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Picture Book Biography
A Picture Book of Frederick Douglass
Learn more about the incredible life of an escaped slave turned famous abolitionist, orator, journalist, and author.
Born into slavery on a Maryland plantation, Frederick Douglass grew up to have a way with words. Contemporaries found it hard to believe that an escaped slave with no formal education could be so eloquent. Yet thousands turned out to hear him speak.
A tireless advocate to end slavery, Douglass urged slaves to escape and revolt. He inspired many with his bestselling autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave . Later on, Douglass cemented his status as a pivotal figure in American history when he helped Abraham Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation. He continued to fight for equality during Reconstruction and became the first African American to receive a vote for President of the United States in a major party's roll call vote.
This accessible biography for children examines Douglass's amazing life with easy-to-understand facts and details, alongside elegant illustrations. Back matter includes a timeline and author's notes.
For almost thirty years, David Adler’s Picture Book Biography series has profiled famous people who changed the world. Colorful, kid-friendly illustrations combine with Adler’s “expert mixtures of facts and personality” ( Booklist ) to introduce young readers to history through compelling biographies of presidents, heroes, inventors, explorers, and adventurers.
Born into slavery on a Maryland plantation, Frederick Douglass grew up to have a way with words. Contemporaries found it hard to believe that an escaped slave with no formal education could be so eloquent. Yet thousands turned out to hear him speak.
A tireless advocate to end slavery, Douglass urged slaves to escape and revolt. He inspired many with his bestselling autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave . Later on, Douglass cemented his status as a pivotal figure in American history when he helped Abraham Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation. He continued to fight for equality during Reconstruction and became the first African American to receive a vote for President of the United States in a major party's roll call vote.
This accessible biography for children examines Douglass's amazing life with easy-to-understand facts and details, alongside elegant illustrations. Back matter includes a timeline and author's notes.
For almost thirty years, David Adler’s Picture Book Biography series has profiled famous people who changed the world. Colorful, kid-friendly illustrations combine with Adler’s “expert mixtures of facts and personality” ( Booklist ) to introduce young readers to history through compelling biographies of presidents, heroes, inventors, explorers, and adventurers.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
David A. Adler
409 books207 followersDavid Abraham Adler is an American children's author. He was born in New York City, New York in 1947. He graduated from Queens College in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics and education. For the next nine years, he worked as a mathematics teacher for the New York City Board of Education, while taking classes towards a master's degree in marketing, a degree he was awarded by New York University in 1971. In that same year, a question from his then-three-year-old nephew inspired Adler to write his first story, A Little at a Time, subsequently published by Random House in 1976. Adler's next project, a series of math books, drew on his experience as a math teacher. In 1977, he created his most famous character, Cam Jansen, originally featured in Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds, which was published that year.
Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.
Adler's son, Michael S. Adler, is now the co-author of several books with his father, including A Picture Book of Sam Adams, A Picture Book of John Hancock, and A Picture Book of James and Dolly Madison. Another son, Edward, was the inspiration for Adler's Andy Russell series, with the events described in the series loosely based on adventures the Adler family had with Edward's enthusiasm and his pets.
As of November 2008, Adler has three sons and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.
(source: Wikipedia)
Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.
Adler's son, Michael S. Adler, is now the co-author of several books with his father, including A Picture Book of Sam Adams, A Picture Book of John Hancock, and A Picture Book of James and Dolly Madison. Another son, Edward, was the inspiration for Adler's Andy Russell series, with the events described in the series loosely based on adventures the Adler family had with Edward's enthusiasm and his pets.
As of November 2008, Adler has three sons and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.
(source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 6, 2020
Picture books are informative in ways that can be inspiring as well as shocking. This picture book falls in the shocking category. The illustrated pain of both the observer of a beating and the victim of a beating are made bare on the page. The illustration of a child crying in a closet while listening to the pain of an aunt who is tied, hooked, left hanging, and has her back whipped made me wonder if this is a book that I want to read to children. Children love to hate a villain, and love to cheer for a protagonist/ hero, but this is an extra level of villainy that actually lives in the world.
