Who Was Blackbeard?
Who Was?
By James Buckley, Jr. & Who HQ
Narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith / 58 minutes
Though much of his early life remains a mystery, Blackbeard most likely began his life as Edward Teach in the sailing port of Bristol, England. He began his career as a hired British sailor during Queen Anne's War. He eventually settled in the Bahamas under Captain Benjamin Hornigold who taught the young sailor to go "a-pirating." Soon enough, Blackbeard was commanding his own fleet and stealing ships around the Caribbean and up and down the Eastern seaboard. Known for his thick, black beard and fearsome reputation, the legend of Blackbeard has influenced pirate legend and lore for over 300 years.
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Who Was? Series
Who Was Bruce Lee?
By: Jim Gigliotti
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American action film star, martial arts instructor, filmmaker, and philosopher. His Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim. Through such films as Way of the Dragon and Enter the Dragon, Lee helped to change the way Asians were presented... Read More »
Who Is J.K. Rowling?
By: Pamela D. Pollack & Meg Belviso
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
Length: 1 hour 4 minutes
Abridged: No
Everyone loves Harry Potter. Now kids can learn about Harry's creator!
In 1995, on a four-hour-delayed train from Manchester to London, J. K. Rowling conceived of the idea of a boy wizard named Harry Potter. Upon arriving in London, she began immediately writing the first book in the saga. Rowling's true-life, rags-to-riches story is as... Read More »
Who Was George Washington?
By: Roberta Edwards & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 3 minutes
Abridged: No
In 1789, George Washington became the first president of the United States. He has been called the father of our country for leading America through its early years. Washington also served in two major wars during his lifetime: the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. Washington's fascinating story comes to life--revealing the real... Read More »
Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?
By: Patricia Brennan Demuth
Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
Length: 58 minutes
Abridged: No
Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, based on her own childhood and later life, are still beloved classics almost a century after she began writing them. Now young readers will see just how similar Laura's true-life story was to her books. Born in 1867 in the "Big Woods" in Wisconsin, Laura experienced both the hardship and the adventure... Read More »
Who Was Abraham Lincoln?
By: Janet Pascal
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 59 minutes
Abridged: No
Born to a family of farmers, Lincoln stood out from an early age—literally! (He was six feet four inches tall.) As sixteenth President of the United States, he guided the nation through the Civil War and saw the abolition of slavery. But Lincoln was tragically shot one night at Ford’s Theater—the first President to be assassinated. Read More »
Who Was Betsy Ross?
By: James Buckley, Jr. & Who HQ
Length: 54 minutes
Abridged: No
Born the eighth of seventeen children in Philadelphia, Betsy Ross lived in a time when the American colonies were yearning for independence from British rule. Ross worked as a seamstress and was eager to contribute to the cause, making tents and repairing uniforms when the colonies declared war. By 1779 she was filling cartridges for the... Read More »
Who Was Albert Einstein?
By: Jess Brallier
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 2 minutes
Abridged: No
Everyone has heard of Albert Einstein-but what exactly did he do? How much do kids really know about Albert Einstein besides the funny hair and genius label? For instance, do they know that he was expelled from school as a kid? Finally, here's the story of Albert Einstein's life, told in a fun, engaging way that clearly explores the world he... Read More »
Who Was Jim Henson?
By: Joan Holub
Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
Length: 1 hour 3 minutes
Abridged: No
Jim Henson broke into television with a five-minute puppetry segment when he was only a freshman in college. He created puppets like none ever seen before, with expressive fabric faces and rod-controlled arms. His Muppets became world-renowned celebrities and formed the backbone of a media empire. With black-and-white illustrations throughout,... Read More »
Who Was Bob Marley?
By: Katie Ellison
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
Length: 1 hour 3 minutes
Abridged: No
Get Up, Stand Up! for the king of reggae music!
Bob Marley was a reggae superstar who is considered to be one of the most influential musicians of all time. Born in rural Jamaica, this musician and songwriter began his career with his band, The Wailing Wailers, in 1963. The Wailers went on to spread the gospel of reggae music around the globe.... Read More »
Who Was Walt Disney?
By: Whitney Stewart
Narrated by: Dan Woren
Length: 59 minutes
Abridged: No
Walt Disney always loved to entertain people. Often it got him into trouble. Once he painted pictures with tar on the side of his family's white house. His family was poor, and the happiest time of his childhood was spent living on a farm in Missouri. His affection for small-town life is reflected in Disneyland Main Streets around the world.... Read More »
Who Was George Washington Carver?
By: Jim Gigliotti & Who HQ
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
Born in 1860s Missouri, nobody expected George Washingtoni Carver to succeed. Slaves were not allowed to be educated. After the Civil War, Carver enrolled in classes and proved to be a star student. He became the first black student at Iowa State Agricultural College and later its first black professor. He went on to the Tuskegee Institute where... Read More »
Who Was Ben Franklin?
