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Who Was . . . ? Series
Who Was Walt Disney?
Walt Disney always loved to entertain people. Often it got him into trouble. Once he painted pictures with tar on the side of his family's white house. His family was poor, and the happiest time of his childhood was spent living on a farm in Missouri. His affection for small-town life is reflected in Disneyland Main Streets around the world. With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this biography reveals the man behind the magic. This book is not authorized, licensed or endorsed by the Walt Disney Company or any affiliate.
114 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 16, 2009
755 people are currently reading
2413 people want to read
About the author
Whitney Stewart
50 books30 followersWhitney Stewart has interviewed the 14th Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Sir Edmund Hillary for her young adult biographies. She has traveled all over Europe and Asia to write her books. When she is not writing, she is usually visiting schools and libraries to give talks.
Her personal interests are in reading, traveling, yoga, meditation, and sea kayaking. She lives with her husband and son.
Her personal interests are in reading, traveling, yoga, meditation, and sea kayaking. She lives with her husband and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 611 reviews
April 10, 2025
Who Was...? biography series for middle grade captivates with the story of Walt Disney – a leader in the American animation industry.
Walter Elias Disney (1901-1966) was born in Chicago. When he was four, his family moved to a farm in Marceline, Missouri. It was a happy childhood for Walt. He liked to ride on pigs which often meant landing in mud. After school, he fished and skinny-dipped. In winter, he went sledding or skating on a frozen creek. From childhood, he had a natural nag for entertaining people. He liked attention and liked being the class clown. Once, he caught a field mouse, made a leash for it, and paraded his new pet around the classroom. He also had some talent for drawing which at times got him in trouble, especially after drawing with the tar on the side of their white house.
When his father became sick, the family moved to Kansas City where Walt had to pitch in. At nine, he started delivering papers.
In school, he wasn’t doing well. Instead, he was thinking of ways to make his classmates laugh. He also liked drawing funny characters or animal in the corner of the pages making it appear as moving while flipping the pages. These were his first cartoons.
Walt attended High School in Chicago where the family returned, but again he was bored in all of his classes. The only thing he liked was drawing cartoons for the school newspaper. After a year, he dropped out of school. At the time, he didn’t know what he wanted to be, but he certainly had faith in himself.
At night, he took art classes. He bought himself a movie camera.
When he applied for a job at the post office, he was told that he was too young. He went home, put on a man’s hat, drew a mustache on his face and went back to the post office where this time got the job. He knew how to find a solution to a problem.
When he moved back to Kansas City, he teamed up with another artist. They got jobs at the Kansas City Slide Company. Here, Walt learned all about animation. This was life changing for him. After creating his first cartoon, he sold it to the Newman theatres, and started up a small company.
He recruited artists to help him make cartoons. He promised to share any money earned from the cartoons. But he went bankrupt. Kansas City was not the center of entertainment business. He moved to Hollywood.
With his brother Roy, they formed the Disney Brothers Studio. They were doing well with Oswald cartoons which in a way got stolen from him. Then, in secret with a few trusted people, Walt created a new character – a mouse. Mickey Mouse was born. Then, came Donald Duck.
As popular Mickey Mouse is today, at the time of its inception no theater wanted to show mouse cartoons. But Walt wasn’t someone to give up. Once, he added soundtracks, the audience fell in love with Walt’s characters. Then, Mickey Mouse Club was created and sprang up all over America.
Walt was always looking for the next big idea, pushing the boundaries. Up until then, cartoons were short. His next goal was a full – length movie. It took him years to create Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He borrowed more than one and a half million dollars for this project. Snow White was called a masterpiece and won a special Academy Award.
In the following years, he produced: Fantasia, Pinocchio, and Bambi.
And he continued to face challenges. There was WWII which affected the sales in Europe. Then, his employees went on strike. His following movies weren’t as successful.
When he spent time with his two daughters, playing and goofing around, it gave him his next idea of an amusement park. Thus, Disneyland was born in Anaheim, California. Even with age, he never slowed down. He had too many ideas to quit working.
At sixty-five, he died of lung cancer. He didn’t get to see the opening of Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida.
This biography illustrates a man who believed in himself and the characters he created. Despite many obstacles, he persisted with what he believed in.