When I do share this book, it will only be with fifth grade students.
When I do share this book, it will only be with fifth grade students.
December 5, 2018
I'm surprised no one has pointed out the glaring error in this book. The author incorrectly states, "Eight months after the Confederate army was defeated, the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed. Slavery was outlawed." The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery. This is not an acceptable error considering the subject matter of the book.
January 28, 2022
A Picture Book of Fredrick Douglas (A Picture Book Biography) by David A. Adler, Illustrator Samuel Byrd, Hindi translation by Arvind Gupta- Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- The narrates the story of Fredrick Douglas, an Afro- American who was into slavery in 1818 on a plantation in Maryland State. When he was 8 years old, he was sold to another owner at Baltimore to live as his slave. His owner’s wife taught him the alphabet and he started to learn how to read until her husband stopped her, but that did not stop Douglass from learning. When he was working in the shipyards, he met some free Afro- Americans and Anna Murry who sympathized with him. In 1838, Anna helped him plan his escape. Principle of Abolition movement was that people are not property and should not be owned by others. After reaching New York, Fredrick changed his name. He started his own newspaper, and his home was one of the stops on the Underground Railroad. His struggles and determination, as well as his accomplishments as a writer, orator and important figure in the nineteenth century are outlined in this book. Coloured Illustrations help the reader to relate to the story. I have the Hindi language translation of this book.
February 6, 2021
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery and grew up on a plantation in Maryland. When he was 8 years old, he moved to Baltimore to live as a slave. His owner’s wife taught him the alphabet and he started to learn how to read until her husband stopped her, but that did not stop Douglass from learning. When he was working in the shipyards, he met some free slaves and Anna Murry who was a free slave and helped him plan his escape. Frederick Douglass believed that people are not property and should not be owned by others. Once he became a free slave, he started his own newspaper, and his home was one of the stops on the Underground Railroad. He inspired many with his bestselling autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. This is a great story to start the discussion of the life of a slave. It could be used with grades 1-6 to do a comparison of the quality of life as a free person and as a slave. Also, research what people did to become a free.
February 17, 2021
There is an illustration of young Frederick hiding in a closet the first time he hears a slave being beaten, his aunt, and the torture on the boy's face that Samuel Byrd shows almost made me look away. But my ancestors go back almost to Plymouth Rock so i owed to Mr. Douglass (and Byrd and Adler) to look at that child and his aunt and to imagine someone that looked like me holding the whip.
i didn't know Douglass died after attending a speech on women's suffrage. Douglass lived by leading.
One quibble w/the book, the publisher Wm Lloyd Garrison is shown as black, he wasn't. Just looked at it for a fourth time, the illo is of Douglass as an editor, the caption says he was out reporting and selling subscriptions, so the illo is misleading.
i didn't know Douglass died after attending a speech on women's suffrage. Douglass lived by leading.
One quibble w/the book, the publisher Wm Lloyd Garrison is shown as black, he wasn't. Just looked at it for a fourth time, the illo is of Douglass as an editor, the caption says he was out reporting and selling subscriptions, so the illo is misleading.
June 5, 2017
A Picture book of Frederick Douglass is about the life of Frederick Douglass who escaped slavery and became a leader of the movement to abolish slavery in the 19th century. Douglass was one of the early leaders of which we today call civil rights. He also was one of the first blacks to start a newspaper. I would recommend this book to children ages 7 to 10 years old.
November 8, 2022
Biography book: I loved this book! I learned so much about Frederick Douglass. I loved the pictures in the book. They were beautiful illustrations that described the story very well. This is a very informative book for young children to read.
March 23, 2022
Engaging picture book biography. Human slavery, beatings, death, biracial relations are all dealt with in a respectful manner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2026
A great audiobook overview for a young audience.
January 26, 2026
An audiobook for a young audience that’s set up so they can learn as they listen.
March 9, 2017
This series is really good, but this one stood out. I loved the illustrations. It was sad reading it and I gasped and felt angry and sad when reading about his mother and all the beatings. I'm so glad Frederick Douglass was brave enough to make a stand against slavery and help end it.
