Stephen Marchesi – illustratör

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 compelling as the world of Hogwarts that she created. This biography details not only Rowling's life and her love of literature but the story behind the creation of a modern classic.

While most athletes excel in just one sport, Jim Thorpe was different. Born in Oklahoma in 1887, he played both professional football and baseball, and ran track and field. Jim was not only a sports icon but also a trailblazer. Raised as part of the Sac and Fox tribal nation, he was the first Native American person to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States. And although his personal life was not always as successful as his career, Jim remains one of the greatest athletes in American history.

The west was at its wildest from 1865 to 1895, when territories west of the Mississippi River remained untamed and lawless. Famous for cowboys, American Indians, lawmen, gunslingers, pioneers, and prospectors, this period in US history captures the imagination of all kids and now is brought vividly to life. Series Overview: A natural expansion of the exceptional Who Was? series, What Was? focuses on compelling historical events, great battles, protests and discoveries.

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. Over 80 black-and-white illustrations bring Armstrong's story to life.

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." This biography has black-and-white illustrations throughout.

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 change.  This is an important and exciting addition to the Who Was...? series.

Born in 1860s Missouri, nobody expected George Washington 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 he specialised in botany (the study of plants) and developed techniques to grow crops better. His work with vegetables, especially peanuts, made him famous and changed agriculture forever. He went on to develop nearly 100 household products and over 100 recipes using peanuts.

This fascinating addition to our best-selling Who Was...? Series presents young readers with a biography that covers what is known historically about Jesus and places his life in the context of his world when Jerusalem was part of the Roman Empire. In an even handed and easy to read narrative, this title, which is illustrated with eighty black and white drawings, also explains the early origins of Christianity and how it became a major religion.

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 when he was 13. Since then he has had 30 U.S. top ten hits, won a range of awards for his music and his civil rights work, and created such iconic songs as "Isn't She Lovely" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You." Stevie Wonder is a beloved entertainer who continues to tour and perform around the world.

Learn how this son of German immigrants from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, turned his small food-packaging company into a booming business known for its fair treatment of workers and pioneering safe food preparation standards. This American success story follows Heinz from his early days as a pickle and vinegar merchant in the 1800s to the name behind the nation’s number-one brand of ketchup. The name that’s on everyone’s lips is now part of the Who Was? series.

Every four years, thirty two of the best men’s soccer teams from across the globe compete for the title of FIFA World Cup winner. Over one billion people tuned in worldwide to watch the final game of the 2014 competition, making the World Cup the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Summer Olympics! This book takes a look back at what has changed since the first tournament in 1930 and what lies ahead for the most popular sport in the world.

How did a young boy from Ohio go on to become one of the greatest basketball players of all time? Read about the incredible life and career of LeBron James in this addition to the #1 New York Times best-selling Who Was? series.

Established in 1857 as the first national park in the United States, Yellowstone has been drawing visitors to its beautiful landscape for over 150 years. Before it became a national park, the region was home to Native Americans for over 11,000 years, including the Shoshone, Lakota, Crow, Blackfoot, Flathead, Bannok, and Nez Perce tribes. Today, tourists come to the park from all over the world to camp and to visit the famous Old Faithful geyser and the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest super volcano in North America. The many animals that live in Yellowstone include bison, black and grizzly bears, elk, wolves, and more than three hundred species of birds. Yellowstone is so large that it has land in three different states -- Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Learn the rich history of one of America's most beloved national parks in this book perfect for young explorers.

In 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh attempted to found the very first permanent English settlement in the Americas. The initial settlement - called the Lane colony - failed due to extremely low supplies and a hostile relationship with the Native American people who were already living on the land. Despite this miserable first attempt, Raleigh decided to establish another settlement. Over one hundred people agreed to join this new colony on Roanoke Island, just off the coast of what is now North Carolina. The colony's governor, John White, chose to return to England to get more supplies but found himself stuck there for three years due to an unexpected war. When he arrived back at Roanoke, the entire colony had vanished. Over one hundred people, including his wife and daughter, had seemingly disappeared. They were never heard from again. The only clue left was the word 'Croatoan' carved into a post. What really happened to the missing English settlers? Find out what we do know about this historic unsolved mystery in this nonfiction book for young readers.

In 1961, overnight a concrete border went up, dividing the city of Berlin into two parts - East and West. The story of the Berlin Wall holds up a mirror to post-WWII politics and the Cold War Era when the United States and the USSR were enemies, always on the verge of war. The wall meant that no one from Communist East Berlin could travel to West Berlin, a free, democratic area. Of course that didn’t stop thousands from trying to breech the wall - more than one hundred of them dying in the attempt. (One East Berliner actually ziplined to freedom!) Author Nico Medina explains the spy-vs-spy politics of the time as well as what has happened since the removal of one of the most divisive landmarks in modern history.

In America during the early twentieth century, no part was safe from segregation, not even the country’s national pastime, baseball. Despite their exodus from the Major Leagues because of the colour of their skin, African American men still found a way to participate in the sport they loved. Author Varian Johnson shines a spotlight on the players, coaches, owners, and teams that dominated the Negro Leagues during the 1930s and 40s. Readers will learn about how phenomenal players like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and of course, Jackie Robinson greatly changed the sport of baseball.

This colourful book introduces you to the world of Dorothy Day one of the most amazing people of the twentieth century. You will be inspired as you learn about Day's life from her efforts to further peace and equality as a young woman, to her work helping the hungry and homeless with food shelter and unconditional love, transmitting her belief that we all have the power to make the world a better place. Dorothy Day was a woman of great determination and equally great faith. In young adulthood she lived a life of radical political activism. At thirty she converted to Roman Catholicism and spent the next half-century helping the hungry and homeless with food, shelter and unconditional love. Through historically accurate illustrations and photographs, inspiring age-appropriate activities and Dorothy Day's own words, this biography introduces a remarkable person to children in a way they can understand and enjoy. It includes resources for parents and teachers a list of important words to know and a calendar of important events in Dorothy Day's life.Ages 4-8