New Releases by Kathleen Krull

Newly transplanted from Chicago, Alex tries to get into the swing of California life while living with her father for a year. A true-to-life, timely story by a well-regarded author.

Fourth grader Alex''s new friendships in California are endangered when her chance to appear in a rock video brings her glamour and an inflated ego. Sequel to "Alex Fitzgerald''s Cure for Nightmares."

Found in the attic of the house in which Anne Elizabeth Rector grew up, Anne Elizabeth''s Diary is both a glimpse into what life was like for a 12-year-old girl in early-twentieth-century New York City, as well as a portrait of the early development of a young artist.

"This fascinating new installment in the popular Lives of . . . series of collective biographies is full of juicy tidbits about history''s greatest explorers"--

KATHLEEN KRULL’S LIVELY text traces the life of L. Frank Baum from his dreamy privileged childhood in mid-19th-century upstate New York through the many detours on his road to Oz. A failure as an actor, a breeder of prize chickens, a merchant in a wild west town, among other occupations, he finally made a success doing exactly what he had always loved to do: tell stories for children. Along the way, we see the antecedents of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, green glasses, and other characters and attributes of the famous fantasy land. This is the first biography of L. Frank Baum that children can enjoy. With the same verve she brought to her biography of Dr. Seuss, Kathleen Krull’s wry prose couples with Kevin Hawke’s exuberant paintings and drawings to create a book not to be missed by Oz fans of all ages.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was born into one of the wealthiest families in America, yet this ultimate rich kid grew up to do more for ordinary Americans than any other president. This appealing picture book biography shows how, from childhood on, FDR was compassionate, cheerful, determined, and enormously likable. Though he had private tutors as a young boy and later attended an elite boys'' school, he played pranks and had down-to-earth fun just like any boy today. Kathleen Krull''s animated picture book biography focuses on FDR''s childhood years through his entry as a young man into politics and his battle with polio. A summary of his achievements as president and a chronology of his life are included. The well-researched text and the evocative illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher provide an inspiring introduction to one of our greatest presidents.

Recounts the author''s experiences as a young woman caring for wounded Union soldiers in Washington, D.C. during the Civil War and the impact that these experiences had on her development as an author.

"No Taxation without Representation!" The Boston Tea Party stands as an iconic event of the American Revolution—outraged by the tax on tea, American colonists chose to destroy the tea by dumping it into the water! Learn all about the famed colonialists who fought against the British Monarchy, and read about this act of rebellion from our history! With black-and-white illustrations throughout and sixteen pages of photos, the Boston Tea party is brought to life!

Describes the 1963 March on Washington, helmed by Martin Luther King, Jr., where over two hundred thousand people gathered to demand equal rights for all races, and explains why this event is still important in American history today.

Profiles twenty notable pirates throughout history and describes their adventures, the battles they fought, and the riches and cultural legacies they left behind.

Three short stories feature Kevin, who doesn''t want a haircut, Ramon, whose friends agree that hair problems can make you scream, and Helen, who is interested in everyone''s hair.

Sesame Street and The Muppet Show introduced Jim Henson''s Muppets to the world, making Kermit the Frog, Oscar the Grouch, and Big Bird household names. But even as a child in rural Mississippi, listening to the radio and putting on comedy shows for his family, Jim recognized the power of laughter to bring people together. On Sesame Street, Jim''s Muppets transformed children''s television by making learning fun for kids everywhere. A visionary, Jim always believed that puppets could reach a wider audience. In 1976, he proved it, drawing millions of family viewers to The Muppet Show. With his feature film The Dark Crystal and his Star Wars characters—including Yoda—Jim continued to push the boundaries of what was possible in puppetry until his death in 1990 at the age of 53. Kathleen Krull, recipient of the Children''s Book Guild 2011 Non-fiction Award and many other accolades, once again does what she does so well—illuminating the life of an important figure in history, art, and culture with her informative but approachable writing style.

An inspiring picture book about John, Robert, and Edward Kennedy, by acclaimed author Kathy Krull and New York Times bestselling artist Amy Bates.

Award-winning author Kathleen Krull zeros in on the formative first 22 years of the life of Ted Geisel. This is the first picture book biography of Dr. Seuss, written especially for his young fans who want to know what made him tick. The animals in the zoo that his father ran and his fondness for drawing them, the injustices he suffered as the child of German immigrants, and his inherent sense of humor all fed into the imagination of this boy. He was a square peg in a round hole until he found that he could make a living doing exactly what he pleased—doodling and writing funny things about the world as he saw it. The last section of the book outlines the important events in his adult life. In addition to the evocative paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, the book is profusely decorated with art from Dr. Seuss books.