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December 4, 2015Title: A Picture Book of Fredrick Douglass
Author: David A. Adler
Illustrator: Samuel Byrd
Genre: Biography K-2
Theme(s): Slavery, Success, Heroism, Social Studies
Opening line/sentence: “Frederick Douglass was born a slave on a tobacco, corn, and wheat farm in Talbot County, Maryland.”
Brief Book Summary: This book informs readers about the life of Fredrick Douglass. It is an interesting read that will provide readers with both the struggles and victories of Douglass. At the end of the book it displays important dates of Douglass's lifetime.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Adler, David A. and Byrd, Samuel A Picture Book of Frederick Douglass
Picture Book Biography series. Alternating between narrative form and that of a formal book report, the text often reads as if it were a school assignment. Certain incidents are well explained; others seem choppy and abruptly abandoned, as attempts are made to add in details of the lives of secondary characters. The inclusion of quotes by Douglass and the warmth of the illustrations add substance to the publication.
(The Horn Book Guide Online)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Jessie Grearson (Audiofile, August/September 2006)
Adler, a prolific children's book author, has done a good job describing the trajectory of Douglass's life as he moved from being a slave himself to being a freer of slaves and a tireless civil rights activist. Adler includes interesting, often sobering facts that will strike home with children: Douglass's mother only saw him a few times in her life because she had to walk a total of 24 miles to visit him, and he grew up to the reality of slaves being beaten and abused. Narrator Charles Turner, who has a deep and resonant voice, uses just the right matter-of-fact yet serious tones that won't overwhelm young listeners but will make an impression on them.
(CLCD)
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both of these review gave detail descriptions of the text. David Alder, from the first review, mentioned how more details should have been added to the book, I do not agree with this, I thought that the book was well written for the age level. The second review, written by Jessie Grearson, mentioned the audiotape, which I believe is an asset to a book. It allows the students to hear the book as it was intended to be told.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: The illustrations in this book were done very well, they add depth to the text. The text was added on top of the illustrations, which allowed readers to feel as like the text and illustrations intertwined. This book also comes with an audiotape of the book, I thought this was a great way for students to learn about Fredrick Douglass even if they could not read the story, they would be able to follow along.
Consideration of Instructional Application: Since Fredrick Douglass is important to our history, I will have my students, as a group, make a time line of the important events that happened in his lifetime. We will discuss these as a class, and I will answer any questions the students may have. After this the students, on their own, will choose a biography of someone else to make a timeline on and share it with the class.
Author: David A. Adler
Illustrator: Samuel Byrd
Genre: Biography K-2
Theme(s): Slavery, Success, Heroism, Social Studies
Opening line/sentence: “Frederick Douglass was born a slave on a tobacco, corn, and wheat farm in Talbot County, Maryland.”
Brief Book Summary: This book informs readers about the life of Fredrick Douglass. It is an interesting read that will provide readers with both the struggles and victories of Douglass. At the end of the book it displays important dates of Douglass's lifetime.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Adler, David A. and Byrd, Samuel A Picture Book of Frederick Douglass
Picture Book Biography series. Alternating between narrative form and that of a formal book report, the text often reads as if it were a school assignment. Certain incidents are well explained; others seem choppy and abruptly abandoned, as attempts are made to add in details of the lives of secondary characters. The inclusion of quotes by Douglass and the warmth of the illustrations add substance to the publication.
(The Horn Book Guide Online)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Jessie Grearson (Audiofile, August/September 2006)
Adler, a prolific children's book author, has done a good job describing the trajectory of Douglass's life as he moved from being a slave himself to being a freer of slaves and a tireless civil rights activist. Adler includes interesting, often sobering facts that will strike home with children: Douglass's mother only saw him a few times in her life because she had to walk a total of 24 miles to visit him, and he grew up to the reality of slaves being beaten and abused. Narrator Charles Turner, who has a deep and resonant voice, uses just the right matter-of-fact yet serious tones that won't overwhelm young listeners but will make an impression on them.