This illustrated biography for young readers, ages 7-10, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences, and insightful inserts.
Walter Elias Disney (1901-1966) was born in Chicago. When he was four, his family moved to a farm in Marceline, Missouri. It was a happy childhood for Walt. He liked to ride on pigs which often meant landing in mud. After school, he fished and skinny-dipped. In winter, he went sledding or skating on a frozen creek. From childhood, he had a natural nag for entertaining people. He liked attention and liked being the class clown. Once, he caught a field mouse, made a leash for it, and paraded his new pet around the classroom. He also had some talent for drawing which at times got him in trouble, especially after drawing with the tar on the side of their white house.
When his father became sick, the family moved to Kansas City where Walt had to pitch in. At nine, he started delivering papers.
In school, he wasn’t doing well. Instead, he was thinking of ways to make his classmates laugh. He also liked drawing funny characters or animal in the corner of the pages making it appear as moving while flipping the pages. These were his first cartoons.
Walt attended High School in Chicago where the family returned, but again he was bored in all of his classes. The only thing he liked was drawing cartoons for the school newspaper. After a year, he dropped out of school. At the time, he didn’t know what he wanted to be, but he certainly had faith in himself.
At night, he took art classes. He bought himself a movie camera.
When he applied for a job at the post office, he was told that he was too young. He went home, put on a man’s hat, drew a mustache on his face and went back to the post office where this time got the job. He knew how to find a solution to a problem.
When he moved back to Kansas City, he teamed up with another artist. They got jobs at the Kansas City Slide Company. Here, Walt learned all about animation. This was life changing for him. After creating his first cartoon, he sold it to the Newman theatres, and started up a small company.
He recruited artists to help him make cartoons. He promised to share any money earned from the cartoons. But he went bankrupt. Kansas City was not the center of entertainment business. He moved to Hollywood.
With his brother Roy, they formed the Disney Brothers Studio. They were doing well with Oswald cartoons which in a way got stolen from him. Then, in secret with a few trusted people, Walt created a new character – a mouse. Mickey Mouse was born. Then, came Donald Duck.
As popular Mickey Mouse is today, at the time of its inception no theater wanted to show mouse cartoons. But Walt wasn’t someone to give up. Once, he added soundtracks, the audience fell in love with Walt’s characters. Then, Mickey Mouse Club was created and sprang up all over America.
Walt was always looking for the next big idea, pushing the boundaries. Up until then, cartoons were short. His next goal was a full – length movie. It took him years to create Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He borrowed more than one and a half million dollars for this project. Snow White was called a masterpiece and won a special Academy Award.
In the following years, he produced: Fantasia, Pinocchio, and Bambi.
And he continued to face challenges. There was WWII which affected the sales in Europe. Then, his employees went on strike. His following movies weren’t as successful.
When he spent time with his two daughters, playing and goofing around, it gave him his next idea of an amusement park. Thus, Disneyland was born in Anaheim, California. Even with age, he never slowed down. He had too many ideas to quit working.
At sixty-five, he died of lung cancer. He didn’t get to see the opening of Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida.
This biography illustrates a man who believed in himself and the characters he created. Despite many obstacles, he persisted with what he believed in.
This illustrated biography for young readers, ages 7-10, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences, and insightful inserts.
December 1, 2022
Book Review By Linda Crane:
We gave this book as a gift and it was a big hit! She said she lived the book! I think we will be buying more of these to give as gifts. We really like giving educational gifts and this was a big hit. It is an easy read and very informative. I would recommend this book. It is a great read for any age. I am going to check out other books from this author because I really thought it is very well written. This book had so many wonderful facts that our young I've wasn't aware if before she read the book. Now she can tell us all about Walt Disney. Maybe we should plan a trip to Disney World soon! I love Disney and these facts are true and a fun read. This book is a keeper. I think keeping this book in our home library is a must. I feel all of the kids will enjoy this one. Boys and girls a like will get so much out if this book. The kids all know a Disney movie so I am glad they got a chance to know the man who made the movies happen through this book. It is one that is hard to put down.
