In fictionalized letters between a president and a child who lived during his administration, events, places, personalities, and the spirit of a time come alive. At the turn of the 20th century, industrial cities from Maine to Virginia ran on coal dug from mines. In this fictional account, Frank Kovacs's father has been injured, and Frank, at age 8, must quit school and begin work in the mines. Frank knows that anyone can write to the president - so, when he is 13, he does. President Theodore Roosevelt promptly responds. Thus begins the exchange between Frank, describing his life in the mines, and the president, expressing concern for a boy the age of one of his sons. Young readers will be moved by Frank's plight, gain insight into the 26th president of the United States, and learn about the issues of his time. The Dear Mr. President series features: meticulous research; award-winning children's book authors; extensive photographs; maps, primary source material, timelines, and presidential profiles; and elegant design. After reading each book - or while reading the letters - children can explore the subjects further at the Winslow Press virtual library (winslowpress.com), where they are encouraged to ask questions, seek further information, and interact with both the past and the present. Prompts throughout each book lead readers to the Web site if they wish to learn more about a particular idea raised in the letters.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Gr 5-7-A new series in which readers meet a president through fictional correspondence with a young person of the time period. In this volume, children learn about mining life and work in Pennsylvania in the early 1900s. Fifteen-year-old Frank Kovacs comes to life through his letters while the contrasts of economic class and social roles are made vivid by Roosevelt's letters. Readers are also made aware of the workers' plight, the movement toward child-labor laws, strikes, and unionization. Historical photos, cartoons, and sketches add visual interest. Readers are frequently referred to the publisher's Web site for additional information. The "More about Theodore Roosevelt" section at the end of the book provides 10 pages of biographical information. While students may not be easily drawn into the letter format and style, teachers will be able to bring the characters, time period, and issues to life by reading selected letters aloud. Pair this book with the more complete information presented in Susan Campbell Bartoletti's Growing up in Coal Country (Houghton, 1996). An interesting addition to collections and curricula in which this time period and these issues are the focus of study.-Janie Schomberg, Leal Elementary School, Urbana,
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 3-6. This is the first in the Dear Mr. President series, which uses fictionalized letters between an imaginary child and a U.S. president to profile a chief executive and highlight important events of the time. Theodore Roosevelt corresponds with a 13-year-old Pennsylvania coal miner, Frank Kovacs, who participated in the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902. Kovacs reveals much about the hardships of mining life for the workers and their families as well as the reasons for the strike. Roosevelt's letters emphasize his interactions with his own children and his feelings about the strike and its effects on the country. As always, Armstrong's research is solid and her prose strong, particularly as she contrasts Roosevelt's well-written, candid letters with Frank's naive, less-polished ones. The textbook format is a great departure for a fiction series. The book features numerous captioned documentary photos and political cartoons, an extensive bibliography, a time line, biographical information, an index, and a 20-page appendix. There are also links to the publisher's Web site where children can find a more complete discussion of selected topics. Classes studying the period are probably the best market for the title, though browsers who get past the format will enjoy the story, and teachers and students alike will find the book very clear about where the fact and fiction diverge. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bully!! for Jennifer Armstrong,
By John Olsen (Gathersburg, MD) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Dear Mr. President: Theodore Roosevelt Letters from a Young Coal Miner (Hardcover)
My name is John Olsen. I am a very big Theodore Roosevelt fan. I collect T.R. items and have study many of his writings. Jennifer Armstrong has written this book so convincingly well that I almost thought T.R. had actually written these letters. As explained in the beginning of the book, one of her major resources for the book was Roosevelt's own "Letters to His Children." So, while T.R. never had a pen pal who was a young coal miner, I am almost certain that it could have easily happened. T.R. was exactly that type of person. He was a big kid himself and would have been thrilled to have written to such a person as the young coal miner in the story. The book is filled with references to many of the exciting events of the life of Theodore Roosevelt, one of our greatest Presidents ever. Furthermore, there are detailed explanations of numerous words relating to mining and Polish culture. I strongly recommend this book for those who want to get their pre-teens excited about history and Presidents. I rather like the "Dear Mr. President" concept as a means to excite young people about Presidents. I look forward to reading the others in this series. Just remember who this book was written for and don't overanalyze it. Enjoy it!!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is terrific!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Dear Mr. President: Theodore Roosevelt Letters from a Young Coal Miner (Hardcover)
My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. What a wonderful way to provide a glimpse into the past. My daughter, age 10, had no difficulty in telling fiction from non-fiction. The design of the book is incredible. We were particularly impressed by the use of web prompts through out the book. A visit to the Winslow Press website is a must. There is nothing else out there like it on the web.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
wonderful,
By
This review is from: Dear Mr. President: Theodore Roosevelt Letters from a Young Coal Miner (Hardcover)
i am someone who likes the letter format of books and this book has it. if you like books in letter fomat than this is a good book to read and at the end it has information on thedore roosevelt. i rated this 5 stars
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