(CLCD)
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both of these review gave detail descriptions of the text. David Alder, from the first review, mentioned how more details should have been added to the book, I do not agree with this, I thought that the book was well written for the age level. The second review, written by Jessie Grearson, mentioned the audiotape, which I believe is an asset to a book. It allows the students to hear the book as it was intended to be told.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: The illustrations in this book were done very well, they add depth to the text. The text was added on top of the illustrations, which allowed readers to feel as like the text and illustrations intertwined. This book also comes with an audiotape of the book, I thought this was a great way for students to learn about Fredrick Douglass even if they could not read the story, they would be able to follow along.
Consideration of Instructional Application: Since Fredrick Douglass is important to our history, I will have my students, as a group, make a time line of the important events that happened in his lifetime. We will discuss these as a class, and I will answer any questions the students may have. After this the students, on their own, will choose a biography of someone else to make a timeline on and share it with the class.
March 3, 2017
This book is about Frederick Douglas and the life he lived. It talks about his leadership during the abolition of slavery.
I liked the illustrations in this book. I learned more about Frederick through this book.
I would introduce this book to students when talking about slavery.
I liked the illustrations in this book. I learned more about Frederick through this book.
I would introduce this book to students when talking about slavery.
October 31, 2012
This is a biography based on Frederick Douglass. It begins with a brief background on Frederick Douglass, how he was born a slave to his mom and a white man he didn't know, how he began work at six, and how his second master taught him the alphabet. That in itself teaches students that there were less terrible white people back in the slave days. They weren't all brutal masters who beat their slaves, however they may have been married to a mean master. Frederick ended up learning to read from poor white boys on the streets. In the end, Frederick fought for what he believed in and that was his freedom. He became a free man through his determination to become that man.
This biography could be used as an introductory source to slavery, the Civil War, and a brief on something President Abraham Lincoln did. It could also be read alongside A Picture Book of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom. Frederick Douglass' sons fought in the Civil War and his home was a safe house along the Underground Railroad.
This biography could be used as an introductory source to slavery, the Civil War, and a brief on something President Abraham Lincoln did. It could also be read alongside A Picture Book of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom. Frederick Douglass' sons fought in the Civil War and his home was a safe house along the Underground Railroad.
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February 23, 2016"A picture book of Frederick Douglass" would of not been one of my first choices in books. I piked up this book because of the illustrations and as I read, it was easy to understand. This book was simply about Frederick Douglass' life and some of the things he had to go through.
I liked this book because the illustrations made you feel what the author was trying to present to you. The pictures are more dull but make the story pop. They set the mood and make the story more sad.
This book could be used to teach children about Frederick Douglass.
I liked this book because the illustrations made you feel what the author was trying to present to you. The pictures are more dull but make the story pop. They set the mood and make the story more sad.
This book could be used to teach children about Frederick Douglass.
November 17, 2011
Frederick Douglass is a great book to read about.If you walk in you will find it on your left side.Check it out and find out if it is a good fit book for you.Do the 5 finger test before checking it out.Hopfully you will want to check it out see you there in the LRC.when Frederick was young he was taught how to read by Sophia AUld. When Frederick was about 12 he started to teach children. Check it out in the LRC right now. Rhianna
July 26, 2016
A pretty good quick overview of Frederick Douglass. They didn't go into a lot of detail about his relationship with Lincoln (how they really began their relationship a bit at odds but that changed over time). They did bring up some interesting points for those just starting to learn about slavery, and briefly touched on some of the things Frederick did to help end slavery.
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December 8, 2016This book is about Frederick Douglass who is known for being a leader during the abolition of slavery. He was born a slave and was able to escape from his master and became a writer and an orator in the North.
I liked the illustrations in this book, and I liked learning more about Frederick Douglas.
I would use this book when talking about the abolition of slavery.
I liked the illustrations in this book, and I liked learning more about Frederick Douglas.
I would use this book when talking about the abolition of slavery.
March 17, 2011
The story of frederick douglas as he went from being a slave as a young boy, to being sold off to many different slave owners. Then on to his escape to freedom in the north and spreading the stories of the horror of slavery. Ideal for first grade through third grade levels
July 31, 2010
Great children's book about Mr. Douglass. Kids of many ages can enjoy it.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews