Inspiring Real Life Heroes for Children to Read About!

This summer, children might be interested in reading about ordinary people who have a big voice.  Whether it is the audacity to ask questions, the need to stand up for injustice, the courage to persist in impossible situations, or maybe it is the need to help someone-heroes take many different forms and often have an interesting story to share; the Summer Reading them is, after all, Every Hero has a Story!  Here are some real, high-interest stories you might like to share with your family.

Picture Books to share

Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand- This rhyming picture book tells the amazing story of a four year old child with cancer who decides to raise money to help herself and others.  This summer, your child might like to participate in Alex's Lemonade Days to fight childhood cancer one cup at a time!

On a Beam of Light- This simple biography about Albert Einstein teaches us that sometimes it is important to ask questions. You might also like to read about The Librarian who Measured the Earth; he certainly liked to ask questions, too!

Wangari Maathai appreciated the trees as she grew up in Africa and noticed as she got older that the trees were gone and the land was changing.  She started planting Trees of Peace, which created Seeds of Change across the land.

The Boy who Loved Math didn't know how to butter his own bread, but he was able to solve math problems that others couldn't, and he was certainly willing to share his gift of math knowledge with the world!



Who Says Women Can't be Doctors?  A lot of people did a long time ago until Elizabeth Blackwell paved the way for women.  She believed in herself, worked very hard and changed society.



For the Middle Grade Readers 
(Some of these books have topics that may be difficult for young readers to handle)

The Who Was? series is a great way to introduce children to biographies about interesting and important people.  They are high interest books and there are many to choose from. See which ones might be interesting for your family!  

Thinking Differently was frowned upon by Steve Jobs' teachers; he did not do well in school.  He had many failures in his life, but he did not succumb to failure, rather he turned those failures into great successes! 

Bill and Melinda Gates are also in the computer industry and they have donated at least 26.2 million dollars to education, libraries, and global development.  You might be interested in reading more about their philanthropy.  

I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition) tells the story of one girl who wanted to go to school.  Her right to go to school was taken away by the Taliban, but she did not let this injustice destroy her belief in humanity. She stood up against the Taliban and spoke out for her right.  Her story of standing up for herself and for girls everywhere is a true inspiration; some topics you should be aware of that are in this book are war, violence, and terrorism.



Bethany Hamilton's story of survival is an inspiring one!  She has to face the challenges of losing an arm after a shark attack.  She does not give up on herself and she figures out how to overcome.