By: Dennis Brindell Fradin
Narrated by: Paul Michael
Length: 1 hour
Abridged: No
Ben Franklin was the scientist who, with the help of a kite, discovered that lightning is electricity. He was also a statesman, an inventor, a printer, and an author-a man of such amazingly varied talents that some people claimed he had magical powers! Full of all the details kids will want to know, the true story of Benjamin Franklin is by... Read More »
Who Was Jesse Owens?
By: James Buckley, Jr.
Narrated by: Charles Constant
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
At the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, track and field star Jesse Owens ran himself straight into international glory by winning four gold medals. But the life of Jesse Owens is much more than a sports story. Born in rural Alabama under the oppressive Jim Crow laws, Owens's family suffered many hardships. As a boy he worked several jobs like... Read More »
Who Was Leif Erikson?
By: Nico Medina & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 2 minutes
Abridged: No
Hold on to your Viking helmets as you learn about the first known European to set foot on North America in this exciting addition to the Who Was? series!
Leif Erikson was born to be an explorer. His father, Erik the Red, had established the first European settlement in present-day Greenland, and although he didn't yet know it, Leif was destined... Read More »
Who Was Susan B. Anthony?
By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 5 minutes
Abridged: No
Susan B. Anthony may be an international icon but her campaign for women's rights had personal roots. Working as a school teacher in New York, Anthony refused to settle for less pay than her male colleagues which ignited her lifelong devotion to women's equality. Anthony toured the United States and Europe giving speeches and publishing articles... Read More »
Who Was Marie Antoinette?
By: Dana Meachen Rau & Who HQ
Length: 57 minutes
Abridged: No
From the palaces of Austria to the mirrored halls of Versailles, Marie Antoinette led a charmed life. She was born into royalty in 1755 and married the future king of France at age 15. By 21 she ascended to the throne and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle of masquerade balls, sky-high wigs, and extravagant food. But her taste for excess ruffled many... Read More »
Who Was Harry Houdini?
By: Tui Sutherland
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 18 minutes
Abridged: No
Every kid has heard of Harry Houdini, the famous magician who could escape from handcuffs, jail cells, and locked trunks. But do they know that the ever-ambitious and adventurous Houdini was also a famous movie star and the first pilot to fly a plane in Australia? This well-told biography is full of the details of Houdini's life that kids will... Read More »
Who Was Harriet Beecher Stowe?
By: Dana Meachen Rau
Narrated by: Susan Hanfield
Length: 58 minutes
Abridged: No
Born in Connecticut in 1811, Harriet Beecher Stowe was an abolitionist, author, and playwright. Slavery was a major industry in the American South, and Stowe worked with the Underground Railroad to help escaped slaves head north towards freedom. The publication of her book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a scathing anti-slavery novel, fanned the flames that... Read More »
Who Was Gandhi?
By: Dana Meachen Rau & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 1 minute
Abridged: No
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869 in British-occupied India. Though he studied law in London and spent his early adulthood in South Africa, he remained devoted to his homeland and spent the later part of his life working to make India an independent nation. Calling for non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence... Read More »
Who Was King Tut?
By: Roberta Edwards
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 52 minutes
Abridged: No
Ever since Howard Carter uncovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, the young pharaoh has become a symbol of the wealth and mystery of ancient Egypt. This Who Was . . . ? explains the life and times of this ancient Egyptian ruler, covering the story of the tomb’s discovery, as well as myths and so-called mummy curses. Read More »
Who Is Hillary Clinton?
By: Heather Alexander
Narrated by: Nan McNamara
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
Who Is Hillary Clinton? Readers of our New York Times best-selling series can find out now!
At age fourteen, Hillary Clinton thought it would be thrilling to become an astronaut, so she sent an application to NASA. The reply was a flat out rejection: the space program didn't take women. It was a critical moment for the young girl, one that made... Read More »
Who Was Amelia Earhart?
By: Kate Boehm Jerome
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 49 minutes
Abridged: No
Amelia Earhart was a woman of many "firsts." In 1932, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1935, she also became the first woman to fly across the Pacific. From her early years to her mysterious 1937 disappearance while attempting a flight around the world, readers will find Amelia Earhart's life a fascinating... Read More »
Who Was Claude Monet?
By: Ann Waldron
Narrated by: Arthur Morey
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
Claude Monet is considered one of the most influential artists of all time. He is a founder of the French Impressionist art movement, and today his paintings sell for millions of dollars. While Monet was alive, however, his work was often criticized and he struggled financially. With over one hundred black-and-white illustrations, this book... Read More »
Who Is Derek Jeter?
By: Gail Herman
Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
Length: 58 minutes
Abridged: No
When Derek Jeter was eight years old, he announced that he was going to play baseball for the New York Yankees. Jeter earned the attention of major league scouts in high school and was drafted to the New York Yankees in 1992. Named Rookie of the Year, he helped the Yankees win the World Series five times, and became team captain in 2003. With... Read More »
Who Was Pablo Picasso?
