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 and personal life while painting a vivid cultural history of eighteenth-century Europe. Black-and-white illustrations on every spread explore such topics as the history of opera and the evolution of musical instruments. There is also a timeline and a bibliography. Illustrated by Carrie Robbins. Cover illustration by Nancy Harrison.

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. Now, a two-and-a-half-year-long museum exhibit of Tut’s treasures is touring major cities in the U.S., drawing record crowds. This Who Was . . . ? is complete with 100 black-andwhite illustrations and 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.

Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks are mind-boggling evidence of a fifteenth-century scientific genius standing at the edge of the modern world, basing his ideas on observation and experimentation. This book will change children's ideas of who Leonardo was and what it means to be a scientist.

Amelia Earhart was a woman of many "firsts." In 1932, shebecame the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In1935, she also became the first woman to fly across the Pacific.From her early years to her mysterious 1937 disappearance whileattempting a flight around the world, readers will find AmeliaEarhart's life a fascinating story. Annotation Examines the life ofpioneer aviator Amelia Earhart, who mysteriously disappeared duringan around-the-world flight in 1937.

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 a pot on his head!—Johnny left his own special mark planting orchards that helped nourish new communities. His journeys and adventures are illustrated in a hundred black-and-white illustrations.

Almost everyone can sing along with the Beatles, but how manyyoung readers know their whole store? Geoff Edgers, a Boston Globereporter and hard-core Beatles fan, brings the Fab Four to life inthis Who Was...? book. Readers will learn about their Liverpudlianchildhoods, their first forays into rock music, what Beatlemaniawas like, and why they broke up. It's all here in an easy-to-readnarrative with plenty of black-and-white illustrations!

Here is a man with an imagination so large that just abythinking on it,a he invented calculus and figured out thescientific explanation of gravity. Kathleen Krull presents aportrait of Isaac Newton that will challenge your beliefs about agenius whose amazing discoveries changed the world.

Here is a man with an imagination so large that just “bythinking on it,” he invented calculus and figured out thescientific explanation of gravity. Kathleen Krull presents aportrait of Isaac Newton that will challenge your beliefs about agenius whose amazing discoveries changed the world.

Claude Monet is considered one of the most influential artistsof all time. He is a founder of the French Impressionist artmovement, and today his paintings sell for millions of dollars.While Monet was alive, however, his work was often criticized andhe struggled financially. With over one hundred black-and-whiteillustrations, this book unveils a true portrait of the artist!