President Barack Obama's early involvement with politics was inspired by his mother's interest in the controversial social issues of her times -- a passion that she passed on to her son. As the first African American editor of the Harvard Law Review, the first African American presidential nominee of a major political party, and eventually the first African American president of the United States, Barack Obama has consistently shattered barriers -- barriers that some people thought could never be overcome.

However, life has not always been easy for President Obama. Born to a Kenyan father and an American mother, Barack grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia, where he faced discrimination and struggles with his own racial identity. Despite these obstacles, Barack persevered and had a successful political career before his historic win in the 2008 presidential election, with his daughters and wife, Michelle, standing firmly by his side. His election has energized a nation, and President Obama will continue to lead the charge for change over the next four years.

This is the children's biography about the forty-fourth president of the United States. Containing up-to-the-minute information, including President Obama's November victory, this is essential reading for every young student of American history....

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Diana Spencer grew up to be the princess of Wales. But when she was a little girl, she did not dream she would become a princess. When she was still quite young, her older sisters went off to boarding school and her parents decided to live apart. This was very difficult for sensitive Diana, and her self-esteem began to suffer. Things were not helped when she began feeling inferior to not only an accomplished older sister, but also her clever younger brother. Diana was a good athlete and was gifted at connecting with other people. Still, she struggled to find her place in the world. Diana thought marrying the prince of Wales would make everything okay in her life. Joining the royal family did bring her some happiness, but in other ways it brought her tremendous pain.

Read about the little girl who struggled to find herself and became one of the most famous and beloved women in history....

If I'd never hoped to live in a world of goodness and truth—if the priestess of Diana, then Leander, and Joanna, hadn't shown me glimpses of it—maybe I wouldn't have minded being shut out of it. Maybe the preacher's death wouldn't have trapped me in a dungeon, the dungeon of my own self.

Her name is Salome. You may think you know her story—how her seductive Dance of the Seven Veils led to the beheading of John the Baptist. But you don't know it from her side. You don't know how a web of betrayal, and greed, and desire was spun around an innocent teenage girl. How she came to doubt her own mother. How she searched for a friend in an unfamiliar land. And how she walked into a trap that changed the course of history.

This is Salome's story, in her own words. Listen, and learn of strength, of power, of loyalty—and of death.


From the Hardcover edition....

Julius Caesar was born in Rome in the year 100 b.c. to a well-known family that supposedly traced its ancestry to the Greek goddess Venus. Although Caesar grew up to be one of the world's most famous military and political leaders, he was raised in the Subura, a lower-class neighborhood of Rome.

As a young man, Caesar was known for both his bravery in battle and his ability to speak at the Roman Forum. When Caesar left Rome to join the military service in Asia, he was awarded the corona civica -- an oak crown -- the highest honor given to a noncommander. At the Forum, Caesar's oratory skills and his enthusiasm for prosecuting corrupt generals furthered his reputation.

Read about the boy from Rome who transformed the Roman republic into a Mediterranean empire....

Marie Curie was a world-renowned scientist who made many importantdiscoveries, as well as a great teacher and a mother, but heraccomplishments didn't come easily.

Born Maria Sklodovska in 1867, Marie grew up in Russia-occupied Polandwhere schools were not allowed to teach Polish history or language, andlab experiments were forbidden in science classes. When Marie was young,her mother and eldest sister both passed away. Marie was determined not to let hardships get in the way of her dreams. She went on to win twoNobel Prizes, one each in physics and chemistry, making her the firstwoman to win the award and first person ever honored with two of them.

Read all about the clever young girl whose hard work lead to brilliantcontributions in the field of science....

Maria Mitchell gained international acclaim through her discovery of a comet, and was the first woman to be elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. She became professor of astronomy at Vassar College. All her life she continued to ponder the presence of God in creation and the problem of evil in the world. 30 b&w photos....

Laura Bush has loved education and reading since she was a young child, and today she brings her experienced viewpoints, her love of children, and her interest in education to a much broader audience as the wife of the forty-third president of the United States, George W. Bush. In her speeches and public appearances, she expresses what many Americans believe: that every human being should be treated whith dignity, and that no child should be left behind in shcool, or in life.

This biography of one of our most fascinating public figures touches on all aspects of Mrs. Bush's life, from her years as a teacher and librarian, to her first meeting with her husband, to the birth of their twins, to her important work as an advocate for women and children....

One of the most popular series ever published for young Americans, these classics have been praised alike by parents, teachers, and librarians. With these lively, inspiring, fictionalized biographies -- easily read by children of eight and up -- today's youngster is swept right into history....