June 30 Birthday: Lena Horne

Lena Horne, musician
June 30, 1917-

Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy (Charlesbridge, 2005)

Horne, best known for her hit song, Stormy Weather, sang and acted in several Hollywood musicals beginning in 1938.

PBS Online News Hour celebrated Horne’s 80th birthday. Read all about it here.

June 27 Birthday: Helen Keller

Helen Keller, writer and activist
June 27, 1880-June 1, 1968

A Picture Book of Helen Keller by David A. Adler, illustrated by John Wallner and Alexandra Wallner (Holiday House, 1990)

While the childhood of Keller, who was born with visual and hearing impairments is the focus of this biography, her accomplishments as an adult are also highlighted.

From the American Foundation for the Blind, The Helen Keller Kids Museum Online offers a biography of Keller.

June 6 Birthday: Marian Wright Edelman

Marian Wright Edelman, advocate
June 6, 1939-

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

A supporter of poor children and their families, this writer organized the Children's Defense Fund.

See a biography of Edelman at the Children’s Defense Fund site.

June 26 Birthday: Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Babe Didrikson Zaharias, athlete
June 26, 1911 (or 1914)-September 27, 1956

Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy (Charlesbridge, 2005)

Born in Texas, Zaharias was an accomplished golfer, basketball player and track and field star who won two gold medals and one silver in the 1932 Summer Olympics.

Sports Illustrated for Women.CNN features a bio of Didrikson Zaharias on their site.

June 25 Birthday: Eric Carle

Eric Carle, artist and writer
June 25, 1929-

Flora and Tiger: 19 Very Short Stories from My Life by Eric Carle (Philomel, 1997)

Peek into the life of renowned children’s author and illustrator Eric Carle via the stories he tells about his childhood and present day life.

Take a field trip to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA and explore the exhibits and resources.

June 23 Birthday: Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph, athlete
June 23, 1940-November 12, 1994

Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by David Diaz (Harcourt, 1996)

A sickly child, Rudolph grew up to be the first woman to win three, count ‘em, three Olympic gold medals. What an inspiration!

The National Women’s Hall of Fame posts a short bio of Rudolph and her many athletic honors.

June 22 Birthday: Pete Maravich

Pete Maravich, athlete
June 22, 1947-January 5, 1988

Lives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1997)

Maravich, a college basketball great at LSU, was a Basketball Hall of Famer in 1987.

Click over to the NBA Encyclopedia for a bio of Maravich a.k.a. “Pistol Pete.”

Unknown Birthday: Chen Xiefen

Chen Xiefen, journalist
1883-1923

Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy (Charlesbridge, 2005)

Chinese women's rights advocate Xiefen, founder at age 16 of the "Women's Journal," also established a girl's school in her homeland.

From the Minnesota State University at Mankato e-museum, read about the times in which Xiefen lived during the Qing Dynasty.

June 19 Birthday: Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig, athlete
June 19, 1903-June 2, 1941

Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man by David A. Adler, illustrated by Terry Widener (Gulliver Books, 1997)

A three-hankie story, Gehrig, the baseball great who suffered from ALS always looked on the bright side of life.

A biography, photos and more can be found at the Lou Gehrig Official Web Site.

June 19 Birthday: Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi, political activist
June 19, 1945-

Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy (Charlesbridge, 2005)

Nonviolent Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize and used the money to promote health and education in Burma.

A timeline of Aung San Suu Kyi’s life is available on the Nobelprize.com site.

Unknown Birthday: Billy Wong

Billy Wong, bullfighter
20th century

El Chino by Allen Say (Houghton Mifflin, 1990)

Arizona-born Billy Wong remembered what his father told him-"In America, you can be anything you want to be." Enchanted by bullfighting, Wong became the first Chinese-American matador.

Read an interview with author/illustrator Allen Say at the Eduplace web site.

June 17 Birthday: Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky, musician
June 17, 1882-April 6, 1971

Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1993)

A Russian-American composer, Stravinsky wrote The Rite of Spring. He is known as one of the only composers to realize overnight success.

For more about Stravinsky, read the article on The TIME 100 site.

June 14 Birthday: Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist
June 14, 1811-July 1, 1896

A Picture Book Biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe by David A. Adler, illustrated by Colin Bootman (Holiday House, paper, 2004)

From Stowe’s childhood impressions of slavery to her book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, this woman of integrity fought for justice for African-Americans.

A Celebration of Women at the Penn Digital Library features biographical and bibliographic information on Stowe.

June 13 Birthday: Red Grange

Red Grange, athlete
June 13, 1903-January 28, 1991

Lives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1997)

Grange, a college football player-turned-professional was the first to make $100,000 a year. And yes, he had red hair.

A bio and stats of Grange can be found at the Official Site of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

June 12 Birthday: George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush, U.S. President
June 12, 1924-

Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1998)

Bush banned broccoli from the White House. Number 41, was a former director of the CIA and the father of five, one whom would become Number 43.

The George Bush Presidential Library on the campus of Texas A&M is the source for Bush info.

June 12 Birthday: Helen Lester

Helen Lester, writer
June 12, 19??-

Author: A True Story by Helen Lester (Houghton Mifflin, paper, 2002)

A lively account of how Lester, an acclaimed picture book author found her passion.

Lester’s website offers an interview with her, a photo album and a look at her books.

June 12 Birthday: Anne Frank

Anne Frank, writer
June 12, 1929-February/March, 1945

A Picture Book Biography of Anne Frank by David A. Adler, illustrated by Karen Ritz (Holiday House, 1994)

The world knows Anne Frank because of the diary she kept while the Nazis reigned. This book describes Frank’s life before, during and after she and her family went into hiding.

Read the story of Frank, visit the museum, try the activities and read the latest news of the Anne Frank House.

June 9 Birthday: Peter the Great

Peter the Great, political leader
June 9, 1672-February 8, 1725

Peter the Great by Diane Stanley (HarperCollins, 1999)

A Tsar from the age of ten, Peter the Great worked to bring Russia into the modern world.

A brief bio of Peter the Great can be found at the St. Petersburg Times.

June 2 Birthday: Johnny Weissmuller

Johnny Weissmuller, athlete
June 2, 1904-January 20, 1984

Lives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1997)

An Olympian in swimming, Weissmuller also made his mark as Tarzan in the movies. His motto—"Le's go."

See at photo of Weissmuller aboard the S.S. President Roosevelt, July 1928 (coming or going) to the Olympic Games.