Defining Moments

Defining Moments is a collection featuring six people (Clara Barton, Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ellen Ochoa, Rosa Parks, and Christopher Reeve) who have influenced American history. This is an excellent series to introduce biographies to elementary students or to introduce a unit of study on the topic the person’s life affected, such as civil rights, labor laws, women’s rights, or the impact one person can make on society. The authors write in a story format that permits the books to be read to younger students or to be read independently by students in grades 3-5. Despite the fact that each chapter is a two-page spread with 100 words or less in large text and has a variety of pictures, maps or illustrations, students will have enough age-appropriate information about the individual after reading the book. At the back of each book is a reference section for just the facts, a timeline of important events, a glossary, a bibliography, read more, learn more online, and about the author. My only complaint is that the monochrome portrait of the book’s subject on the cover will not attract students to browse the titles. Overall, this is an excellent series for an elementary school. Highly Recommended.