We gave this book as a gift and it was a big hit! She said she lived the book! I think we will be buying more of these to give as gifts. We really like giving educational gifts and this was a big hit. It is an easy read and very informative. I would recommend this book. It is a great read for any age. I am going to check out other books from this author because I really thought it is very well written. This book had so many wonderful facts that our young I've wasn't aware if before she read the book. Now she can tell us all about Walt Disney. Maybe we should plan a trip to Disney World soon! I love Disney and these facts are true and a fun read. This book is a keeper. I think keeping this book in our home library is a must. I feel all of the kids will enjoy this one. Boys and girls a like will get so much out if this book. The kids all know a Disney movie so I am glad they got a chance to know the man who made the movies happen through this book. It is one that is hard to put down.
March 11, 2015
Walt Disney was a great man he made movies tv shows and theme parks. He was married and had 2 children. Walt Disney made lot's of movies but when Walt made Disneyland he didn't spend much time at the studio but he still made movies and tv shows during the 1960s most of his movies were live action he one time made a movie with live action and animation that was Mary Poppins. Walt's first movie was snow white and the seven dwarfs but when he died Disney movies, cartoons and dolls and clothing never ended in fact it became more popular after he died there were more films and cartoons there was even a new mickey mouse series called mickey mouse club house and a new channel called Disney channel, Disney xd and Disney Jr Walt Disney is still the most famous man ever
October 19, 2014
This was a fun read. This was the first book that I've read in this series for young readers and I think that the book was great for a young audience. The information was interesting and I liked that within the story of the person you are reading about there are little blurbs on what else was going on in the world at certain moments in history.
I would recommend these for young readers who are interested in learning about specific people.
I would recommend these for young readers who are interested in learning about specific people.
August 4, 2017
What a great informational book about the life of Walt Disney. Fun, easy to read and super cute illustrations to capture readers of all ages. This book can be used to quickly find facts about Walt and how he overcame adversities to become the icon that people know him for.
July 13, 2017
Yes, this is a children's edition, but I really enjoyed it! I have always admired Walt Disney, and this little book gave me lots of basic information about his early life, his talent, and his rise to fame. One of the Best things I learned about Walt Disney that I admire is his love of family and his children. Even after he was very famous he loved spending time at home playing with and entertaining his children. He never let fame go to his head. He just loved to draw, tell stories, and entertain; those were his goals in life with his family. He took care of his parents, and began his business with his brother Roy. He was a family man in all parts of his life. I'm thankful for Walt Disney's talents and the stories and movies that he shared with the world.
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November 30, 2016I almost fell asleep every time I read this. It was so boring and bad. But really, all biographies are. I just don't like how it just goes on and on about how he was born, then grew up, then did some things, and then died. Not my idea of a good book.
July 23, 2025
I want the length and concept of these books to exist on a slightly more mature scale.
May 14, 2019
I loved the part were he creates all of the characters and thought about making Disney land wich is amazing. In the end it is sad becuse Walt dies because of lung cancer. It's so sad.
January 6, 2020
Good introduction for young readers to life and time of Walt Disney.
Adult takeaway: Disney drove himself and those around him, often unpleasantly so.
Adult takeaway: Disney drove himself and those around him, often unpleasantly so.
March 5, 2020
Interesting read. What really impressed me about him was his self-confidence and trust in himself till the very end. It was also interesting to know how the idea of Disneyland came up and how it became a reality. He should have lived till EPCOT was fully done as well.
It is noteworthy that despite few clashes with friends and business partners he generally seemed to have had a steady and balanced personal life as well.
This man had a steady loving married life and grand ideas that were billion-dollar businesses. Without a doubt, he is a legend, isn't he?
It is noteworthy that despite few clashes with friends and business partners he generally seemed to have had a steady and balanced personal life as well.
This man had a steady loving married life and grand ideas that were billion-dollar businesses. Without a doubt, he is a legend, isn't he?
January 18, 2019
This book as very good and very educational I learned a lot of new things about Walt Disney and his family and his childhood and how it was very challenging to come up with films and find a place to film the movie and they came up with a mickey mouse club or something similar to that and it was just a very good book i recommend it if you like Disney or want to learn new things.
