Biographic picture books serve multiple purposes; they not only teach children about special people, they can serve to inspire children by demonstrating the actions of others who may have overcome challenges, followed their passions, or shown a desire to change the world. In these picture books, children will learn about people who challenged traditions, people who fought to discover our history, and a woman who didn’t listen to what others thought women should do. We also learn about the people who saved an elephant in Vietnam and a man who wants to save the world.

In “Beulah Has a Hunch! Inside the MInd of Master Inventor Beulah Louise Henry,” Katie Mazeika presents us with the story of Beulah Louise Henry, who was an inventor in a time when women were supposed to stay home, look pretty, find a husband, and then raise a family. But Beulah had other ideas. From a young age she was fascinated with how things work. From the sounds of the birds in the yard to her mother’s clock, she was intrigued by the world around her. She was not happy learning only about music, etiquette, and elocution. She didn’t care about dancing. She wanted to learn about science and math. Beulah was determined to invent things to solve problems she saw around her, like having a compartment in the parasols that women in the South carried that would hold their calling cards. Kind of like a small purse on the umbrella. Then she came up with other ideas about parasols, and she was determined to get her idea patented and then manufactured. Through much hard work, Beulah realized her dream. She created many other inventions and held 49 patents. There are pages at the end that give more information about Beulah, including her Synesthesia and her hyperphantasia. She was a brilliant woman who could inspire young readers. (Beach Lane Books)

“The Bone Wars: The True Story of an Epic Battle to Find Dinosaur Fossils” by Jane Kurtz and Alexander Vidal shows a picture of two best friends who shared everything — until they didn’t. It’s the story of finding fossils, but it also demonstrates the ravages of a broken friendship. O.C. Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope both were fascinated by science. They came from very different backgrounds, but their passion brought them together. Marsh went to Yale and one of the best science programs in America. Cope, on the other hand, left school at 16 and was self-taught. They were so close they even named dinosaurs after each other. But then there was a rift when one made a mistake that the other caught and teased him for. After that, the two former friends were combatants, fighting to find new dinosaurs first, spying on each other, tricking each other, even destroying small bones so the other side wouldn’t get them. Their bitter rivalry destroyed them both. My grandson summed this book up as being about: science, friendship, and dinosaurs. And that’s true. But as important as their scientific discoveries are, the results of their divisiveness are a lesson to be learned. Think of what they could have accomplished if they had just cooperated. (Beach Lane Books)

We learn about the life of a very famous scientist in “Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough” by Hayley Rocco and John Rocco. This is a big picture book with slick, glossy pages and beautiful, colorful illustrations. We see the progression of events from David’s childhood, when he loved going into the wild places in his home in England to be close to nature. He studied science and began working on a nature program, introducing viewers to different zoo animals, when he got the idea to travel to the places where the animals lived in order to show viewers their habitats. But as the years advanced, Attenborough saw the wild places being replaced by buildings, the birds and forests and aquatic animals disappearing. He then began working to save our environment by pointing out things that we need to do to protect the earth and its inhabitants (which include us). This lovely book is as much about nature, and how we are all connected, and the importance of bringing back the wild places as it is about David Attenborough. And I’m sure he approves heartily of that. (G. P. Putnam’s Sons)

An elephant is in desperate need of rescue in “Saving H’Non: Chang and the Elephant” by Trang Nguyen and Jeet Zdūng. It’s not a short picture book but rather a graphic novel, with some beautiful watercolor illustrations of the elephants and other wildlife. In fact, a couple of the things that make this book special is the plethora and the variety of illustrations. Some of the pages are crowded with information, some pages have sepia illustrations, others are filled with brilliant greens and peaceful scenes. It’s the story of the rescue of an injured, abused elephant. But it’s also the story of the wonderful work done by Animals Asia, which was started by Jill Robinson to save moon bears from a horrible fate living in cages. I was lucky enough to interview Jill years ago and review her first book, “Jasper’s Story.” This is a book that will take young readers a while to get through as it’s filled with information about plants and animals in Vietnam, about the seasons there, and about the abuse of elephants in the tourism business. Perhaps by reading this book, people will think twice about going on elephant rides where the elephants are old and abused, and maybe readers will be educated and will not pay to pet baby tigers that are taken from their mothers so tourists can pay to pet them, and then, when they get too old for that, slaughtered for their bones, teeth and skin. Animals belong in nature, and that’s the theme of this lovely book that would be a fabulous addition to school and classroom libraries. (Dial Books for Young Readers)

Please note this review is based on the final, hardcover books provided by the publishers for review purposes.