By: True Kelley
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
Length: 44 minutes
Abridged: No
Over a long, turbulent life, Picasso continually discovered new ways of seeing the world and translating it into art. A restless genius, he went through a blue period, a rose period, and a Cubist phase. He made collages, sculptures out of everyday objects, and beautiful ceramic plates. True Kelley's engaging biography is a wonderful introduction... Read More »
Who Was Ronald Reagan?
By: Joyce Milton
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 54 minutes
Abridged: No
From his childhood in rural Illinois to moviemaking days in Hollywood and on to a career in politics that took him all the way to the Oval Office, Ronald Reagan kept an abiding faith in America and in what our country stood for. The oldest president ever, he survived a near-fatal assassination attempt and lived to be 93. Who Was Ronald... Read More »
Who Was Milton Hershey?
By: James Buckley, Jr.
Narrated by: Vikas Adam
Length: 54 minutes
Abridged: No
Discover the man behind the chocolate bar! Milton Hershey’s life was filled with invention and innovation. As a young man, he was not afraid to dream big and work hard. Eventually, he learned the secret to mass-producing milk chocolate and the recipe that gave it a longer, more stable shelf life. He founded a school for those who didn’t have... Read More »
Who Was Marie Curie?
By: Megan Stine
Narrated by: Sarah Scott
Length: 1 hour 5 minutes
Abridged: No
Born in Warsaw, Poland, on November 7, 1867, Marie Curie was forbidden to attend the male-only University of Warsaw, so she enrolled at the Sorbonne in Paris to study physics and mathematics. There she met a professor named Pierre Curie, and the two soon married, forming one of the most famous scientific partnerships in history. Together they... Read More »
Who Is Wayne Gretzky?
By: Gail Herman & Nancy Harrison
Narrated by: Erin Bennett
Length: 1 hour 7 minutes
Abridged: No
After breaking or tying more than sixty records in hockey, it's no wonder that Wayne Gretzky is known as "The Great One." Born in Brantford, Ontario, on January 26, 1961, in a nation obsessed with the sport, he threw himself into the game practically from the time he first laced up a pair of skates. When he retired from the NHL in 1999, he had... Read More »
Who Was Genghis Khan?
By: Nico Medina & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 2 minutes
Abridged: No
Named Temujin at birth by his nomadic family in early Mongolia, the great Genghis Khan used his skill and cunning to create the Mongol Empire and conquer almost the entire continent of Asia. As ruler of the largest empire in human history, he was as respected as he was feared. Learn more about the man and the legend in Who Was Genghis Khan? Read More »
Who Was Neil Armstrong?
By: Roberta Edwards
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon and, to an audience of over 450 million people, proclaimed his step a giant leap for mankind. This Eagle Scout built his own model planes as a little boy and then grew up to be a test pilot for experimental aircraft before becoming an astronaut. Read More »
Release
Who Is Ruth Bader Ginsburg?
By: Patricia Brennan Demuth & Who HQ
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
You've probably seen her on t-shirts, mugs, and even tattoos, well, now that famous face graces the cover of our latest Who Is? title.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is famous for her stylish collars (called jabots) and her commanding dissents. This opera-loving New Yorker has always spoken her mind; as a young lawyer, RBG advocated for gender... Read More »
Who is Dolly Parton?
By: True Kelley
Narrated by: Dorothy Dillingham Blue
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
Born in a little cabin in Tennessee, Dolly Parton always dreamed big, and she was right to! She wrote her first song at age five and became a country music star by the time she was in her early twenties. Of course, her success didn't stop there. Dolly Parton is also an actress, author, businesswoman, and philanthropist whose "Imagination... Read More »
Who Was Louis Armstrong?
By: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 53 minutes
Abridged: No
If not for a stint in reform school, young Louis Armstrong might never have become a musician. It was a teacher at the Colored Waifs' Home who gave him a cornet, promoted him to band leader, and saw talent in the tough kid from the even tougher New Orleans neighborhood called Storyville. But it was Louis Armstrong's own passion and genius that... Read More »
Who Was Jackie Robinson?
By: Gail Herman
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 1 hour 1 minute
Abridged: No
As a kid, Jackie Robinson loved sports. And why not? He was a natural at football, basketball, and, of course, baseball. But beyond athletic skill, it was his strength of character that secured his place in sports history. In 1947 Jackie joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the long-time color barrier in major league baseball. It was tough... Read More »
Who Is George Lucas?
By: Pamela D. Pollack & Meg Belviso
Narrated by: Marc Cashman
Length: 1 hour
Abridged: No
As a child his passions were comics and cars, but George Lucas grew up to be one of the most successful filmmakers of all time. He is a producer, screenwriter, director and entrepreneur whose company Lucasfilms pioneered the movie effects that changed the world of animation. He founded Industrial Light and Magic, which transformed special sound... Read More »
Who Was Joan of Arc?
By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso & Who HQ
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
Joan of Arc was born in a small French village during the worst period of the Hundred Years' War. For generations, France had been besieged by the British. At age 11, Joan began to see religious visions telling her to join forces with the King of France. By the time she was a teenager, she was leading troops into battle in the name of her... Read More »
Who Was Galileo?
