Dwight D. Eisenhower, our thirty-fourth president

Children's Literature

This entry in the well-written "Our Presidents" series details Dwight Eisenhower's early years in Kansas, rise to political life and the accomplishments of his presidency, including an abiding interest in anti-Communism, a stable economy and Civil Rights. A variety of photographs show his family and military activities including his substantial contributions as a general in World War II. Other outtake pages include information about the rise of the Axis powers, the age of prosperity ushered in after the War, and the Eisenhower's family life, minus pictures of their children. Sidebars include interesting facts and the picture captions are informative and lengthy enough to inform casual browsers. Each book in the series ends with a glossary defining highlighted words in the text, a timeline specific to the president's life, a complete table of presidents through George W. Bush with their home states, life spans, presidential spans, political party and the name of their first ladies. Included are a page of "Presidential Facts" and numerous web sites and relevant suggested other resources, as well as an index. All in all, it's a strong, informative, and very readable contribution to the literature about presidents for upper elementary and middle-school readers.
—Susan Hepler