Biographies for Kids about Following Your Dreams

My son often tells me of what he wants to do when he grows up – discover new planets, or dig up dinosaur bones, or find a job playing video games all day!  One of the most important things we can do as parents is to nurture  those ambitions and give them the tools to achieve them.  So whatever your child’s heart imagines, here are wonderful biographies for kids that encourage them to always follow their dreams.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of I Am Albert Einstein; however, all opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission.

Biographies for Kids about Following Your Dreams

We absolutely adore I am Albert Einstein, another in the Ordinary People Change the World series.  (Read our review of their book on Abraham Lincoln!)  These books are extraordinary – adorable, engaging, inspiring, and packed with information.  For example, in this book we learn that Einstein was slow to speak, and when he did speak, his speech was so odd that some thought he was not very bright.  Children are shown through Einstein’s example not to give up because of what others might say about you, since “being different is what makes you special.”  I also love the running joke throughout the book about Einstein’s hair and how AWESOME it is! This is a book my son really enjoys reading and that I hope inspires him to always follow his curiosity!

Me . . . Jane is a beautiful little book about young Jane Goodall and her stuffed toy chimpanzee Jubilee. Together, Jane and Jubilee explore the outdoors. Jane always loved animals and found out all she could from them. She also loved to sit in a tree with Jubilee and read adventure stories like Tarzan.  Jane dreamed of going to Africa one day to help the animals.  No one thought she could – until she did.  This is a wonderful look at the early life of Jane Goodall, including actual drawings and puzzles from Jane as a girl.  It also includes a note from Ms. Goodall herself, encouraging children to pursue their own dreams of making a difference in the world through her Roots and Shoots programs.

Many people see a problem and shake their heads but few do anything about it. Isatou Ceesay is not one of those people. One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia tells the story of Isatou and her growing distress over the environmental havoc that plastic bags were creating in her community.  Others walked by the piles of discarded plastic bags as they grew higher and higher.  Others lamented the death of precious livestock who had eaten the bags.  But only Isatou decided to do something about it.  She had a dream of making her community beautiful and healthy again.  She kept going even when others thought the problem was too big.  She kept going even when others laughed at her solution.  But today Isatou’s community is thriving, and you can buy or sell the amazing recycled purses she and other women in her community make.  To explore the book even further, try these recycled crafts from Kid World Citizen.

How do you encourage your kids to follow their dreams?  What are your favorite biographies for kids?