March 20, 2015
Kaitlyn Ramirez:
Who Was Walt Disney
By: Whitney Stewart
Who was Walt Disney is a great book that talk about the famous creator of Disneyland, which is one of my all-time favorite places to be with my family because it really brings happiness and makes me enjoy being with my family. The book is a biography on Walt’s life from birth, growing up in Marceline, Missouri on a farm to creating one of the world’s most successful, and amazing theme parks that millions of people enjoy going to. The book gives a brief overview of his life before creating Disneyland so there wasn’t much detail of his early childhood years but I still enjoyed reading it. The only picture in the book is the cover page which is an illustration of Walt standing in front of what appears to be Cinderella’s castle. The cartoon effect was a new design that I haven’t seen on most of the books that I have read so it was interesting how they could still have so much detail in a cartoon were the lines aren’t perfect nor are the heads proportionate to the body. At times I think that’s kind of funny depending on the cartoon.
I always like reading about people who come from pretty much nothing and can create something with their lives. It talks about in Walt’s biography on how he was inspired to build Disneyland due to the fact that he liked trains and always wanted to own a train. That’s why when you walk into Disneyland, the first thing we see is the train station. Another interesting fact I learned is how teachers told Walt that he would never amount to much, calling him stupid really just discriminating against him. It just goes to show that if we put our minds to something and really work hard for it good things, or more like amazing things will happen in our lives. Just like what happened to Walt. I related this biography to school, in terms of that if I keep trying then good things will happen like graduating with a degree for example. Overall I really enjoyed this short little biography on Mr. Walt Disney and learning about his past before deciding to create Disneyland, just wish he was still alive to see how successful the park has become and more with other parks opening around the world too. I would definitely recommend this book young children who have Disney side or who are inspired by Walt. Like Walt says, Never give up on your dreams, aim high and set your standards high if at first you don’t succeed then step back and try again. Those are the words/message I take away from the biography.
Who Was Walt Disney
By: Whitney Stewart
Who was Walt Disney is a great book that talk about the famous creator of Disneyland, which is one of my all-time favorite places to be with my family because it really brings happiness and makes me enjoy being with my family. The book is a biography on Walt’s life from birth, growing up in Marceline, Missouri on a farm to creating one of the world’s most successful, and amazing theme parks that millions of people enjoy going to. The book gives a brief overview of his life before creating Disneyland so there wasn’t much detail of his early childhood years but I still enjoyed reading it. The only picture in the book is the cover page which is an illustration of Walt standing in front of what appears to be Cinderella’s castle. The cartoon effect was a new design that I haven’t seen on most of the books that I have read so it was interesting how they could still have so much detail in a cartoon were the lines aren’t perfect nor are the heads proportionate to the body. At times I think that’s kind of funny depending on the cartoon.
I always like reading about people who come from pretty much nothing and can create something with their lives. It talks about in Walt’s biography on how he was inspired to build Disneyland due to the fact that he liked trains and always wanted to own a train. That’s why when you walk into Disneyland, the first thing we see is the train station. Another interesting fact I learned is how teachers told Walt that he would never amount to much, calling him stupid really just discriminating against him. It just goes to show that if we put our minds to something and really work hard for it good things, or more like amazing things will happen in our lives. Just like what happened to Walt. I related this biography to school, in terms of that if I keep trying then good things will happen like graduating with a degree for example. Overall I really enjoyed this short little biography on Mr. Walt Disney and learning about his past before deciding to create Disneyland, just wish he was still alive to see how successful the park has become and more with other parks opening around the world too. I would definitely recommend this book young children who have Disney side or who are inspired by Walt. Like Walt says, Never give up on your dreams, aim high and set your standards high if at first you don’t succeed then step back and try again. Those are the words/message I take away from the biography.
April 15, 2014
"Who Was Walt Disney?" had some interesting stories and details about Walt Disney. Regardless of being a rather short book I feel like it covered a lot of info about his life, probably because it never spent a whole lot of time on one part of his life. It just covered a little bit about big things that happened each year or every couple of years. I like these "Who Was?" books, I would be interested in reading more.
February 25, 2016
The book Who was Walt Disney is a very interesting book that tells a lot about Walt Disney. The book is about what Walt did in his lifetime, and how he got through all of the struggles in his life too. I would recommend this book to anybody who wants to know about Walt Disney, and what he did, and how he did it.