By: Patricia Brennan Demuth
Narrated by: Mark Deakins
Length: 1 hour 1 minute
Abridged: No
Like Michelangelo, Galileo is another Renaissance great known just by his first name--a name that is synonymous with scientific achievement. Born in Pisa, Italy, in the sixteenth century, Galileo contributed to the era's great rebirth of knowledge. He invented a telescope to observe the heavens. From there, not even the sky was the limit! He... Read More »
Who Was Harriet Tubman?
By: Yona Zeldis McDonough & Who HQ
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
Born a slave in Maryland, Harriet Tubman knew first-hand what it meant to be someone's property; she was whipped by owners and almost killed by an overseer. It was from other field hands that she first heard about the Underground Railroad which she travelled by herself north to Philadelphia. Throughout her long life (she died at the age of... Read More »
Who Was Charles Darwin?
By: Deborah Hopkinson
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 48 minutes
Abridged: No
As a young boy, Charles Darwin hated school and was often scolded for conducting “useless” experiments. Yet his passion for the natural world was so strong that he suffered through terrible seasickness during his five-year voyage aboard The Beagle. Darwin collected new creatures from the coasts of Africa, South America, and the Galapagos... Read More »
Who Is Jeff Kinney?
By: Patrick Kinney
Narrated by: Ramón de Ocampo
Length: 1 hour 4 minutes
Abridged: No
Even as a kid, everyone thought Jeff Kinney was talented. People loved his drawings, and when he went to college, his comic strip Igdoof was so popular that it spread to other universities! Still, Jeff faced challenges. His cartoons were rejected by syndicates that claimed his art was unprofessional. Then, an idea struck: Jeff would write a... Read More »
Who Was Michael Jackson?
By: Megan Stine
Narrated by: JB Adkins
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
Born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958, Michael Jackson was definitely not a regular kid. A superstar with The Jackson 5 before he was eight years old, he became the King of Pop as a solo artist. Michael was a creative--yet deeply troubled--genius who always remained devoted to his art right up until his death is 2009 before a much... Read More »
Who Was Elvis Presley?
By: Geoff Edgers
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 49 minutes
Abridged: No
Put on your blue suede shoes and get ready for another addition to the Who Was…? series! The King could not have come from humbler origins: Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, during the Depression, he grew up with the blues music of the rural South, the gospel music of local churches, and the country-western classics. But he forged a sound all his... Read More »
Who Was Maurice Sendak?
By: Janet Pascal
Narrated by: Arthur Morey
Length: 1 hour 1 minute
Abridged: No
It seems entirely fitting that Maurice Sendak was born on the same day that Mickey Mouse first made his cartoon debut--June 10, 1928. Sendak was crazy about cartoons and comic books, and at twelve, after seeing Disney's Fantasia, he decided that he was going to become an illustrator. His love of childrens books began early: often sick and... Read More »
Who Is Pele?
By: James Buckley, Jr. & Who HQ
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
The story of a poor boy from Brazil who became the greatest soccer player of all time and one of the most important athletes of the twentieth century!
His parents may have named him Edson Arantes do Nascimento, but to the rest of the world, he is known as Pelé. The now-retired professional soccer forward stunned Brazil when he began playing for... Read More »
Who Was Blackbeard?
By: James Buckley, Jr. & Who HQ
Length: 58 minutes
Abridged: No
Though much of his early life remains a mystery, Blackbeard most likely began his life as Edward Teach in the sailing port of Bristol, England. He began his career as a hired British sailor during Queen Anne's War. He eventually settled in the Bahamas under Captain Benjamin Hornigold who taught the young sailor to go "a-pirating." Soon enough,... Read More »
Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
By: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 54 minutes
Abridged: No
Born in Austria in 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his first piece of music, a minuet, when he was just five years old! Soon after, he was performing for kings and emperors. Although he died at the young age of thirty-five, Mozart left a legacy of more than 600 works. This fascinating biography charts the musician's extraordinary career... Read More »
Who Was Sacagawea?
By: Judith Bloom Fradin & Dennis Brindell Fradin
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 45 minutes
Abridged: No
Sacagawea was only sixteen when she made one of the most remarkable journeys in American history, traveling 4500 miles by foot, canoe, and horse-all while carrying a baby on her back! Without her, the Lewis and Clark expedition might have failed. Through this engaging book, kids will understand the reasons that today, 200 years later, she is... Read More »
Who Were the Wright Brothers?
By: James Buckley, Jr. & Who HQ
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
As young boys, Orville and Wilbur Wright loved all things mechanical. As young men, they gained invaluable skills essential for their success by working with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and any sort of machinery they could get their hands on. As adults, the brothers worked together to invent, build, and fly the world's first successful... Read More »
Who Was Mark Twain?
