If you want to read a biography of President Obama, this is the one. It tells his story from the time he was born up to inauguration day. The book includes comments from people close to him like his mother, his grandmother and his sister as well as people he has worked with or inspired.

The book includes questions he has been asked by the American people, by other politicians and by kids.

Question from a first grader: “Shouldn’t you be vice president first?”

You can even find out little things, like the fact that he is left handed and likes chili and basketball. As a student basketball player he earned the nickname “Barry O’Bomber” because of his jump shot. Barry was his nickname back then – see all of the interesting things you can find out?!

Every page has several vibrant photos. I enjoyed reading this as the story of a person’s life. I also liked that the author included a lot of information about the election and what the issues were that were debated during the election. This book is the story of a life…but also gives a look at the process of getting elected.

• White House Bio: Barack Obama
• White House Bio: Michelle Obama

Edna Lewis cooks simple and she cooks Southern. Edna grew up in Virginia and this book tells the story of how she ended up a chef in New York City. When she was a little girl her family ate what they could grow and they ate what was ripe when it was ripe or they canned it to save for later. The dishes served at her restaurant depended on the season because Edna only used fresh ingredients in her recipes. If it wasn’t just picked, she didn’t use it.

An interesting look at a person who followed her passion into a career and life she enjoyed.

• Look Inside Bring Me Some Apples
• Listen to NPR Audio: Memories of Southern Chef Edna Lewis
• Watch the Documentary Fried Chicken & Sweet Potato Pie

If you like learning about Edna Lewis try some of these books:

Marching for Freedom tells the story of hundreds of men, women and children who marched in Selma, Alabama in the 1960s to help win black Americans the right to vote.

In 1963 Joanne Blackmon was ten. She went to the courthouse with her Grandmother so that her Grandmother could register to vote. They waited in line for hours and finally were arrested and put in jail. An old lady and a little girl…arrested…for patiently waiting in line.

That’s how it was in 1963. If a black person wanted to register to vote there were all kinds of outlandish rules they had to follow that made actually registering virtually impossible. A lot of people were afraid to even try to register for fear of being arrested, fired from their job or beaten.

In order to bring attention to the problem, people began to organize peaceful marches. The author interviewed several people who were child marchers – it is really interesting to listen to them tell their stories. What was it really like to be a ten year-old in jail? How did it feel? What was it like to march and have people yell mean things at you and throw things at you? It’s much better than a history book that just tells you what happened. These kids were actually there. You can tell how much they believed in what they were doing because they were able to be brave even though they were very scared. It’s a great story about the power of kids, ordinary kids, who helped changed the course of American history.

There are also great pictures throughout this book. If you like them you can look at more at the Take Stock website links below. By looking at the photos you can be a witness to history too. The author says, “I wondered…would I have been that brave?” After reading this book I asked myself the same thing. Author: Elizabeth Patridge

• Take Stock Images of Change Voting Rights
• Take Stock Images of Change Selma to Montgomery I
• Take Stock Images of Change Selma to Montgomery II
• Take Stock Images of Change Selma to Montgomery III
• America’s Story: Martin Luther King Jr.

While the people were marching, they often sang songs to communicate their purpose and to help them overcome their fear. One of the most famous songs is “We Shall Overcome.” Have you heard of that one? In the book Freedom Song, you can read the words to the songs and learn about them. A CD comes with the book so you can listen also.