Prophet with Honor

TITLE:  Prophet with Honor The Billy Graham Story
AUTHOR:  William Martin
ILLUSTRATOR:
PUBLISHER:  ZonderKidz
COPYRIGHT:  2013

About the book:
His Message Would Be Heard Around The World No one guessed he would change the world. A simple country farm boy once prayed that God would use him...and prayed...and prayed. And God did use him, beyond what he ever imagined. He grew into a man who would lead millions of people to Christ, a man who would be known as the greatest evangelist of our time. Come read the story of Billy Graham and follow his life from his days as a boy, who wasn't so great in school, to a man who would teach the world the greatest lesson of all: how to know and live for Christ.

My thoughts:
This is a biography of the life and ministry of Billy Graham.  It has a few pictures throughout.  I thought it was a good overview of the life of this man who has touched many lives for Christ.  I learned some things about him as well about his life as a boy, his marriage and children, and his crusades.  He formed relationships with people throughout his life and these helped in later in life.  It was amazing to read about the many famous people he has been able to reach.

It is considered juvenile nonfiction.

This book was provided to me for my review from the publisher.  Thank you.

Helen's Big World

TITLE: Helen's Big World The Life of Helen Keller
AUTHOR:  Doreen Rappaport
ILLUSTRATOR: Matt Tavares
PUBLISHER: Disney Hyperion Books
COPYRIGHT: 2012

Even though Helen Keller was blind, deaf, and mute, she was able to experience much of the world around her due in part to her patient teacher, Annie Sullivan. She even went to college even though many thought it was foolish. 

This book was so enjoyable, and I learned a lot about this famous woman and her life.  One thing I particularly liked was that there was some of Helen's own words included with each page.  These were written in a different color and font from the other text.  I read this one to my son.  He thought it was more of a "girl book" he said. 

A Picture Book of Sam Houston

TITLE: A Picture Book of Sam Houston
AUTHOR:  David A. Adler and Michael S. Adler
ILLUSTRATOR:  Matt Collins
PUBLISHER: Holiday House
COPYRIGHT: 2012

This biography shares information from the interesting life of Sam Houston.  Besides being a war hero, he lived among the Cherokee Indians for 3 years, was a lawyer and teacher, and eventually became the first president of the Republic of Texas.  He also was married three times and had eight children. 

This is an enjoyable book with wonderful illustrations.  It is appropriate for elementary aged students and has an AR level of 4.8.  My son enjoyed this biography and the battle images. 

Play, Louis, Play!

TITLE: Play, Louis, Play!:  The True Story of a Boy and His Horn
AUTHOR: Muriel Harris Weinstein
ILLUSTRATOR:  Frank Morrison
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury USA
COPYRIGHT:

Learn about the childhood of famous musician Louis Armstrong in this book.  It is creatively written from the perspective of his horn!  It tells how young Louis worked to make money for his family and the role music played in his life.

This chapter book would be enjoyable for elementary aged children. It is easy to follow the story and enjoyable as well because it is written from the horn's perspective.

My son and I read this book together because it was on the Texas Bluebonnet list.  We both enjoyed the story and thought it was well-written.

Fifty Cents and a Dream

TITLE: Fifty Cents and a Dream Young Booker T. Washington
AUTHOR:  Jabari Asim
ILLUSTRATOR:  Bryan Collier
PUBLISHER: Little, Brown and Company
COPYRIGHT:  2012

Booker T. Washington had a desire and dream to learn to read and write.  This book shows the determination he had to make his dream come true as he traveled 500 miles to Hampton Institute.  It was his dream but he also thought of  others along the way who had the same dream.

The illustrations are done with watercolor and collage.  Also, the endpages have been copied from sample pages of a book Booker received from his mother called The American Spelling Book by Noah Webster. 

This inspirational story would be appropriate for elementary aged children.

Just Being Audrey

TITLE:  Just Being Audrey
AUTHOR:  Margaret Cardillo
ILLUSTRATOR: Julia Denos
PUBLISHER: Balzer + Bray
COPYRIGHT:  2011

This is an enjoyable picture book about the life of Audrey Hepburn.  The book talks about her life as a star but also her childhood in Nazi-occupied Europe.  As a star she worked with the UNICEF organization also. 

This is a nicely done book that was informative to me, and I also thought the illustrations went along with this book so nicely.   My son and I read this together because it is on the Texas Bluebonnet Award List this year.