April 4, 2017
Recommended by a teacher as an appropriate biography for a 3rd grader.
I can't believe the crummy sentence structure for kids of this age, but other than that I was impressed. I learned quite a bit about Disney and thought the author did a good job talking about the good and the bad. Who can picture Walt Disney as a demanding boss with a temper?!
I can't believe the crummy sentence structure for kids of this age, but other than that I was impressed. I learned quite a bit about Disney and thought the author did a good job talking about the good and the bad. Who can picture Walt Disney as a demanding boss with a temper?!
Read
February 15, 2015It was very good. Low level. And didn't tell me a lot about Hershey kisses/ his factory/product.Told me mostly about his early life but I don't remember that much because I have read so many book after last year.
August 10, 2020
This book is a short piece of history of Walt Disney. It tells of his life growing up as a kid, a young adult, and then on to his success. This is a very good book for elementary readers. I enjoyed myself!
February 12, 2015
this dook was about the life of walt disney
October 27, 2015
My son likes this book.
May 8, 2022
Perfect little gem to listen to on my plane ride to Disneyland. I admire Walt Disney and his legacy.
November 8, 2018
I rate this book at 4 stars because it has really good facts about walt disney but it wasn't my favorite book. It talks about how walt disney was a cartoon artist and his company had a lot of ups and downs. It talks about how when he build the park that he had to disguise him self when he went out in park so he wouldn't get mobed. It tells all about his life and how he dealed with things when they went down.
April 12, 2019
E o carte foarte subțire și nu pot vorbi mult despre ea, pentru că ar însemna să povestesc viața lui Walt și nu ați mai avea ce să citiți din ea, dar, în ciuda dimensiunilor reduse, conține multe informații. Eu îl admir foarte mult pe Walt și, dacă ar trebui să aleg o persoană celebră ca idol, aceea ar fi Walt, fără îndoială. Mă bucur că am aflat atâtea lucruri despre el și cred că este o lectură potrivită atât pentru copii, cât și pentru adulți, dar, mai ales, pentru oricine s-a bucurat măcar o dată de Mickey Mouse și alte personaje născocite de el. Recenzia aici: https://sandradeaconu.blogspot.com/20....
February 6, 2017
I read this with my daughter for her biography report for school. It was a great book and I learned a lot about Walt Disney. Although these books are intended for kids, I think that I will go ahead and read a whole bunch of them. I like it that it isn't a big long overly in-depth book, but a good short biography to learn a little bit more about some famous people.
November 9, 2017
I liked this book because it had lots of interesting facts about Walt Disney. The drawings really helped me understand parts of the book. I would recommend this to anyone who likes Disney Land/World or Disney movies. It has lots of facts that most people probably don't know about Walt Disney. This was a quick read with lots of facts.
August 8, 2022
Mickey mouse is my favourite character and I did not know that Walt Disney created him. He created a bunch of other characters to make friends for Mickey which is really nice because they can go on more adventures and have more fun. I read this book because I love Disney and thought it'll be fun to read about Walt Disney.
January 11, 2026
Who was Walt Disney?
This small but mighty book depicting Walt Disney’s life is packed with great information. Some of which I had no idea.
As an adult learning to love reading again this is a great way to learn so many facts about our history, in a short amount of time.
Audio narrator has a soothing voice with great inflection. Just a delight to listen to.
This small but mighty book depicting Walt Disney’s life is packed with great information. Some of which I had no idea.
As an adult learning to love reading again this is a great way to learn so many facts about our history, in a short amount of time.
Audio narrator has a soothing voice with great inflection. Just a delight to listen to.
May 8, 2019
Walt Disney
The book was a nice and concise summary of Walt Disney. Disney grinded and made a living doing what he loved, which is awesome. He also spent time with his wife and kids, and balanced work and life. This was hard at the beginning, but he was able to do it.
The book was a nice and concise summary of Walt Disney. Disney grinded and made a living doing what he loved, which is awesome. He also spent time with his wife and kids, and balanced work and life. This was hard at the beginning, but he was able to do it.
February 1, 2018
i think this book was cool and entertaining
June 21, 2018
Ok, n-am intrat pe gooodreads de cand lumea, deci am ceva de adaugat :)))
Displaying 1 - 30 of 611 reviews