Warren Buffett

Children's Literature - Carol Raker Collins

The "Remarkable People" series includes biographies of famous people who have overcome great obstacles, have achieved remarkable success, and/or have done noteworthy things to help others. Warren Buffett showed the world how to become rich through investing and how to give back to the community through generous charity. Warren was born in 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska, during the depression. At times, he witnessed his mother going without food to ensure his father had enough to eat. Fascinated by money and business, plus determined to become rich, Warren used his head for math to leverage his money from the age of six. Personal experience, coupled with business and economic training at Wharton and Columbia, prepared him to work at his father's investment company, start his own investment firm in 1956, and take over Berkshire Hathaway. This company became one of the largest holding companies in the world. Yet, the rich and famous "Oracle of Omaha" lives simply; shares his ideas with corporate America in a book; and founded, with his now deceased wife, a charity for students' and women's programs. Additionally, he gave to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation the largest charitable donation ever. This book is aimed at the middle reader with its catchy chapters, photos, and investment facts. It provides the challenge to write a biography by researching in the library and using a concept web for notes. A time line puts Warren Buffett's life in the context of other world events. A glossary and an index are included. Reviewer: Carol Raker Collins, Ph.D.