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Biography for Children

© Sue Reichard

Biography will always be a staple in the children's market. We all remember reading the classic biographies: Helen Keller, Abraham Lincoln, Washington and perhaps Jane Addams. Biographies written for the children of the 90's are quite different.

In years gone by it was understood that the biographer would whitewash the sins of their subject. There was never any mention of alcohol or drug problems or any other unsavory lifestyle. Not true today. Depending on the age of the reader, things that were once taboo, is now openly discussed.

James Cross Giblin, children's writer and editor, states, "Today the chief goal of a young people's biography is not to establish a role model, but rather to provide solid, honest information about a man or a woman worth knowing for one reason or another. A children's writer still has to make judgments about what facts to include in the biography and how much emphasis to give them. Each biography presents its own unique problems for which unique solutions must be found."

Today a picture book biography would address the questions raised by Thomas Jefferson's life style. The man who wrote that "all men are created equal," depended on slave labor to run his Monticello plantation.

Children today are very sophisticated in the ways of the world. They expect to read about all facets of a persons life, not just the good. When writing for these children, a biographer must show the subjects failings as well as their strengths. This is especially true for older readers who have prior knowledge of the subject. For the very young reader, discernment is key for the writer.

James Giblin offers this advice: "As you seek answers to these questions, the writer will have to rely on their own good taste and judgement, combined with knowledge of the prevailing standards in the children's book field."

Research for a biography is critical. Today's publishers like a writer to use primary sources such as diaries, journals or letters. Other writings by the subject or interviews with people who knew the subject are great sources to research.

All publishers are different when it comes to acceptable standards for the biographies they publish. Some publishers will not publish any biographies on contemporary people. Others are looking for a theme or special point of view. Some publisher's want a "strong story line, so the subject comes through as a strong character."

Most publishers want a proposal and sample chapters. Your query should capture the scope of your idea. Editor B. January says, "Editors want clips, a resume and a query outlining the proposal. If we like what we see, we read the rest of the letter. If it looks interesting and there are no typos, we look at the resume."