Franklin D. Roosevelt

Children's Literature

This entry in the well-written "Our Presidents" series provides an overview of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's life, including his early years in Hyde Park, New York, his rise to political life during World War I and important aspects of his presidency, including his personal struggle with polio and his constant struggle with the economy. A variety of photographs show his family, Eleanor Roosevelt and official government activities. Other outtake pages include information about the Depression and the Atomic Age, and a separate section about "A New Kind of First Lady" which Eleanor Roosevelt forged. Sidebars include interesting facts and 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. 2002, The Child's World, $27.07. Ages 10 to 14. Reviewer: Susan Hepler