Diverse biographies for children

Take a look at our favourite biographies, all about amazing diverse people from history! From neurodivergent superstars to social justice heroes, be inspired by these extraordinary people who changed the world.

Timelines of Extraordinary Lives: From Cleopatra and Confucius to Mozart and Malala

Get the inside track on the incredible lives of history's must-know names: from Shakespeare to Oprah Winfrey, and Anne Frank to Julius Caesar. This book boasts more than 150 visual timelines, covering a diverse array of kings and queens, humanitarians, scientists, inventors, explorers, activists, writers, artists, and more, from all over the globe. It breathes fresh life into the biographies of the people you thought you knew, and unearths many stories from previously ignored or unheard voices.

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Queer Heroes

This title celebrates the achievements of LGBTQ+ people through history and from around the world. It features dynamic portraits of a diverse selection of 53 inspirational role models accompanied by short biographies that focus on their incredible successes.

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A Mind Like Mine

Did you know Charles Darwin experienced anxiety and Florence Nightingale lived with PTSD? From Michelangelo to Deepika Padukone, Ada Lovelace to Freddie Flintoff, a great many successful people with brilliant minds and talents have lived or are living with mental health disorders. The biographies in this book show that you can't always tell what a person is going through, and that mental health conditions can and do impact people from all walks of life. The book will help remove some of the stigma around mental health, discuss different mental health conditions, what they mean and how they are treated; and ultimately to show that mental health disorders do not have to hold anyone back from achieving their dreams.

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Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls

'Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls' features 110 empowering stories about women and girls who have done extraordinary things. Readers will marvel at the accomplishments of well-known women like Cleopatra, Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and, Frida Kahlo, and they'll discover the powerful stories of Colombian spy Policarpa Salavarrieta, Afghani rapper Sonita Alizadeh, Sierra-Leonean ballerina Michaela dePrince, Mexican doctor Matilde Montoya, and American surgeon Mary Edwards Walker.

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HerStory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook the World

In this uplifting and inspiring book, children can learn about 50 intrepid women from around the world and throughout history. Telling the stories of their childhood, the challenges they faced and the changes they made, each gorgeously illustrated spread is a celebration of girl power in its many forms. With a range of pioneering careers - from astronauts to activists, musicians to mathematicians and many more - young readers will be inspired to follow their own dreams and to make the world a better place.

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Stories for South Asian Supergirls

Through the fascinating stories of 50 women from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, South Asian girls will have a chance to dream about lives for themselves that radically differ from the limited narratives written for them by their culture, wider society and the media.

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100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World

Packed with 100 all-new bedtime stories about the lives of incredible female figures from the past and the present, this volume recognizes women who left their birth countries for a multitude of reasons: some for new opportunities, some out of necessity. Readers will whip up a plate with Asma Khan, strategize global affairs alongside Madeleine Albright, venture into business with Rihanna, and many more. All of these unique, yet relatable stories are accompanied by gorgeous, full-page, full-color portraits, illustrated by female artists from all over the globe.

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The Good Guys: 50 Heroes Who Changed the World with kindness

The Good Guys introduces us to 50 heroes who have showed that changing the world doesn't require a sword or a corporate jet. Readers will find stories of extraordinary men including Muhammad Ali, Professor Green, Patrick Stewart and Lionel Messi, as well as unsung heroes such as James Harrison, who has spent fifty years donating his rare blood to save millions of babies. The Good Guys celebrates the feats of heroes and everyday men, and will show kids that it really is cool to be kind.

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Shining Bright, Shining Black: Meet 100 Inspiring Black Icons

Meet 100 icons of colour from the past, including inspiring figures from as far back as the 1500s, and present day, in this celebration of inspirational achievement. This treasury includes a collection of stories about changemakers to encourage, inspire and empower the next generation of changemakers, as well as exciting new material and a detailed timeline. Strong, courageous, talented and diverse, these extraordinary men and women's achievements will inspire a new generation to chase their dream, whatever it may be.

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Bright Stars of Black British History

This richly illustrated collection presents the extraordinary life stories of fourteen bright stars from Black British history – from Tudor England to modern Britain – and charts their ongoing influence.

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I Am Not a Label

In this stylishly illustrated biography anthology, meet 34 artists, thinkers, athletes, and activists with disabilities, from past and present. From Frida Kahlo to Stephen Hawking, find out how these iconic figures have overcome obstacles, owned their differences and paved the way for others by making their bodies and minds work for them.

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Just Like Me: 40 Neurologically and Physically Diverse People Who Broke Stereotypes

The world is full of people who are a little different in one way or another. Our uniqueness is what makes us stand out and makes us who we are. You can never judge someone on something you can not see or even on the things you can see. We are all special. We are all unique. We are all 'different; not less'. A collection of true stories about inspiring people and famous figures from around the world, all with something that makes them physically or neurologically diverse. Reflective of our diverse society, this anthology features figures including Simone Biles, Selena Gomez, Temple Grandin, Warwick Davies, Daniel Radcliffe, Stephen Hawking and Greta Thunberg.

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