The United States has a rich past that goes well beyond the Founding Fathers, so this November’s S-Collection blog draws attention to children’s books about lesser-known figures in US history. For younger readers, check out one of the stunningly illustrated and engaging picture book biographies that tell the stories of baseball player Roberto Clemente, librarian Augusta Baker, revolutionary Mary Katherine Goddard, and more. Older readers can try longer-form juvenile nonfiction to learn about athlete and activist Tommie Smith, dancer Arthur Mitchell, dozens of ingenious inventors, and more. Whether you are looking for picture books or chapter books, the S-Collection has what you need to learn about lesser-known US history this November!

Picture Book Biographies

Alonso, Nathalie
Illustrated by: Rudy Gutierrez
Call Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos. 2024. Picture Book Biography.
Fans of sports history have likely heard of famous baseball players Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson, but Roberto Clemente may be a lesser-known – although equally influential – player worth researching! Clemente was born in Puerto Rico in 1934 and developed a passion for baseball when he was very young, initially playing with just a tin can and a piece of wood. As his talents grew, he was recruited to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955. Although Clemente faced prejudice from journalists and fans throughout his career due to his Afro-Latino heritage, he found solidarity and support from other Black players in the league and quickly rose to MVP status. Learn about Clemente’s athleticism and his devotion to justice and charity in this engaging picture book biography.
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Blumenthal, Karen
Illustrated by: Jen McCartney
Revolutionary Mary: The True Story of One Woman, the Declaration of Independence, and America’s Fight for Freedom. 2025. Picture Book Biography.
There are 56 signatures on the United States’s Declaration of Independence, and none of those belong to a woman. However, a woman’s name does appear on the bottom of some of the first-ever printed editions of this document. That woman is Mary Katherine Goddard, an early publisher who was very active in the American Revolution. Once the Declaration was crafted, Goddard quickly offered to print it so that it could reach a wider audience, and she even showed her support for the document by signing her own name at the bottom. Young readers will learn about the importance of the free press in this fascinating biography.
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Davids, Sharice and Nancy K. Mays
Illustrated by: Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley
Sharice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman. 2021. Picture Book Autobiography.
November is also Native American Heritage Month, making it a great time to read about Native American persons who have made a positive impact on U.S. history. One such figure is Sharice Davids, who was not only one of the first Native American women elected to Congress but also the first lesbian congressperson in the Kansas legislature. The book follows Davids from childhood to her time in law school to her decision to run for Congress, highlighting the importance of perseverance, hard work, and speaking up for what is right.
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Hubbard, Rita L.
Illustrated by: Oge Mora
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read. 2020. Picture Book Biography.
Through beautiful collage artwork and lyrical prose, this book tells the story of Mary Walker, who grew up enslaved on a plantation in Alabama. Following the Emancipation Proclamation, Walker was freed, but the obligations of family and work prevented her from achieving her goal of learning how to read. At the age of 116, however, Walker enrolled in a literacy class. Through determination and an overwhelming desire to succeed, Walker successfully developed her literacy skills and enjoyed the pleasure of reading books for the last years of her life. Readers will walk away from this inspiring story knowing that you are never too old to learn something new.
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McDaniel, Breanna J.
Illustrated by: April Harrison
Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller. 2024. Picture Book Biography.
At her job as a New York librarian circa 1937, Augusta Baker noticed a glaring issue in the collection: There was a severe lack of books that accurately and respectfully represented the many young Black patrons who entered the library every day. Refusing to let this continue, Baker dedicated her life to promoting Black children’s literature and uplifting those in her community through the power of books. This picture book biography is made even more fascinating through its colorful multi-media illustrations.
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Juvenile Nonfiction

Gansworth, Eric
Apple: Skin to the Core: A Memoir in Words and Pictures. 2020. Juvenile Memoir.
This memoir uses stunning verse to discuss Native American history through the lens of the author’s own life. Gansworth discusses issues regarding boarding schools, cultural appropriation, and rampant racism against indigenous communities, often in the context of his own family or those around him. In this way, this book is both incredibly personal and a historical text, bringing an individual perspective to Native American history. Art throughout enhances this story of one man’s experience being indigenous in America.
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Johnson, George M.
Illustrated by: Charly Palmer
Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known. 2024. Juvenile Nonfiction.
Although one may have heard of the Harlem Renaissance, the mission of this book is to bring even more attention to this monumental political and artistic movement by specifically discussing its Black queer leaders. Figures discussed include Countee Cullen, Ma Rainey, Claude McKay, and many more. The author ultimately relates these stories back to their own experience of growing up Black and queer in America, bringing light to how knowing history can rejuvenate those living in the present.
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Smith, Tommie and Derrick Barnes
Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice. 2022. Juvenile Graphic Memoir.
This graphic novel memoir tells the author’s story of how he became an Olympic gold medalist and activist. Tommie Smith is perhaps best well-known for his performance at the 1968 summer Olympics, wherein he not only beat a world record but used his moment on the winner’s podium to raise his fist and draw attention to anti-Black racism around the globe and in America in particular. This book goes beyond this act, explaining Smith’s life, philosophy, and work within the Black community both prior to and post the games, and is perfect for sports fans and budding activists alike.
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Thimmesh, Catherine
Illustrated by: Melissa Sweet
Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women. 2000. Juvenile Nonfiction.
This book spotlights women inventors throughout history who improved the world with their inventions. Highlighted women include Ann Moore, Ruth Wakefield, Madam C. J. Walker, and many more, all of whom changed people’s day-to-day lives through their ingenious ideas. Find out who we can thank for inventing white-out, the Snugli, radio systems, hot water heaters, hair-wave machines, and more throughout this engaging illustrated book!
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Valby, Karen
The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, a Legacy of Sisterhood, and their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History. 2025. Juvenile Nonfiction.
This book is the young adult adaptation of Valby’s earlier published adult version of this novel. It tells the overlooked story of Black dancer Arthur Mitchell, who, following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., decided to fight anti-Black racism by creating a dancing community in Harlem where Black dancers could succeed. Mitchell’s Dance Theater of Harlem started in a church basement but soon ballooned to massive proportions. Using grants and his own savings, he kept expanding his venture, eventually creating stars out of the five women most closely profiled in this book. While this history may be lesser-known, that is all the more reason to check this book out and learn something new about Black art and artists in America.
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