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A children's librarian once told me that if you want a passing knowledge of a wide variety of subjects, you should read your way through the nonfiction titles in the kids' room. She was right. During the past decade there has been an explosion of quality nonfiction published for young readers, including biographies in a traditional picture-book format.

Some of the best in recent years include "The Iridescence of Birds" about Henri Matisse, "The House That Jane Built" about Jane Addams, "Tricky Vic" about a world-class con artist named Robert Miller who managed to "sell" the Eiffel Tower to a group of gullible scrap-metal dealers, and "The Noisy Paint Box" about the artist Kandinsky whose synesthesia allowed him to see colors whenever he heard music. All of these titles (notable for their outstanding illustrations) offer a fascinating glimpse into the lives of real human beings.

This year has also seen the publication of interesting picture-book biographies, including:

"I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark," by Debbie Levy and illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley (Simon & Schuster, $17.99)

Ginsburg grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., during a time when roles for boys and girls and men and women were strictly defined. Her mother, however, encouraged her daughter to think outside the box, teaching her to disagree without being disagreeable. Ginsburg went on to defy the gender conventions of her era and become a lawyer, a professor of law, a judge and ultimately a Supreme Court justice, famous (among other things) for changing her collar whenever she dissents. This great-looking book is especially timely during this election season.

"Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis," Jabari Asim, illustrated by E.B. Lewis (Penguin, $17.99)

In his afterword, Jabari Asim speaks of his deep regard for Rep. John Lewis, legendary Freedom Rider and civil-rights advocate. Asim notes that this picture book is based on one of Lewis' childhood memories—caring for his family's chickens. "I preached to my birds just about every night," Lewis wrote. "They would sit very quietly, some slightly moving their heads back and forth, mesmerized, I guess, by the sound of my voice. I could imagine that they were my congregation. And me, I was a preacher." E.B. Lewis' realistic illustrations enhance the book's appeal.

"Fascinating: The Life of Leonard Nimoy," by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Edel Rodriguez (Knopf, $17.99)

Fascinating is the right word for this interesting (and unexpected!) picture-book biography about one of popular culture's most iconic figures. Nimoy was the child of Russian immigrants who had the word "alien" stamped on their passports. Although his father advised him to play the accordion because "actors starve but at least musicians can eke out a living," Nimoy eventually headed for Hollywood, where he met Gene Roddenberry in 1966, and the rest is history. Among other things, "Fascinating" reveals the inspiration for Spock's well-known split-finger gesture when admonishing those around him to "Live long and prosper."

"Ada's Ideas: The Story of Ada Lovelace, the World's First Computer Programmer," Fiona Robinson (Abrams, $17.95)

Notable for its visually arresting and imaginative design, "Ada's Ideas" tells the true story of Lord Byron's daughter by the mathematician Anne Milbanke. Afraid her daughter would take after her wild father, Milbanke arranged for her education to be grounded solidly in math and science. Ada, however, brought the same creative spirit to her studies that Lord Byron did to his poetry. She became friends with Charles Babbage, an inventor who saw the possibility inherent in mechanization but needed someone to "program" his machines. That programmer was Ada.

"Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story," by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus, illustrated by Evan Turk (Atheneum, $18.99)

Although Arun's grandfather teaches his followers that wasting material good ultimately leads to violence, the young boy cannot see the connection for himself. So when he throws away a pencil stub, Gandhi creates an opportunity for Arun to see the connection for himself. Turk's vivid graphic illustrations are as arresting as an orange sunset.

"Miss Mary Reporting," by Sue Macy, illustrated by C.F. Payne (Simon & Schuster, $17.99)

Mary Garber loved sports. As a young girl she played football — tackle football! — with the boys. And when instructed to write a letter to her grandparents, Mary created a "newspaper" for them instead, relating family events with a reporter's panache. So it was no surprise that Mary Garber wanted to write about sports when she grew up. The problem, of course, was that sports reporter was no job for a woman. Through her tenacity (and the example of her peer Jackie Robinson), however, Mary blazed a trail for women everywhere who wanted to write about something other than fashion.

"Esquivel: Space-Age Sound Artist," by Susan Wood, illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh (Charlesbridge, $17.95)

Born in Mexico, Esquivel was a self-taught musician who became prominent in the 1950s and '60s for his special brand of lounge music that transcended the genre with its quirky sounds and surprising instrumental arrangements. Tonatiuh's highly stylized illustrations are inspired by an ancient Mexican art form dating from the 14th and 15th centuries, which features all of its subjects in profile. "Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille," by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Boris Kulikov (Knopf, $17.99)

Told from the first-person point of view, this book takes us through Louis Braille's experiences — from losing his sight at age 6 to attending a school in Paris to inventing a more efficient way for blind people to read the pages of a book.

"Willa: The Story of Willa Cather, an American Writer," by Amy Ehrlich, illustrated by Wendell Minor (Simon & Schuster, $16.99)

When young Willa moved with her family from Virginia to Nebraska, she didn't care for the wide-open spaces of the Midwestern prairies. She also resented the criticism directed her way when she cut her hair, dressed like a boy and spoke of becoming a doctor one day. But after living in the East (where the author Sarah Orne Jewett praised Willa's talent as a writer), Cather found her that her subject and her heart rested with the immigrants with whom she'd grown up. A lovely, informative book.