Who Was Steve Jobs? by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso

This year some of our fourth graders wrote book reviews for their classmates. We are pleased to say we will be featuring these reviews throughout the summer.

Who Was Steve Jobs? This book's author is Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso. This book is a chapter book and a biography. It is about a man with a big imagination named Steve Jobs. This book is based on his life and his inventions. He made products that many of us use ... iPod, iPad, iPhone and the Mac computers. My recommendation for this book is: it is great!. This book is about how Apple companies are different in different places and how Steve Jobs came up with these great ideas! Enjoy.

reviewed by Shelby

Note from Mrs. Adams - this is one book in the series of Who Was .... ? or Who Is ... ? biographies. In the school library we call them the "Big Head" biographies because of the caricature illustrations on the covers. The students love this series! The publisher is now publishing history books in the series What Was ... ?

Who Was Dr. Seuss? by Janet Pascal

In 1937 Dr. Seuss wrote his first children's book - And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street. 20 years later he wrote a book for beginning readers. His editor gave him a list of 300 words and told him he could only use those words. He wrote The Cat in the Hat. He only used 225 words to write the story. Theodore Seuss Geisel was his real name. Ted enjoyed doodling, making up his own characters and nonsense words. He soon went off to college. Ted did not do well in college - he was more interested in writing and doodling - he wrote for the college paper, but did not do well in his classes. He went to England to attend Oxford University, but found the students too serious and the classes too boring. He met another student, Helen Palmer, who changed his life when she looked at his doodling and told him he should be an illustrator. She graduated from Oxford and starting her teaching career back in the United States. Ted dropped out of school and moved back to the states too, where he continued to draw. He sent his illustrations to many magazines and finally a famous magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, accepted his work. Soon Ted and Helen married. Ted began signing his work using his middle name - Seuss. He soon added Dr. to it because that is what his parents wanted him to be - a doctor. Pick up a copy of Who Was Dr. Seuss? and find out many other fascinating facts about the beloved children's author, Dr. Seuss.

Who Was Walt Disney? by Whitney Stewart

We all have heard of, or been to, Disneyworld. We all know the name Mickey Mouse, but do we all know the story behind Mickey Mouse or Disneyworld? In the book Who Was Walt Disney? we learn all about the man behind the Disney creations. Almost as soon as he could hold a pencil, Walt spent hours and hours drawing. He told everyone he was an artist. (pg. 8). He drew everywhere, including on the side of his family home - in tar! (Tar is black and sticky, and does not come off). In the early 1920s Walt began to animate his drawings. Read Walt's fascinating story in Who Was Walt Disney? There are other biographies in the Who Was ? series, enjoy them all.

Harry Houdini by Vicki Cobb

You may already know the name Houdini as a master escape artist. Read this book and learn about Houdini's childhood and international stardom. The author, Vicki Cobb, has written this book to read as a story which makes it a book you won't easily put down. Harry Houdini was born Ehrich Weiss in Hungary. His poor parents moved the family to the United States and as a teenager Ehrich worked in a tie factory. It was there that he began to practice tricks with coins that he learned by reading books about magic. Ehrich was one who always worked hard and practiced often to become the best. He knew that quickness was the secret to successful magic. As you read this book you'll be mesmerized by the many authentic photographs included. There are pictures of Houdini doing his escapes, the many handcuffs he used, and posters announcing his shows around the world. Unlike some magic books that don't reveal how the tricks are done, Harry Houdini by Vicki Cobb does let you in on some of Houdini's secrets. To find more books like this, search our library catalog for the series title DK Biography. You'll find biographies of other notable and interesting people.

Hockeytown Hero : The Steve Yzerman Story by Shelley Lazarus

If you are a Detroit Red Wings fan you are not too worried yet about their chances in the Stanley Cup playoffs. They are down 2 games to 1 to the San Jose Sharks, but it's not over yet! If you are like me, you are missing "our captain" Stevie Y. Pick up the recent biography about our very own Hockeytown Hero written just for you - the elementary student! You will be able to follow Stevie Y. from his early years (he started playing hockey at the age of 3) through the 2000 season. Last year Steve retired and became the Vice-President of the Detroit Red Wings.

Stevie Y. was the captain of our Wings when they won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 42 years in 1997! They won again the following year and again in 2002! Steve was named captain of the Red Wings when he was only 21 years old, he was the youngest captain in the NHL (National Hockey League), 20 years later he was the longest serving captain in the NHL! Pick up Hockeytown Hero : The Steve Yzerman Story today, you will love every story, interview, statistic and photo. I am just bummed that it is only 112 pages long!

Who Were The Beatles? by Geoff Edgers

Depending on how old you are, you might not know who the Beatles were. Or you might know about the Beatles because you hear their music on the radio or when your parents play Beatles CDs. If you're really lucky, you remember when the Beatles were very popular musicians, you are still a HUGE Beatles fan, and you own many of their albums - records, tapes and CDs! It was called Beatlemania and they were the Fab Four - John, Paul, George and Ringo. When they appeared on TV or a live performance, the audience screamed with excitement! They produced hundreds of songs most of them written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Who Were The Beatles? by Geoff Edgers covers their start as a band to when they broke up. A brief biography of each individual Beatle is also included. The information is accurate but there are no actual photographs of the Beatles, only illustrations by Jeremy Tugeau.

There are other titles in this series of biographies. Search our library catalog for the series title, Who Was, to find them all.