April 21 Birthday: Charlotte Bronte

Charlotte Bronte, writer
Apr. 21, 1816-Mar. 31, 1855

Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1994)

The author of Jane Eyre, was the eldest of the three Bronte sisters, all English writers.

A brief biography of Bronte can be found on the Victorian Web.org, a site about literature, history and culture in the age of Victoria.

April 20 Birthday: Tito Puente

Tito Puente, musician
Apr. 20, 1923-May 31, 2000

How We are Smart by W. Nikola-Lisa, illustrated by Sean Qualls (Lee & Low Books, 2006)

Known as “The Mambo King,” Puente played Latin jazz and mambo music.

Read more about the talented Puente on the Thomson/Gale site.

Unknown Birthday: Murasaki Shikibu

Murasaki Shikibu, artist
c. 973-c. 1014 or 1025

Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt(Harcourt, 1994)

Novelist. Poet. Servant in royal court. Japan's Shikibu is best known as author of The Tale of Genji, one of the earliest published novels of all time.

Read parts of Murasaki Shikibu's diary online at Penn's digital library site.

April 16 Birthday: Wilbur Wright

Wilbur Wright, aviator
Apr. 16, 1867-May 30, 1912

Into the Air: The Story of the Wright Brothers by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Bill Wylie (Silver Whistle Paperbacks, 2002)

Using comic-book style art, this book takes readers on a journey of the two brothers who were determined to fly.

NASA’s biography of Wilbur Wright has links to the invention process, researched flight, tested theories and other associated ideas.

April 15 Birthday: Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci, artist
Apr. 15, 1452-May 2, 1519

Leonardo da Vinci by Diane Stanley (HarperCollins, 1996)

An account of da Vinci’s life from birth to death with highlights of his celebrated art.

For a biography, portrait, and examples of da Vinci’s work, visit the Museum of Science.

April 15 Birthday: Bessie Smith

Bessie Smith, musician
Apr. 15, 1894-Sept. 26, 1937

The Blues Singers: Ten Who Rocked the World by Julius Lester,illustrated by Lisa Cohen (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 2001)

Smith hit the road as a singer at the age of 17. She was known for her big voice. Her first record was called Downhearted Blues.

Read more about Smith on the PBS site about Ken Burns' film, Jazz.

April 13 Birthday: Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President
Apr. 13, 1743-July 4, 1826

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

This author of the Declaration of Independence also was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson was president # 3.

Jefferson’s accomplishments are summarized in this profile of him.

April 12 Birthday: Jimmy Winkfield

Jimmy Winkfield, athlete
Apr. 12, 1882-Mar. 23, 1974

The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby: The Story of Jimmy Winkfield by Crystal Hubbard, illustrated by Robert McGuire (Lee & Low Books, 2008)

A childhood love of horses led Jimmy Winkfield to a job at a racetrack as a teenager. Eventually “Wink” became a jockey and won back-to-back Kentucky Derby races in 1901 and 1902. “By late 1903 African American jockeys (in the U.S.) had become obsolete,” and Wink raced in Europe, where he eventually retired.

Listen to a profile of Winkfield on NPR’s Weekend Edition on the occasion of the 2002 Kentucky Derby.

April 12 Birthday: Imogen Cunningham

Imogen Cunningham, artist
Apr. 12, 1883-June 24, 1976

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

Known for her photos of botanicals, nudes, and industry, Cunningham kept the shutter clicking until just before her death at 93.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston houses three of Cunningham's photos. Click on the titles for more detailed descriptions of the works.

April 10 Birthday: Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta, activist
Apr. 10, 1930-

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

Co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association with Ceasar Chavez and a leader in the historic grape boycott, Huerta continues to play a pivotal role in worker rights.

Read more about Huerta at the Dolores Huerta Foundation web site.

April 9 Birthday: Carl Perkins

Carl Perkins, musician
Apr. 9, 1932-Jan. 19,1998

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

The man who wrote Blue Suede Shoes was from rural Tennessee. A talented singer and songwriter, Perkins sure knew how to shake things up.

Perkins, a 1987 inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is featured on a page at RockHall.com.

April 8 Birthday: Sonja Henie

Sonja Henie, athlete
Apr. 8, 1912-Oct. 12, 1969

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

A three-time Olympic figure skating champion, Henie was the youngest world champion in history.

Click Olympic.org to read a profile of Henie: The First Figure Skating Celebrity.

April 7 Birthday: Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday, musician
Apr. 7, 1915-July 17, 1959

The Blues Singers: Ten Who Rocked the World by Julius Lester, illustrated by Lisa Cohen (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 2oo1)

Holiday moved to Harlem at age 14 when jazz was hot. Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith and others were singing at that time. Billie joined in. Her trademark was a white gardenia in her hair.

Holiday is featured in Jazz, a film by Ken Burns.

April 5 Birthday: Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington, educator and political leader
Apr. 5, 1856-Nov. 14, 1915

More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby, illustrated by Chris Soentpiet (Scholastic, 1995)

More than anything else, young Booker T. Washington wanted to learn how to read. Follow his journey in this story based on his childhood.

A biography of Washington, a famous African-American is posted at the Thomson/Gale web site.

April 4 Birthday: Maya Angelou

span style="font-weight:bold;">Maya Angelou, writer
Apr. 4, 1928-

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

The author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, is a producer, actor and director, too. She recited her poem On the Pulse of Morning at President Clinton's inauguration.

The Maya Angelou Official Website offers a short bio and photos.

April 4 Birthday: Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters, musician
Apr. 4, 1913-Apr. 30-1983

The Blues Singers: Ten Who Rocked the World by Julius Lester, illustrated by Lisa Cohen (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 2oo1)

Mississippi born, Waters quit school at ten and worked in cotton fields. He moved to Chicago in 1943 and in 1948 made his first commercial record.

The Official Muddy “Mississippi” Waters site is the place to go for resources about this electrified blues man.

April 3 Birthday: Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall, scientist (primatologist)
Apr. 3, 1934-

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

Goodall’s research on chimpanzees is remarkable because of it's length (forty-five plus years) and because of her devotion to the animals and the environment.

Read Jane Goodall: An Extraordinary Life at the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation.

April 2 Birthday: Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen, writer
Apr. 2, 1805-Aug. 4, 1875

Perfect Wizard: The Hans Christian Andersen by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Dennis Nolan (Dutton, 2005)

This is the story of Andersen, the “ugly duckling” who grew up to write incredible fairy tales.

Take a look at the Annotated Web-o-graphy of Hans Christian Andersen and chose a site to visit.

May 2 Birthday: Elijah McCoy

Elijah McCoy, inventor
May 2, 1843(4?)-October 10, 1929

The Real McCoy: The Life of an African-American Inventor by Wendy Towle, illustrated by Wil Clay (Scholastic, paper, 1995)

An engineer, McCoy invented (among other things) an automatic lubricator for trains and heavy machinery. It was so much better than what was in common use that people insisted on “the real McCoy.”

A short bio on a web site hosted by Northern California Council of Black Professional Engineers highlights McCoy.

April 1 Birthday: Wangari Maathai

Wangari Maathai, peace advocate
Apr. 1, 1940-

Paths to Peace: People Who Changed the World by Jane Breskin Zalben (Dutton, 2006)

A member of the Kikuyu ethnic group, Maathai has and is doing much to make the world a better place. Among other things she is interested in the green movement and women’s rights. She won the Nobel Peace Prize because she “stood up courageously against the former oppressive regime in Kenya.”

Read the press release from the Nobel Peace Prize for Maathai received in 2004.