By: April Jones Prince
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
A humorist, narrator, and social observer, Mark Twain is unsurpassed in American literature. Best known as the author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, not unlike his protagonist, Huck, has a restless spirit. He found adventure prospecting for silver in Nevada, navigating steamboats down the Mississippi, and making people laugh... Read More »
Who Was Maria Tallchief?
By: Catherine Gourley
Narrated by: Hillary Huber
Length: 1 hour 13 minutes
Abridged: No
Born in 1925, Maria Tallchief spent part of her childhood on an Osage reservation in Oklahoma. With the support of her family and world-renowned choreographer George Balanchine, she rose to the top of her art form to become America's first prima ballerina. Black-and-white illustrations provide visual sidebars to the history of ballet while... Read More »
Who Was Lucille Ball?
By: Pamela D. Pollack & Meg Belviso
Narrated by: Tara Sands
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
Who doesn't love Lucy? The legendary actress, producer, and comedian steps into the Who Was? spotlight.
Much like her hit TV show, I Love Lucy, Americans in the 1950s fell in love with Lucy. Born in New York in 1911, Lucille Ball was always a natural performer. She danced in the chorus of Broadway shows and acted in small parts in Hollywood... Read More »
Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
By: Bonnie Bader & Peter Jay Fernandez
Length: 1 hour 13 minutes
Abridged: No
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 25 when he helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott and was soon organizing black people across the country in support of the right to vote, desegregation, and other basic civil rights. Maintaining nonviolent and peaceful tactics even when his life was threatened, King was also an advocate for the poor and... Read More »
Who Is Bob Dylan?
By: Jim O'Connor
Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
Length: 57 minutes
Abridged: No
A singer-songerwriter, musician, and artist, Bob Dylan is an American icon. In the past five decades, Dylan's work has influenced everyone from John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, and David Bowie to rapper Eminem. Young music lovers will be fascinated by this great artist's life! Read More »
Who Are the Rolling Stones?
By: Dana Meachen Rau
Narrated by: Will Damron
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
Follow the bad boys of rock and roll from their beginnings in London to their unparalleled success around the world.
Starting out over fifty years ago, the Rolling Stones took the music of the blues and blended it into rock and roll to create their own unique sound. Decades later, they are still hard at work, recording and playing live to massive... Read More »
Who Was Roald Dahl?
By: True Kelley
Narrated by: René Ruiz
Length: 1 hour 1 minute
Abridged: No
Roald Dahl is one of the most famous children's book authors ever. Now in this Who Was . . . ? biography, children will learn of his real-life adventures. A flying ace for the British Air Force, he was married to an Academy Award-winning actress. He also wrote books and screenplays for adults. Read More »
Who Was Selena?
By: Kate Bisantz, Max Bisantz & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour
Abridged: No
Discover why Selena, the Queen of Tejano music, became one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the twentieth century!
As a young girl, Selena Quintanilla sang in a band called Selena y Los Dinos with her brother and sister. The family performed at fairs, weddings, quinceañeras, and on street corners in their native Texas.... Read More »
Who Was Thomas Jefferson?
By: Dennis Brindell Fradin
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 4 minutes
Abridged: No
Did you know that John Adams had to coax Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence? It's true. The shy Virginia statesman refused at first, but then went on to author one of our nation's most important and inspiring documents. The third U.S. president, Jefferson was also an architect, inventor, musician, farmer, and-what is... Read More »
Who Was Nelson Mandela?
By: Meg Belviso & Pam Pollack
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
Length: 1 hour 2 minutes
Abridged: No
As a child he dreamt of changing South Africa; as a man he changed the world. Nelson Mandela spent his life battling apartheid and championing a peaceful revolution. He spent twenty-seven years in prison and emerged as the inspiring leader of the new South Africa. He became the country’s first black president and went on to live his dream of... Read More »
Who Was William Shakespeare?
By: Celeste Mannis
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 7 minutes
Abridged: No
The beloved plays of Shakespeare are still produced everywhere, yet the life of the world's most famous playwright remains largely a mystery. Young Will left the town of Stratford to pursue theater in London, where his work eventually thrived and made him a famous and wealthy man. Celeste Davidson Mannis here puts together the pieces of... Read More »
Who Is Jane Goodall?
By: Roberta Edwards
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
Length: 1 hour 6 minutes
Abridged: No
A life in the wild!
Jane Goodall, born in London, England, always loved animals and wanted to study them in their natural habitats. So at age twenty-six, off she went to Africa! Goodall's up-close observations of chimpanzees changed what we know about them and paved the way for many female scientists who came after her. Now her story comes to... Read More »
Who Was Thomas Alva Edison?
By: Margaret Frith
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 1 minute
Abridged: No
One day in 1882, Thomas Edison flipped a switch that lit up lower Manhattan with incandescent light and changed the way people live ever after. The electric light bulb was only one of thousands of Edison’s inventions, which include the phonograph and the kinetoscope, an early precursor to the movie camera. As a boy, observing a robin catch a... Read More »
Who Was Alexander Hamilton?
