Eleanor Roosevelt An inspiring life

Gr 4-6-Fourteen short chapters take readers from Roosevelt's privileged but sad childhood through her marriage, political and family life, and post-FDR humanitarian work. That she was one of the most important women in U.S. history is made quite clear. Her husband's infidelity is mentioned. The writing is clear, interesting, and affectionate toward its subject. Personal quotes are sprinkled throughout, and a cartoon representation of Roosevelt chats with readers on several pages. Back matter includes an extensive index and list of historic places. The period photographs, while plentiful and engrossing, can be found elsewhere. Given the number of books available for this age group, this attractive title will appeal to browsers and report writers, but it isn't a necessary purchase.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This admiring biography of the woman who transformed the role of First Lady provides a detailed account of Roosevelt's life. The thoughtfully designed volume includes running text on the verso pages and collages of captioned photographs on the recto pages. Quotations and a caricatured Eleanor (who narrates through speech bubbles) also appear throughout, making some of the pages look crowded. Directory, timeline. Ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Eleanor Roosevelt never wanted to be First Lady; she would be just "plain, ordinary Mrs. Roosevelt. And that's all." In clear, matter-of-fact writing, MacLeod's entry in the Snapshots series weaves the parallel stories of two major figures of American history. While Franklin Delano Roosevelt followed his political ambitions to the White House, Eleanor got involved with social causes. During the Great Depression, she urged the creation of the National Youth Administration. She championed Marian Anderson's performance at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 and worked with Mary McLeod Bethune to fight for civil rights. After WWII, Truman asked her to be a delegate to the United Nations, where she worked for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Each page of text in this accessible volume is a new topic and faces a page of further information, including quotations, photographs and reproductions of posters and newspaper headlines. The author also includes a frank discussion of FDR's affair with Lucy Mercer. A useful resource for library and classroom, this will appeal to readers and browsers alike. (chronology, places to visit, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.