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Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.

A video interview with

Kathleen Krull

Kathleen Krull

Did you know that Beethoven's favorite food was macaroni and cheese? Did you know that John F. Kennedy used to bark like a seal before giving important speeches? Well, if you read Kathleen Krull's biographies for young readers, you'll learn many such facts. Through solid research, lively writing, and juicy "gossip", Krull transforms iconic figures from the past into real human beings. "We're all secretly People magazine readers at heart," she explains, "even though we might not admit it."

Click on the links below§ to watch this interview online or to download it. You can also read the interview transcript or a short biography of Kathleen Krull, or see a selected list of her children's books.

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For more information and options, please see the Podcasts & Videos section.

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  • A nun in the sun (:90)

    At an early age, Kathleen Krull learned that she could rhyme a lot of words with "nun".

  • A fresh spin on biographies (1:22)

    Kathleen Krull explains how her biographies avoid the dated feel of the past.

  • Humanizing history (:91)

    Through real stories about quirks, habits, hair, and underwear, Kathleen Krull sheds light on famous people from the past.

  • Gossip can be a good thing (1:08)

    Kathleen Krull explains how gossip can be an effective way of getting young readers interested in history.

  • Ludwig's lifestyle (1:00)

    Even if you're not into gossip, this video clip provides interesting insights into how Beethoven became one of the world's great composers.

  • The fastest woman in the world (1:63)

    Wilma Unlimited tells the story of how Wilma Rudolph overcame polio, poverty, and prejudice to win three gold medals at the Olympics.

  • Giants of Science (1:66)

    In her first book of the series, Kathleen Krull provides a window into the fascinating life of artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci.

‡ This video clip will appear in Windows Media Player, which most computers already have installed, or you can download it now. Macintosh users can download the free Flip4Mac playback file, which allows you to play Windows Media files in your Quicktime player.

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