The words “starving” and “artist” are a too-familiar pair. Some creators are willing to suffer whatever it takes. But the grit and sweat that challenge artists also make them fascinating, compelling, and unforgettable. Children in grades 2–5 will be charmed and intrigued by a trio of stunning author biographies.

Kathleen Krull’s The Road to Oz: Twists, Turns, Bumps, and Triumphs in the Life of L. Frank Baum (Knopf, 2008) tells the story of one of America’s most beloved writers. Baum grew up in a prosperous family, married happily, fathered four children, and had terrible money problems. To make ends meet, he acted, farmed, told stories, and wrote for a newspaper. In 1893, he visited the Chicago World’s Fair. It featured the “White City,” glittering with those new-fangled electric lights. Baum loved it and never forgot it. The multifaceted Baum became a store window dresser and created a tin man that looked great. He next became a printer, a salesman, and finally, an unsuccessful writer for children—until, after years of rejection, he began writing a book about a girl named Dorothy, her dog named Toto, and their unplanned visit to an “Emerald City.” When a girl asked him where the city was, Baum glanced at his file cabinet. The drawers were labeled A-N and O-Z. He said “Oz.”

The same year that Baum went to the World’s Fair, a young girl was born in a small Midwestern town on the prairie, just like Dorothy. Her name was Wanda. Deborah Kogan Ray’s Wanda Gág: the Girl Who Lived to Draw (Viking, 2008) tells how Gág, born into a Bohemian German-Czech family in New Ulm, MN, watched her artist father decorate both their home and the nearby cathedral. When he died young, her family was left without an income. Gág’s mother was too ill to work. Well-meaning people wanted to separate the family and find different homes for the seven children, but Gág was determined that would never happen. At 14 she began supporting the family by selling handpainted greeting cards and postcards. All the while she dreamed of going to art school and becoming a real artist like her father.

It didn’t happen quickly or easily, but it happened. She illustrated her first children’s book when she was 24. Some years later, she created a story that thousands of kids have since pored over lovingly—Millions of Cats—the oldest American picture book still in print!

The heroes in Marc Tyler Nobleman’s Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman (Knopf, 2008) had money troubles, too. During the Great Depression, two short, shy high school kids named Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster lived in Cleveland, OH. Both wore glasses, were lousy at sports, and were awkward around girls. Siegel loved to write science fiction and adventure stories. Shuster loved to draw. One night Siegel had an idea: to create a nerdy guy just like himself—but one who could morph into someone else and do amazing things. He’d be strong. He’d be an alien. He’d protect human beings. Maybe he’d talk easily with women—and perhaps fly? Shuster loved the idea—and drew a picture on the spot. But the hero needed something on the front of his costume. How about an “S” for super, as well as for Siegel and Schuster?

It took three years for someone to show interest in the superhero, someone who was creating a new kind of magazine called a comic book. The rights to Superman were snatched up for $130. And we all pretty much know what happened, right? Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a plane! No, it’s an American legend that will never die. And do you think those boys ever saw another dime?

In a world of televised Idol-like fame and fortune, some kids may not realize the true grit that goes into art and literature. With determination, the four creators highlighted in the books above all rewrote their own histories and made history. Art may not be easy, but it’s well worth the struggle.