History books have always held a deep fascination for me. Biographies, children’s histories, pictorial histories, history textbooks — I could often be found, sitting on the basement floor, completely enraptured by anything from a coffee-table book on 20th-century Germany to a book from my dad’s youth covering the life of JFK. I have my historical likes and dislikes (looking at you, Tudor-era England), but give me a well-written history book on just about any person or era, and I could disappear for hours. There are many such books written for children. But those penned by Jean Fritz rank among my most recommended because of their lively style and excellent pictures.
Much as my younger self would’ve preferred just to shove books back on shelves at random, my mom insisted on having at least some semblance of order. This cataloguing system, involving colored stickers and designated shelf space, came in handy when I was looking for our collection of Fritz biographies. Of the nearly 50 books Fritz wrote, we owned three of her historical biographies. Her account of King George III most captured my interest growing up.
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