Laura Bush:First Lady/Pb (Gateway Biographies) [Paperback]

Stone Tanya (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-In an easy-to-read style, this chapterless book covers the life of the First Lady from her childhood in Midland, TX, to her current life in Washington, DC. Sidebars discuss subjects such as "First Pets" and "A Second First Lady"-about two Bush women in the White House. Light blue circles throughout the text give "Fun Facts" that include her hobbies, favorite foods, etc. Full-color and black-and-white photos add to the presentation. A suitable introduction for reports and general reading.

Debbie Feulner, Northwest Middle School, Greensboro, NC

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

From Booklist

Reviewed with Barbara Silberdick Feinberg's Joseph Lieberman.

Gr. 4-6. Two players from the last election, Joseph Lieberman and Laura Bush are profiled in these slim volumes. The Leiberman biography is the weaker of the two. The writing is clunky in places, and there is no analysis. Feinberg notes that Leiberman ran the first negative TV ad in Connecticut, but fails to deal with how that squares with his highly ethical reputation; better is her discussion of the way Leiberman integrated his Judaism with politics. As Lieberman is the first Jewish candidate to run for national office, his story needs to be told, and this supplies some highlights. Stone's book on Bush covers the high points of the First Lady's life, her childhood in Texas, her career as a teacher and a librarian, and her unexpected role as wife of a politician. One insert about "First Pets" seems oddly placed, but the book is easy to read, and there's enough material for reports. Both books feature nice selections of color and black-and-white photos. Time lines and bibliographies are appended. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Millbrook Press (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076131539X
• ISBN-13: 978-0761315391
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,855,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tanya Lee Stone is an award-winning author of books for kids and teens. Stone went to performing arts high school in New Haven, CT and went on to major in English at Oberlin College (and study Voice at Oberlin Conservatory). After graduation she moved to New York and became an editor. Stone was an editor for more than a dozen years and has a Masters Degree in Science Education. She teaches Writing for Children at Champlain College.

After moving to Vermont, Stone became a full-time writer and has published more than 90 books for young readers. She writes picture books, nonfiction, and Young Adult fiction. Her newest nonfiction books have garnered some major awards. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream (Candlewick 09), received a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, Jane Addams Honor, YALSA Nonfiction Finalist, Orbis Pictus Honor, and was awarded ALA's Sibert Medal for the best nonfiction book for young readers of 2010. The Good the Bad, and the Barbie won SCBWI's Golden Kite Award for the best nonfiction book of the year for 2011.

Her Young Adult novel, A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl (Wendy Lamb/Random House) was an IRA Young Adult Choice, an ALA Quick Picks, an NYPL Book for the Teen Age, and SLJ Book of the Month. Her newest nonfiction picture books, Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote and Sandy's Circus: A Story About Alexander Calder received starred reviews and were put on several state award lists. Elizabeth Leads the Way is also an ALA Notable, an Amelia Bloomer Award title, and a CBC Notable Social Studies Book.

Forthcoming titles include picture books about Elizabeth Blackwell and Jane Addams, as well as a YA nonfiction book about the first black paratroopers in WWII called Courage Has No Color.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Laura Bush Biography is a Big Disappointment!, May 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Laura Bush:First Lady/Pb (Gateway Biographies) (Paperback)

The text of this biography on Laura Bush is choppy and shallow. The book lacks "flow." Information which is unnecessary is just "stuck in" for reasons unclear to the reader. One example of this is a paragraph about a car accident that Laura was in as a teenager. If the author thought this was important enough to include, enough information should have been provided to understand why it was included. Personally, I thought it was totally unnecessary. I'm not sure why the mini piece on "First Pets" was included either. Finally, there was "overkill" regarding the election. Al Gore and the closeness of the election didn't need to be repeated 2-3 times in a book which is supposedly focusing on Laura Bush, who has done so much for the children of Texas, the country and is now branching out to help children around the world! I was very disappointed in both the content and the writing style of this biography about a very special woman. As an elementary teacher, I would not recommend it to a school library, or to a classroom teacher, to use as a resource for biographical information on Laura Bush.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book on the First Lady!, December 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Laura Welch Bush: First Lady (Gateway Biographies) (School & Library Binding)

Tanya Lee Stone has done it again! This inspiring biography gives the reader new insight on Laura Bush--both personally and in her role as First Lady. A nice tribute to a lovely lady.