No.1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer has made it his mission in life to offer all kids a different kind of hero. He was tired of seeing all the princesses and reality stars that children idolize, and knew from his love of history that there were incredible real world heroes that children would be fascinated by and look up to. The Ordinary People Change the World series was born.
In January, Penguin Young Readers will release I Am Jim Henson (Dial; on sale: Jan. 10, 2017; 9780525428503; $14.99), which features an unusual hero from the entertainment world who will be familiar to most children and parents — the creator of the Muppets.
On how he selected Jim Henson as a subject, Meltzer said, “Of all the books we’ve done, this is the very first where the person was truly my hero growing up. For me, it was always Jim Henson and Mr. Rogers. Those were the ones who changed my life. They taught me there’s good in all of us.
“Sure, we’re all different. Some of us have beards, or no hair, or blue fur, or green flippers. But goodness lives within each of us. And best of all, you can use your creativity to share it with others.”
This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great — the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Jim Henson, for example, always was dreaming up something new, and always expressing his belief in the goodness of people.
Henson was a born performer with a terrific sense of humor, and he used those talents to help create two of the most beloved programs in television history: The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. Through his Muppets, Jim showed the world that there’s nothing more beautiful than imagination, especially when it’s accompanied by laughter and kindness.
A “child-sized view of history” (Detroit Free Press), Ordinary People Change the World launched in 2014 to great media coverage.
Illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos, each book in the series is a biography of a real historical icon, told in a simple, conversational, and vivacious way, and puts “a fresh spin on famous Americans” (Entertainment Weekly).
Meltzer, a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, as well as a History Channel host, wanted children to see that real heroes — people like Abraham Lincoln, Amelia Earhart or Rosa Parks — were real people capable of extraordinary things. Once children hear about these ordinary people who have changed the world, they react the same way we all do. They’re inspired. They dream bigger. They work harder.
The next books in the series, I Am Gandhi and I Am Sacagawea, will release in October 2017.
Brad Meltzer is a New York Times bestselling author of adult thrillers (including The Inner Circle, The President’s Shadow and The House of Secrets). His two nonfiction gift books, Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter, were New York Times Bestsellers as well, and he has won the prestigious Eisner Award for his comic book work, Justice League of America. He also is the host of the History Channel TV shows Brad Meltzer’s Decoded and Brad Meltzer’s Lost History. He lives in Florida with his wife and their three children.
Christopher Eliopoulos began his illustration career as a letterer for Marvel, and has worked on literally thousands of comics. But along with that, he is also the author/artist of many comics, including the popular series Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers and Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius, for which he was nominated for multiple Eisner Awards and received a Harvey Award. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and their identical twin sons.
His Ordinary People Change the World subjects include: Abraham Lincoln, Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, Albert Einstein, Jackie Robinson, Lucille Ball, Helen Keller, Martin Luther King Jr., Jane Goodall and George Washington, Meltzer will be doing an event at Books and Books in Coral Gables on Jan. 14 at 7 p.m.
