Central Kansas Library System

Every great author started out as a kid. Before the bestsellers, fan clubs, and beloved stories we know today, the world's most celebrated writers had regular-kid problems just like you. Sam Clemens (aka Mark Twain) loved to skip school and make mischief, with his best friend Tom of course! A young J. R. R. Tolkien was bitten by a huge tarantula -- or as he called it, "a spider as big as a dragon." Toddler Zora Neale Hurston took her first steps when...

Every great artist started out as a kid. Forget the awards, the sold-out museum exhibitions, and the timeless masterpieces. When the world's most celebrated artists were growing up, they had regular-kid problems just like you. Jackson Pollock's family moved constantly-he lived in eight different cities before he was sixteen years old. Georgia O'Keeffe lived in the shadow of her "perfect" older brother Francis. And Jean-Michel Basquiat triumphed over...

Moving, funny, and totally true childhood biographies of Bill Gates, the Wright Brothers, Walt Disney, and other international innovators Throughout history people have experimented, invented, and created new ways of doing things. Kid Innovators tells the stories of a diverse group of brilliant thinkers in fields like technology, education, business, science, art, and entertainment, reminding us that every innovator started out as a kid. Florence...

Athletes throughout history have dreamed of competing in the Olympics-and some were kids themselves when those dreams and plans began! In Kid Olympians: Summer, discover the childhood stories of legends such as -Usain Bolt, who used to skip practices to go to the arcade and play video games. -Serena Williams, who sometimes hit her tennis ball over the fence on purpose! -Tatyana McFadden, who had to fight to be allowed on her school's track team Featuring...

Every activist started out as a kid-and in some cases, they were kids when their activism began! But even the world's greatest champions of civil liberties had relatable interests and problems-often in the middle of extraordinary circumstances. Martin Luther King, Jr., loved fashion and argued with his dad about whether or not dancing was a sin. Harvey Milk had a passion for listening to opera music in different languages. Dolores Huerta was once...

"Why is Green Bay, Wisconsin, nicknamed "Titletown?" Does "icing" the kicker of an opposing team actually work? Do sewer systems in some cities really get flooded during halftime on Super Bowl Sunday? Dig in to get the real stories behind these and other great football myths and legends!"--

Did Wilt Chamberlain really score 100 points by himself in a single game? Was the 1985 NBA Draft really fixed to make sure the New York Knicks got the first pick? Was Michael Jordan really let go by his high school basketball team? Get ready to discover the real stories behind these and other great basketball myths and legends!

Every great scientist started out as a kid. Before their experiments, inventions, and discoveries that changed the world, the world's most celebrated scientists had regular-kid problems just like you. Stephen Hawking hated school and preferred to spend his free time building model airplanes, inventing board games, and even building his own computer. Jane Goodall got in trouble for bringing worms and snails into her house. And Neil deGrasse Tyson had...

Discover the amazing achievements of sports legend Serena Williams---on and off the tennis court---in this exciting new biography.