Childhood of Famous Americans Series

Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player. He played 18 seasons at right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a National League, Most Valuable Player once, All-Star twelve times (15 games), batting champion four times, and Gold Glove winner twelve times. In 1972, Clemente got his 3,000th major league hit.

Clemente was very involved in charity work in Puerto Rico and Latin American countries during the off seasons. He died in an airplane accident on December 31, 1972, while en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

Now readers can explore how his childhood influenced his life.

John Muir

by Montrew Dunham

Published 1 April 1998

John Muir was a Scottish-American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His activism helped to preserve Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is still active today. The John Muir Trail is a 211-mile hiking trail in the Sierra Nevada.

Now readers can explore how his childhood influenced his life.

Ronald Reagan: Young Leader

by Montrew Dunham

Published 1 September 1999

This lively, fictionalized biography of Ronald Reagan explores the early years of a boy who would grow up to become known to millions a movie star-and later as America's fortieth president.

Thurgood Marshall

by Montrew Dunham

Published 1 August 1998

A biography emphasizing the childhood of the man who became the first African-American to sit on the United States Supreme Court.

Abner Doubleday, Young Baseball Pioneer

by Montrew Dunham

Published 31 October 1994

Neil Armstrong

by Montrew Dunham

Published 1 August 1996

Presents the childhood of the astronaut who became the first man to walk on the moon.

Margaret Bourke-White

by Montrew Dunham

Published 1 May 1995

Margaret Bourke-White, Young Photographer

by Montrew Dunham

Published 31 October 1994

Langston Hughes

by Montrew Dunham

Published 1 August 1995

Get to know the influential African American poet Langston Hughes in this middle grade nonfiction biography of his early years!

An engaging biography of American poet, Langston Hughes, written for the elementary aged child. Langston Hughes used his poetry and other writings to reflect the everyday experiences of African Americans, and he was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance.

This book is laced with numerous illustrations, and the back of the book includes a timeline, questions, activities, and a glossary, making it the perfect addition to a classroom or home school setting. Perfect for emerging readers, the Childhood of Famous Americans series illustrates the incredible true stories of great Americans.

Mahalia Jackson

by Montrew Dunham

Published 1 January 1995

Part of the Young Patriots series, which includes Amelia Earhart, Young Air Pioneer (1882859022, 1882859049), William Henry Harrison, Young Tippecanoe (1882859030, 1882859073), and Lew Wallace, Boy Writer (1882859057, 1882859065) aaC--oe[The Young Patriots series] ...is an outstanding contribution to children's literature. Patria Press has successfully reintroduced America's past with this fine series for children.aaC-- aaC--"The Review Zone aaC--oeHaleyaaC-- Jackson grew up in poverty on the levees of New Orleans, hunting alligators along the Mississippi River for food and gathering driftwood for fuel with her brother Peter. But every Sunday, when her father preached at the Baptist Church, young Mahalia sang proudly in the choiraaC--"the youngest member at age five! Lively illustrations and engaging text pull young readers into the world in which Mahalia Jackson grew up. Whether constructing her doll's braid from blades of grass, stuffing a cornhusk mattress, or adjusting to life in her Aunt Duke's home after her mother died, young Mahalia displayed the persistence and courage that foreshadowed the civil rights champion and world-famous gospel singer she would become.
Working as a maid and a laundress, she always found the time for her passionaaC--"singing her special brand of music known as gospel in churches. She met the challenge of being black in what was largely a white entertainment world, overcoming poverty and prejudice and pioneering the way for all aspiring African Americans who succeeded her. Singing for royalty, presidents, and working closely with her friend Martin Luther King, Haley never forgot her early days on the levee and she found special joy encouraging young African Americans to follow their ambitions.

Abner Doubleday

by Montrew Dunham

Published 1 March 1995