Eleanor (Picture Puffin Books) [Paperback]

Barbara Cooney (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Picture Puffin Books

Though she came from a wealthy and privileged family, Eleanor Roosevelt grew up in a cheerless household that left her lonely and shy. Years passed before Eleanor began to discover in herself the qualities of intelligence, compassion, and strength that made her a remarkable woman. In Eleanor, two-time Caldecott Medal winner Barbara Cooney paints a meticulously researched, lushly detailed picture of Eleanor's childhood world--but most importantly, she captures the essence of the little girl whose indomitable spirit would make her one of the greatest and most beloved first ladies of all time.

"There are many biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt, but this one is special...Cooney is at her artistic best." --Booklist

* Ages 5 up
* An ALA Notable Book
* An NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
* A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
* A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
* An IRA-CBC Children's Choice Book

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Award-winning author Cooney presents a well-researched and poignant storybook biography of Eleanor Roosevelt's childhood. The wartime First Lady of the New Deal, who became one of the most beloved Americans for her empathy with the downtrodden, was famously unglamorous and plain in looks, even as a child. Her beautiful and awful mother humiliated the little girl, calling her Granny, "because she is so funny and old-fashioned looking." Orphaned at nine the girl eventually found her way to confidence, helped initially by a boarding-school headmistress. The book mentions only briefly Roosevelt's later achievements, so a parent will have to supply a little context for this tale of an ugly duckling who turns into, not a swan, but a fulfilled and happy duck. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

The privileged though painful childhood of First Lady and humanitarian Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) is chronicled with tenderness and care in Caldecott Medalist Cooney's (Emily; The Ox-Cart Man) memorable picture book biography. Skillfully compressing a bounty of detail, the author/artist focuses on Eleanor's emotional life as a childhood "ugly duckling": "From the beginning the baby was a disappointment to her mother," Cooney begins. The tale ends with Eleanor's years at Allenswood, the English boarding school whose gifted headmistress helped transform Eleanor into a confident young woman. Cooney wisely refrains from specifically naming the Roosevelt family, allowing children to experience the text as an entertaining story as well as a piece of history. Creamy, reverently rendered paintings portray fashionable Manhattan, Hudson River Valley and Long Island settings; Cooney's intricate reproductions of houses and her recreations of period clothing and interiors are pleasures to behold as well as visual history lessons. An afterword sheds light on Eleanor Roosevelt's career (but would have benefited from the inclusion of her birth, marriage and death dates); most readers will probably want to explore more fully the groundbreaking achievements outlined here. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin; 1st Scholastic edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439137365
• ISBN-13: 978-0140555837
• ASIN: 0140555838
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 2.4 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #91,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Biographies > Other
  • #12 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( R ) > Roosevelt, Eleanor
  • #13 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Biographies > U. S. Presidents & First Ladies

More About the Author

Barbara Cooney and her twin brother were born on August 6, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York to Russell Schenck Cooney and Mae Evelyn Bossert. Because her father was a stockbroker, her family lived in suburbia, which Barbara disliked.
Cooney attended a boarding school as a child. Never considering an art school and wanting a liberal arts education, she later attended Smith College where she studied art history and received her degree in 1938, a decision she was later to regret.
Realizing that she needed to make a living at something, she decided that illustrating books was a career as good as any. She attended classes on etching and lithography at the Art Students League in New York City.
She quickly received assignments after getting a portfolio together and schlepping it around to publishers, but, unfortunately, World War II postponed her new career for a bit. Recalling an earlier trip to Germany prior to the war and the horrors that she had seen there, she was compelled to join the Women's Army Corps during the summer of 1942.
She enrolled in officer training and achieved the rank of second lieutenant, but was honorably discharged the following spring because of marriage and the pregnancy of her first child, Gretel. She married Guy Murchie, Jr., a war correspondent, in December of 1944. In 1945, the young couple bought a farm in Pepperell, Massachusetts where they ran a children's camp during the summer months. One can only imagine that, perhaps, family life didn't suit Mr. Murchie and the couple divorced in March of 1947, but not before having one more child, Barnaby.
With a young family to support, Cooney resumed her career in book illustration. She married Charles Talbot Porter, a physician, on July 16, 1949, and the couple had two more children, Charles Talbot Jr. and Phoebe Ann.
By this time, Cooney was illustrating several books a year and even wrote one herself now and then. In fact, it was for her adaptation of Chaucer's The Nun Priest's Tale that she won the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1959.
Cooney was a stickler for details and traveled extensively to support her research. A visit to Mexico was required to study at the art and anthropological museums there. A visit to Finland was in order to meet with artist, writers and folklorists there.
Cooney died on 14 March, 2000 at the age of 83. Her last book was Basket Moon published in September of 1999
In the later part of her career Cooney focused on writing and illustrating more books of her own, and these were equally well--received. Miss Rumphius, for which the author won both the American Book Award and a New York Times citation in 1982, was inspired by the true story of a woman who traveled the world collecting flower seeds and came home at last to make something beautiful. Her most recent books include Hattie and the Wild Waves.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a moving book!, February 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Eleanor (Picture Puffin Books) (Paperback)

It leaves hope that a child who is rejected for being unattractive and shy can find a person who is accepting and willing to reach out to them. It also reminds me how important a teacher can be to bring out the best in a pupil and prepare them for adult life and self-acceptance.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful introduction to an important lady., May 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Eleanor (Hardcover)

Barbara Cooney provides a true hero for all of today's children. This beautiful story of Eleanor Roosevelt's early life will serve not only as an introduction to this important lady but also as an inspiration to achieve great things in life.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eleanor Roosevelt from the Beginning....., May 23, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eleanor (Hardcover)

"From the beginning the baby was a disappointment to her mother. She was born red and wrinkled, an ugly little thing. And she was not a boy." So begins Barbara Cooney's poignant and inspirational picture book biography of Eleanor Roosevelt's unhappy childhood. Born to beautiful and gregarious parents, this plain, shy, fearful little girl was orphaned at the young age of nine, and spent a lonely and isolated childhood living in the homes of her fabulously wealthy relatives. At the age of fifteen, her grandmother sent her off to Allenswood, a boarding school in Britain, and there under the tutelage of headmistress, Mlle. Souvestre, ugly duckling Eleanor began to grow and bloom, becoming the remarkable, poised, and confident woman America loved and admired..... Ms Cooney's well researched, gentle story is both fascinating and engaging as it captures the essence of an introverted and intelligent child trying to discover her true nature and talents, and is complemented by her marvelously evocative illustrations. Each picture is filled with meticulous late-nineteenth century detail, from the period dress and grand houses with their opulent interiors, to the captivating streets and parks of New York City, and country life on Long Island. Together word and art paint an intriguing and captivating picture of both little Eleanor, and the times in which she lived. With a short afterword detailing some of Mrs Roosevelt's later accomplishments, Eleanor is a superb introduction that is sure to whet the appetite of youngsters 6-10, and send them out looking for more.