By: Pam Pollack & Meg Belviso
Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
Length: 1 hour 10 minutes
Abridged: No
Read the story of the Founding Father who inspired the smash Broadway musical.
Born in the British West Indies and orphaned as a child, Alexander Hamilton made his way to the American Colonies and studied to become a lawyer. He joined a local militia during the American Revolution, rose to the rank of Major General, and became the chief aide to... Read More »
Who Was Anne Frank?
By: Ann Abramson
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 43 minutes
Abridged: No
In her amazing diary, Anne Frank revealed the challenges and dreams common for any young girl. But Hitler brought her childhood to an end and forced her and her family into hiding. Who Was Anne Frank? looks closely at Anne’s life before the secret annex, what life was like in hiding, and the legacy of her diary. Read More »
Who Is Bruce Springsteen?
By: Stephanie Sabol
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
Length: 1 hour
Abridged: No
Not only was Bruce Springsteen "Born in the USA," he has risen to become a twenty-time Grammy winner and American icon.
Bruce Springsteen grew up in a blue-collar New Jersey town, where his parents struggled to make ends meet. Bruce didn't fit in at school but found solace in rock and roll and playing guitar. After the breakup of a local band... Read More »
Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt?
By: Gare Thompson
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 59 minutes
Abridged: No
For a long time, the main role of First Ladies was to act as hostesses of the White House...until Eleanor Roosevelt. Born in 1884, Eleanor was not satisfied to just be a glorified hostess for her husband, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Eleanor had a voice, and she used it to speak up against poverty and racism. She had experience and... Read More »
Who Was John F. Kennedy?
By: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 4 minutes
Abridged: No
The man who saved the lives of his PT-109 crewmen during WWII and became the 35th president fought-and won-his first battle at the age of two-and-a-half, when he was stricken with scarlet fever. Although his presidency was cut short, our nation's youngest elected leader left an indelible mark on the American consciousness and now is profiled in... Read More »
Who Was Johnny Appleseed?
By: Joan Holub
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 42 minutes
Abridged: No
The perfect biography to "bite into" at the start of a new school year! Children are sure to be fascinated by the eccentric and legendary Johnny Appleseed, a man who is best known for bringing apple trees to the midwest. Over John Chapman’s lifetime, he saw the country grow and start to spread westward. Traveling alone— in bare feet and sporting... Read More »
Who Was Abigail Adams?
By: True Kelley & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 11 minutes
Abridged: No
Abigail Adams was a strong woman far ahead of her time. She urged her husband, President John Adams, to "remember the ladies" and despite having no formal education herself, she later advocated for equal education in public schools for both boys and girls. She was also the first First Lady to live in the White House! This biography tells the... Read More »
Who is Stevie Wonder?
By: Jim Gigliotti
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
Discover more about Stevie Wonder, the music prodigy whose awards include 25 Grammy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Stevie Wonder is one of the most successful singer-songwriter-musicians of our time. Signing his first record deal when he was only eleven, he had his first No.1 hit when he was thirteen. Since then he has had thirty... Read More »
Who Was Isaac Newton?
By: Janet B. Pascal & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 9 minutes
Abridged: No
Isaac Newton was always a loner, preferring to spend his time contemplating the mysteries of the universe. When the plague broke out in London in 1665 he was forced to return home from college. It was during this period of so much death, that Newton gave life to some of the most important theories in modern science, including gravity and the... Read More »
Release
Who Is Malala Yousafzai?
By: Dinah Brown & Who HQ
Length: 59 minutes
Abridged: No
Malala Yousafzai was a girl who loved to learn but was told that girls would no longer be allowed to go to school. She wrote a blog that called attention to what was happening in her beautiful corner of Pakistan and realized that words can bring about change. She has continued to speak out for the right of all children to have an education. In... Read More »
Release
Who Is Gloria Steinem?
By: Sarah Fabiny & Who HQ
Length: 57 minutes
Abridged: No
As a field reporter in the 1960s, Gloria Steinem worked hard to dig up important stories. She went undercover to expose the grim realities of gender inequality in America. As her message continued to grow, she became the spokeswoman of the women’s liberation movement and created the feminist publication, Ms. magazine. Steinem continues to speak... Read More »
Who Was Frida Kahlo?
By: Sarah Fabiny
Narrated by: Marisol Ramirez
Length: 52 minutes
Abridged: No
You can always recognize a painting by Kahlo because she is in nearly all--with her black braided hair and colorful Mexican outfits. A brave woman who was an invalid most of her life, she transformed herself into a living work of art. As famous for her self-portraits and haunting imagery as she was for her marriage to another famous artist,... Read More »
Who Were the Beatles?
By: Geoff Edgers
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 4 minutes
Abridged: No
Almost everyone can sing along with the Beatles, but how many young readers know their whole story? Geoff Edgers, a Boston Globe reporter and hard-core Beatles fan, brings the Fab Four to life in this Who Was...? book. Readers will learn about their childhoods in Liverpool, their first forays into rock music, what Beatlemania was like, and why... Read More »
Soon
Who Was Richard Nixon?
