February 26 Birthday: Fats Domino

Fats Domino, musician
Feb. 26, 1928-

Shake, Rattle and Roll: The Founders of Rock and Roll by Holly George-Warren, illustrated by Laura Levine (Houghton Mifflin, 2001)

Domino learned to play piano when he was ten. Born and raised in New Orleans, he's still rockin'.

Domino was an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Unknown Birthday: Dave the Potter

Dave the Potter, artist, poet, slave
c. 1880s

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier (Little Brown, 2010)

A lyrical portrayal of the artistic process of Dave, who handcrafted beautiful jars from clay and sometimes wrote poems on them.

To see examples of Dave's work and learn more about him, visit Dave the Potter, hosted by the University of South Carolina.

February 23 Birthday: George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel, musician
Feb. 23, 1685-Apr. 14, 1759

Handel, Who Knew What He Liked by M.T. Anderson, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (Candlewick, 2001)

Here’s a humorous (and detailed) take on Handel’s life and music, including the a debunking of the myth that the tradition of standing during the Hallelujah Chorus began with the king.

Read an introduction to the Handel House, it’s history, restoration and about Handel’s London at the Handel House Museum.

February 22 Birthday: George Washington

George Washington, U.S. President
Feb. 22, 1732-Dec. 14, 1799

George: George Washington, Our Founding Father by Frank Keating, illustrated by Mike Wimmer (Paula Wiseman Books/Simon and Schuster, 2012)

Written in first person, this moving portrait of one of our founding fathers captures the heart and soul of Washington.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens offers a virtual mansion tour. Visit today.

February 20 Birthday: Joshua Slocum

Joshua Slocum, navigator
Feb. 20, 1884-Nov. 14, 1909

Born in the Breezes: The Voyages of Joshua Slocum by Kathryn Lasky, illustrated by Walter Lyon Krudop (Orchard, 2001)

Sail the high seas with this story about Slocum’s life and his love of it.

The Joshua Slocum Society International website attempts to “maintain a complete record of all single-handed circumnavigators, to popularize the legendary first solo circumnavigator, Captain Joshua Slocum.”

February 18 Birthday: Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison, professor and writer
Feb. 18, 1931-

Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made a Difference by Joyce Hansen (Scholastic, 1998)

Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel Beloved in 1988 and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. Highlights of this extraordinary woman can be found in this collective biography.

Biographies, bibliographies, essays, interviews are posted on a site devoted to Morrison.

February 17 Birthday: Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan, athlete
Feb. 17, 1963-

Jump! From the Life of Michael Jordan by Floyd Cooper (Philomel, 2004)

Meet African-American basketball player Air Jordan as a child and young adult in this picture book biography about him. Hoops, anyone?

NBA.com offers a player profile of Jordan. Check it out.