Walk into any elementary school library in America. Seriously, just walk in. You’ll see them immediately. Rows and rows of white spines featuring historical figures with giant, distorted heads. It's a bit jarring if you haven't seen them before. These are the Who Was? books. They have become the undisputed heavyweight champions of the middle-grade biography world, and honestly, they’ve managed to do something most textbook publishers would trade their souls for: they made history actually feel like a person rather than a list of dates.
It started back in 2002. Grosset & Dunlap, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, launched the series with just four titles. They weren't trying to reinvent the wheel. They just wanted to give kids a way to read about famous people without falling asleep. Now, twenty-four years later, the series has exploded into a massive universe of "Who Was," "What Was," "Where Is," and "Who Is." There are over 250 titles. It’s a juggernaut.
People often ask why they look so weird. The "bobblehead" cover art is the secret sauce. While some critics initially thought the caricature style was a bit too "cartoonish" for serious subjects like Abraham Lincoln or Anne Frank, the kids disagreed. They loved it. It made these monumental, intimidating figures feel approachable. Small. Human.
The Secret Architecture of a Who Was Book
The Who Was? book series follows a very specific, almost rigid internal structure, yet it feels breezy. Every book is roughly 100 to 110 pages. That is the "sweet spot" for a third or fourth grader. It’s long enough to feel like a "real" chapter book but short enough to finish before their attention span evaporates.
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The chapters are punctuated by "sidebar" pages. These are basically deep dives into specific context. If the book is about Who Was Albert Einstein?, you’ll get a two-page spread explaining what the Theory of Relativity actually is in language a nine-year-old can digest. If it’s Who Was Rosa Parks?, there’s a sidebar on the Jim Crow laws. This is crucial. It provides the "why" behind the "who." Without that context, a biography is just a series of things that happened to someone dead.
The writing style is deceptively simple. It uses short, punchy sentences. But it doesn't talk down to the reader. Authors like Jane O'Connor and Bonnie Bader—who have written multiple titles in the series—are experts at keeping the narrative moving. They focus on the childhood of the subject. Why? Because kids want to read about other kids. Seeing that Thomas Edison struggled in school or that Frida Kahlo dealt with childhood polio makes these icons relatable. It builds empathy.
Why Educators Can't Get Enough
Teachers love these things. It's almost obsessive. In a world where "Standardized Testing" is the boogeyman, the Who Was? book series offers a bridge to literacy. They are high-interest, low-complexity. This means a student who might be struggling with reading can pick up Who Was Bruce Lee? and actually finish it. That’s a massive win for a kid's confidence.
The series also fits perfectly into the "Common Core" requirements for non-fiction reading. Schools need kids to engage with primary sources and informational texts. These books act as the gateway drug.
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- They provide timelines at the back of every book (one for the person’s life, one for world events).
- The black-and-white line drawings provide visual breaks.
- The "What Was" spin-offs tackle massive events like the Great Depression or the Twin Towers.
Some historians argue that the books simplify things too much. And, yeah, they do. You can’t fit the entire nuance of the Civil Rights Movement or the complexities of the French Revolution into 105 pages with drawings. But that's not the point. The point is the spark. If a kid reads Who Was Steve Jobs? and decides they want to learn how to code, the book did its job. It’s a starting point, not a definitive academic thesis.
The Cultural Impact and the Netflix Jump
By 2018, the series had moved beyond the bookshelf. The Who Was? Show premiered on Netflix. It was a sketch comedy show. Think Saturday Night Live but for the middle-school set. It featured Andy Daly and a cast of teenagers playing these historical figures in ridiculous scenarios. It was meta, it was weird, and it further cemented the brand as the "cool" way to learn history.
It’s rare for a non-fiction book series to become a lifestyle brand. But you can buy Who Was? board games, calendars, and even world maps. It has become a shorthand for "entry-level history."
Beyond the "Bobblehead" Covers
We have to talk about the artists. Nancy Harrison, Stephen Marchesi, and others have to strike a very delicate balance. How do you draw a caricature of someone like Malala Yousafzai or Nelson Mandela without it being disrespectful? The artists manage to capture the essence of the person's face while keeping the "big head" aesthetic that defines the brand. It’s a branding masterclass.
The series has also evolved to be much more inclusive. In the early days, it was a lot of the "Standard Heroes"—Washington, Lincoln, Franklin. But lately, the Who Was? book series has gone out of its way to highlight figures that were previously ignored by mainstream history books. We're talking about Who Was Celia Cruz?, Who Was Pura Belpré?, and Who Was Harvey Milk?. This matters. Representation in the library is just as important as representation on screen.
Dealing With Controversy
It hasn't all been smooth sailing. Because these books are everywhere, they are often the first targets for book bans or challenges in certain school districts. When you write a book for children about a complex figure, you have to decide what to leave in and what to take out.
If you're writing about Who Was Christopher Columbus?, do you mention the atrocities committed against Indigenous people? If it's Who Was J.K. Rowling?, how do you handle the current public discourse surrounding her? The series usually tries to stick to the facts while keeping the tone appropriate for an eight-year-old. It's a tightrope walk. Most of the time, they nail it by focusing on the historical impact rather than the modern-day "culture war" surrounding the person.
The Logistics of a Juggernaut
Penguin Random House doesn't just throw these together. The research process is surprisingly rigorous for a "kids' book." Each author is expected to consult multiple biographies and primary sources. They have to ensure that even though the tone is conversational, the facts are bulletproof.
The publication schedule is aggressive. They put out new titles almost every month. This keeps the "Who Was" section of the bookstore fresh. If a celebrity becomes huge overnight—like Taylor Swift—you can bet there's a writer already working on the manuscript. This "real-time" publishing keeps the series relevant to kids who might not care about someone who died 200 years ago.
Why Adults Are Secretly Reading Them Too
Honestly? I know plenty of adults who pick these up. If you want a 20-minute refresher on the Titanic or the history of the Apollo 11 moon landing, there is no faster way to get the gist than a "What Was" book. They are the "CliffNotes" for life.
There's something comforting about the format. You know exactly what you’re going to get. You know there will be a map. You know there will be a timeline. You know the language won't be pretentious. In an era of information overload, a 100-page summary is a gift.
Actionable Steps for Parents and Educators
If you're looking to integrate the Who Was? book series into a child's life, or even your own, don't just hand them a book and walk away. There are better ways to use these tools.
- Pair the book with a "Field Trip": If they're reading Who Was Alexander Hamilton?, listen to the soundtrack of the musical (the clean version, obviously) or visit a local historical society. Connecting the page to the real world is where the magic happens.
- The "Compare and Contrast" Game: Ask the kid what the book left out. This encourages critical thinking. "Do you think there was more to his story than what's in these 100 pages?"
- Create Your Own "Who Is": Have students or children draw themselves in the "bobblehead" style and write their own "biography" up to the present day. It’s a great exercise in self-reflection and narrative structure.
- Follow the Series Map: Use the "Where Is?" books to teach geography alongside the biographies. Reading Who Is Dalai Lama? alongside Where Is Tibet? provides a much deeper understanding of the political and geographical stakes.
The Who Was? book series isn't going anywhere. It has survived the rise of the iPad and the decline of the brick-and-mortar bookstore. As long as kids are curious about the people who shaped the world—and as long as they find giant heads funny—these books will continue to be the gold standard for children's non-fiction. They prove that history isn't a "dead" subject. It’s just a collection of stories about people who, once upon a time, were just as small and uncertain as the kids reading about them today.