Told in a new Who HQ NOW format for trending topics, this Who Was? biography details NBA superstar Kobe Bryant's legendary career and the impact of his legacy on the sports world and beyond.Kobe Bryant was just an eighteen-year-old high-school basketball player when he decided to enter the National Basketball Association's draft. Though he was the thirteenth overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets, he would never play a single game for them. Instead, Kobe was traded ...

Using the new C3 Framework for Social Studies Standards, Snowboarding in the Global Citizens: Olympic Sports series explores the sport through the lenses of History, Geography, Civics, and Economics. Text and photos look at the history, basic philosophies, and geography of snowboarding. Content includes information on multiple Olympic events in the category. As they read, students will develop questions about the text, and use evidence from a variety of sources in order to form conclusions...

Using the new C3 Framework for Social Studies Standards, Figure Skating in the Global Citizens: Olympic Sports series explores the sport through the lenses of History, Geography, Civics, and Economics. Text and photos look at the history, basic philosophies, and geography of figure skating. Content includes information on multiple Olympic events in the category. As they read, students will develop questions about the text, and use evidence from a variety of sources in order to form conclus...

Viva la revolución!Find out how Che Guevara--a doctor turned communist leader and much more than a face on a T-shirt--ended up paying the ultimate price for his cause.His very image has become associated with a spirit of rebellion, but Ernesto Guevara--known around the world simply as Che--didn't dream of becoming a revolutionary. Author Ellen Labrecque takes readers on a journey through Che's life starting with his childhood in Argentina, ...

Born in Missouri in 1928, Maya Angelou had a difficult childhood. Jim Crow laws segregated blacks and whites in the South. Her family life was unstable at times. But much like her poem, "Still I Rise," Angelou was able to lift herself out of her situation and flourish. She moved to California and became the first black—and first female—streetcar operator before following her interest in dance. She became a professional performer in her twenties and toured the U.S. and Europe as an opera st...

Born into aristocracy, Churchill cut his teeth as a young army officer in British India, the Sudan, and the Second Boer War. He rose in the ranks to First Lord of the Admiralty and was a staunch opponent of the encroaching German Nazis. Churchill served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. Widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century, Churchill was also a historian, a writer, and an artist. He is the only Briti...

How did an immigrant who sold sewing supplies in New York City reinvent himself in the American West by creating the most iconic pair of pants in the world? Find out in this addition to the Who HQ library!As a young working-class German immigrant, Levi Strauss left his family's dry goods business in New York City to journey out west for the California Gold Rush. Only Levi wasn't looking for gold -- he wanted to provide the miners with sturdy clothes to wear while t...

Whether you call it football or soccer, there's no disputing that David Beckham is one of the best players in the history of the game!Whenever a young David Beckham was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he'd always answer with the same response: I want to be a footballer. This English native got his wish when he joined the Manchester United team in 1991. Since then, he has been crossing, bending, and free-kicking his way to stardom. In his twenty-year car...

Learn how Lady Diana Spencer became the People's Princess as she takes her place in the ranks of the Who Was? series.A shy twenty-year-old girl stepped out of a horse-drawn coach and into the world spotlight, capturing the imagination of millions as a real life fairytale princess. Although the storybook marriage didn't have a happy ending, Diana learned to use her fame as a way to champion charitable causes near to her heart. She became the People's Princess by hum...

Take a trip in the Yellow Submarine in this illustrated book about one of the most famous bands of all time!Follow the journey of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, from their start in Liverpool to their extraordinary success worldwide. This book is highly illustrated and full of all the iconic nonfiction details the Who HQ series is known for.

Journey to Avonlea and meet Anne Shirley -- the imaginative and bold star of the beloved Anne of Green Gables series -- in this addition to the What Is the Story Of? series.Author L. M. Montgomery first brought Anne Shirley onto the page in 1908, and this independent and inspiring character has been capturing readers' hearts ever since. The story of an orphaned girl who is sent to Avonlea on Prince Edward Island to live with the Cuthbert family includes adventure, ...

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Travel to the age of the Renaissance and learn why Henry VIII is one of the most famous kings in English history.Mainly remembered for his six marriages and his self-appointment as the "Supreme Head of the Church of England," Henry VIII was also attractive, educated, and athletic. When Henry Tudor ascended to the English thrown at the age of 17, his reign looked promising. But by the time of his death in 1547, King Henry VIII was characterized as ...