Chronicles the history of hair, looking at hair facts and lore from ancient to modern times.

“An illuminating, humanizing portrait of a famous scientist.” —Booklist, starred review All his life, Charles Darwin hated controversy. Yet he takes his place among the Giants of Science for what remains an immensely controversial subject: the theory of evolution. Darwin began piecing together his explanation for how all living things change or adapt during his five-year voyage on HMS Beagle. But it took him twenty years to go public, for fear of the backlash his theory would cause. Once again, Kathleen Krull delivers a witty and astute picture of one of history''s greatest scientists.

Poor Abraham Lincoln! His life was hardly fun at all. A country torn in two by war, citizens who didn’t like him as president, a homely appearance—what could there possibly be to laugh about? And yet he did laugh. Lincoln wasn’t just one of our greatest presidents. He was a comic storyteller and a person who could lighten a grim situation with a clever quip. This unusual biography of Lincoln highlights his life and presidency, focusing on what made his sense of humor so distinctive—and so necessary to surviving his tough life and times.

Music and the alphabet have always gone together. Don''t kids learn their letters by singing the ABCs? But you''ve never seen--or heard--a musical alphabet like this one. Beloved tunes. Unusual instruments. Legendary virtuosos. From anthems to zydeco, the language of music and the music of language harmonize in one superb symphony. It''s a funky fusion for songsters of all ages! Includes endnotes.

Though it may only be a small emerald isle in the middle of the sea, Ireland’s heritage is very large indeed. Its rich history of literature and lore has inspired imaginations for hundreds of years. In A Pot o’ Gold, noted writer Kathleen Krull and beloved illustrator David McPhail bring this legacy to life. Created for families, this anthology compiles classic and rare examples of Irish culture, including stories, poems, songs, recipes, and even a little blarney. From legends of leprechauns and fairies to the classic poetry of Yeats and Joyce, the treasures herein invite children and parents, brothers and sisters—even grandparents and grandchildren—to share the wonders of Ireland.

Traces the life and work of the Polish-born scientist whose study of radioactivity lead to her receiving two Nobel Prizes.

Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks are mind-boggling evidence of a fifteenth-century scientific genius standing at the edge of the modern world, basing his ideas on observation and experimentation. This book will change children’s ideas of who Leonardo was and what it means to be a scientist.

Broken

Presents the life of Pocahontas, a Powhatan princess, describing how she saved the life of Captain John Smith of Jamestown, made efforts to broker peace between the English and the Powhatan, married John Rolfe, and died in England at the age of twenty-two

Kathleen Krull proves Sigmund Freud deserves a place in her much-lauded series, because he essentially created a brand-new branch of medicine: psychoanalysis.

Traces the life and accomplishments of the American suffragist who became the first successful female stockbroker, and later started a newspaper and ran for president.

Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to do many things: the first woman to own a newspaper, to speak before Congress, and to have a seat on the stock exchange. But her boldest act was announcing herself as the first female candidate for the presidency of the United States in 1872--before women even had the right to vote. Arguably one of the most revolutionary women in American history, she was many years ahead of her time, braking boundaries. But her presidential campaign, and the backlash it sparked, left her in political ruin and bankruptcy. Amazingly, her name has been practically erased from history. Acclaimed biographer Kathleen Krull and beloved illustrator Jane Dyer combine their talents to bring one of the most fascinating personalities in U.S. history back to life for young readers.

Twenty-four of the greatest figures of rock ''n'' roll are celebrated with in-depth mini-biographies and colorful accompanying block prints. Noted non-fiction writer Kathleen Krull has distilled the essence of each musician or band and brought them to life with behind-the-scenes stories, facts, and entertaining anecdotes. Acclaimed printmaker Stephen Alcorn takes up where words leave off with bold and graphic images that keep you turning the pages.

On the night before Halloween, 1938, that''s what people all over the country heard coming over their radios -- an announcement that a glowing yellow spacecraft had crashed in New Jersey. When the announcer went on to describe an alien covered in tentacles that came wiggling out of it, the entire country panicked! What most Americans didn''t know was that this emergency broadcast wasn''t real -- it was a radio play, performed by actors, based on the H. G. Wells science-fiction novel The War of the Worlds. Aliens hadn''t landed in New Jersey that night. There was no spacecraft.