By: Megan Stine & Who HQ
Length:
Abridged: No
Learn more about Richard Nixon--one of America's most unpopular presidents and the only one to resign from the position.
On August 8, 1974, millions sat stunned as they watched Richard Nixon on TV when he announced he was stepping down as the President of the United States. He'd participated in a scandal that included secret tape recordings, a... Read More »
Soon
Who Was Ida B. Wells?
By: Sarah Fabiny & Who HQ
Length:
Abridged: No
The story of how a girl born into slavery became an early leader in the civil rights movement and the most famous black female journalist in nineteenth-century America.
Born into slavery in 1862, Ida Bell Wells was freed as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. Yet she could see just how unjust the world she was living in was. This... Read More »
Who Was Marco Polo?
By: Joan Holub
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 52 minutes
Abridged: No
Marco Polo was seventeen when he set out for China . . . and forty-one when he came back! More than seven hundred years ago, Marco Polo traveled from the medieval city of Venice to the fabled kingdom of the great Kublai Khan, seeing new sights and riches that no Westerner had ever before witnessed. But did Marco Polo experience the things he... Read More »
Who Was Annie Oakley?
By: Stephanie Spinner
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 1 minute
Abridged: No
You want girl power? Meet Annie Oakley! Born in 1860, she became one of the best-loved and most famous women of her generation. She amazed audiences all over the world with her sharpshooting, horse-riding, action-packed performances. In an age when most women stayed home, she traveled the world and forged a new image for American women. Read More »
Who Was Daniel Boone?
By: Sydelle Kramer
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 15 minutes
Abridged: No
Called the "Great Pathfinder", Daniel Boone is most famous for opening up the West to settlers through Kentucky. A symbol of America's pioneering spirit Boone was a skilled outdoorsman and an avid reader although he never attended school. Sydelle Kramer skillfully recounts Boone's many adventures such as the day he rescued his own daughter from... Read More »
Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen?
By: Who HQ & Sherri L. Smith
Length: 1 hour 2 minutes
Abridged: No
It's up, up, and away with the Tuskegee Airmen, a heroic group of African American military pilots who helped the United States win World War II.
During World War II, black Americans were fighting for their country and for freedom in Europe, yet they had to endure a totally segregated military in the United States, where they weren't considered... Read More »
Soon
Who Is David Beckham?
By: Ellen Labrecque & Who HQ
Length:
Abridged: No
Whether you call it football or soccer, there's no disputing that David Beckham is one of the best players in the history of the game!
Whenever a young David Beckham was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he'd always answer with the same response: I want to be a footballer. This English native got his wish when he joined the Manchester... Read More »
Who Was Andy Warhol?
By: Kirsten Anderson
Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
Length: 57 minutes
Abridged: No
Best known for his screen prints of soup cans and movie stars, this shy young boy from Pittsburgh shot to fame with his radical ideas of what “art” could be. Working in the aptly named “Factory,” Warhol’s paintings, movies, and eccentric lifestyle blurred the lines between pop culture and art, ushering in the Pop Art movement and, with it, a... Read More »
Who Was Queen Victoria?
By: Jim Gigliotti
Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
Length: 58 minutes
Abridged: No
Her reign of 63 years and seven months is known as the Victorian Era, a period of industrial, cultural, scientific, and political change that was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. But Victoria was raised under close supervision and near isolation until she became Queen of the United Kingdom at the young age of 18. She married... Read More »
Soon
Who Is Jackie Chan?
By: Jody Jensen Shaffer & Who HQ
Length:
Abridged: No
How did Jackie Chan become one of the most recognizable and beloved actors in the world? Find out in this exciting biography of this martial artist turned international film superstar.
When Kong-sang was a young boy in Hong Kong, he enjoyed practicing martial arts with his dad but hated going to school. He was eventually enrolled in the China... Read More »
Who Was Helen Keller?
By: Gare Thompson
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 1 minute
Abridged: No
At age two, Helen Keller became deaf and blind. She lived in a world of silence and darkness and she spent the rest of her life struggling to break through it. But with the help of teacher Annie Sullivan, Helen learned to read, write, and do many amazing things. This inspiring biography is perfect for young middle-grade listeners. Read More »
Who Was Rosa Parks?
By: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
Length: 1 hour 8 minutes
Abridged: No
In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. This seemingly small act triggered civil rights protests across America and earned Rosa Parks the title "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement." Read More »
Soon
Who Was Celia Cruz?
By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso & Who HQ
Length:
Abridged: No
How did a working-class girl from Cuba become a symbol of artistic freedom for Cuban Americans and the "Queen of Salsa"? Find out in this addition to the Who HQ library!
Although her family and friends know her as Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso, the world refers to her simply as Celia Cruz. Starting her career in 1950, Celia grew... Read More »
Release
Who Was Coretta Scott King?
By: Gail Herman & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 4 minutes
Abridged: No
The wife of Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King was a civil rights leader in her own right, playing a prominent role in the African American struggle for racial equality in the 1960s.
