark, Eugenie Clark was determined to learn more about them. She became a scientist and earned the nickname “shark lady” because of her love of sharks. She wants to teach the world that sharks are not scary, and they should be admired.

Mae Among The Stars

By Roda Ahmed

Little Mae Jemison always dreamed of going to space. She imagined herself dancing, gliding, and discovering new worlds. With encouragement from her mother and a passion for science, Mae pursued her dream, eventually becoming the first African American woman to travel to space.

Margaret and The Moon

By Dean Robbins

As a girl, Margaret always loved learning. Especially interested in math, she ended up attending MIT then working for NASA. Margaret helped with space missions to the moon. Handwriting the code necessary to get there, she made these missions possible for the astronauts. Read more about her story in this biography.

The Water Princess

By Susan Verde

This story is based on the life of supermodel Georgie Badiel and her goal to bring drinking water to her village in Africa. Read about her childhood dreams and what she is doing to make them come true today.

Malala’s Magic Pencil

By Malala Yousafzai

Malala’s story is shared for younger readers but is inspirational to all who open the book. Fighting for women’s rights in Pakistan, Malala shares how she has kept a positive outlook on life. This is her first picture book for kids and will be enjoyed by its readers.

Amelia Earhart

By M. Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Ever since she was little, Amelia wanted to fly like the birds. As a woman, she accomplished that and more! Setting a new female world record, she flew at 14,000 feet. She also flew across the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Eventually she undertook the most dangerous mission of all: flying all the way around the world. Find out if she makes it in this picture book biography.