Here's a gripping portrait of a smart, remarkable woman. Growing up in Alabama, Coretta Scott King graduated valedictorian from her high school before... Read More »
Soon
Who Was Harvey Milk?
By: Corinne A. Grinapol & Who HQ
Length:
Abridged: No
Learn about one of the most influential leaders in the fight for gay rights.
Although he started out as a teacher without aspirations to be an activist or politician, Harvey Milk found himself captivated by the history-making movements of the 1960s. He would eventually make history of his own by becoming the first openly gay elected politician... Read More »
Who Was Mister Rogers?
By: Diane Bailey & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 2 minutes
Abridged: No
Learn how Fred Rogers, a minister and musician from Pennsylvania, became one of America's most beloved television personalities and everyone's favorite neighbor.
Even though he's best known for his successful PBS series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Fred Rogers never dreamed of working in television. In fact, he hated the very first program that... Read More »
Who Was Queen Elizabeth?
By: June Eding
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 51 minutes
Abridged: No
Our bestselling series is fit for a queen!
The life of Queen Elizabeth I was dramatic and dangerous: cast out of her father's court at the age of three and imprisoned at nineteen, Elizabeth was crowned queen in 1558, when she was only twenty-five. A tough, intelligent woman who spoke five languages, Elizabeth ruled for over forty years and led... Read More »
Who Was Steve Jobs?
By: Pam Pollack & Meg Belviso
Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
Length: 1 hour 2 minutes
Abridged: No
Steve Jobs, adopted in infancy by a family in San Francisco, packed a lot of life into fifty-six short years. In this Who Was…? biography, children will learn how his obsession with computers and technology at an early age led him to co-found and run Apple, in addition to turning Pixar into a ground-breaking animation studio. A college dropout,... Read More »
Who Was Roberto Clemente?
By: James Buckley, Jr.
Narrated by: Ron Butler
Length: 59 minutes
Abridged: No
Growing up the youngest of seven children in Puerto Rico, Roberto Clemente had a talent for baseball. His incredible skill soon got him drafted into the big leagues where he spent 18 seasons playing right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Who Was Roberto Clemente? tells the story of this remarkable athlete: a twelve-time All-Star, World Series... Read More »
Who Was Ferdinand Magellan?
By: S. A. Kramer
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 3 minutes
Abridged: No
When Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Spain in 1519, he believed he could get to the Spice Islands by sailing west through or around the New World. He was right, but what he didn't know was that the treacherous voyage would take him three years and cost him his life. Read More »
Who Was Muhammad Ali?
By: James Buckley, Jr.
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 1 hour 1 minute
Abridged: No
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. won the world heavyweight championship at the age of 22, the same year he joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He would go on to become the first and only three-time (in succession) World Heavyweight Champion. Nicknamed “The Greatest,” Ali was as well known for his unique boxing style,... Read More »
Who Was Frederick Douglass?
By: April Jones Prince
Narrated by: John H. Mayer
Length: 1 hour 4 minutes
Abridged: No
Born into slavery in Maryland in 1818, Frederick Douglass was determined to gain freedom--and once he realized that knowledge was power, he secretly learned to read and write to give himself an advantage. After escaping to the North in 1838, as a free man he gave powerful speeches about his experience as a slave. He was so impressive that he... Read More »
Who Was Leonardo da Vinci?
By: Roberta Edwards
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
Leonardo da Vinci was a gifted painter, talented musician, and dedicated scientist and inventor, designing flying machines, submarines, and even helicopters. Yet he had a hard time finishing things, a problem anyone can relate to. Only thirteen paintings are known to be his; as for the illustrated encyclopedia he intended to create, all that... Read More »
Who Was Alfred Hitchcock?
By: Pamela D. Pollack & Meg Belviso
Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
Length: 52 minutes
Abridged: No
Known as one of the most influential filmmakers of all time, Alfred Hitchcock’s unique vision in movies like Psycho and The Birds sent shivers down our spines and shockwaves through the film industry. His innovative camera techniques have been studied for decades and his gift for storytelling cemented his place in history. Many directors make... Read More »
Who Was Dr. Seuss?
By: Janet Pascal
Narrated by: Danny Campbell
Length: 57 minutes
Abridged: No
Ted Geisel loved to doodle from the time he was a kid. He had an offbeat, fun-loving personality. He often threw dinner parties where guests wore outrageous hats! And he donned quirky hats when thinking up ideas for books-like his classic The Cat in the Hat. This biography brings an amazingly gifted author/illustrator to life. Read More »
Who Was Julius Caesar?
By: Nico Medina & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 4 minutes
Abridged: No
He came. He saw. He conquered. Julius Caesar was a force to be reckoned with as a savvy politician, an impressive orator, and a brave soldier. Born in Rome in 100 BC, he quickly climbed the ladder of Roman politics, making allies--and enemies--along the way. His victories in battle awarded him the support of the people, but flush from power, he... Read More »
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