A Picture Book of Eleanor Roosevelt (Picture Book Biographies) [Paperback]

David A. Adler (Author), Robert Casilla (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Picture Book Biographies

A brief account of the life and accomplishments of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- A crisply written biography enhanced by realistic watercolors. Key events are highlighted, from Roosevelt's early childhood to her role as representative to the United Nations. A list of important dates is included. The few flaws are worth noting. The sentence, "Eleanor's mother was beautiful, but Eleanor was not a pretty child," is contradicted by the illustration. The text also states, "In 1921 Franklin was stricken with polio. He couldn't walk after that." More accurately, he couldn't stand or walk unassisted (without braces, cane, or help from another person). The summary table of important dates is more about Franklin than Eleanor until 1945. And an opinion is stated as fact: "She was the most important, most loved woman of her time." Despite these problems, the book is enjoyable. Other titles that explore Roosevelt's personal and professional life in greater depth are Eleanor Roosevelt (Crowell, 1970; o.p.) by Jane Goodsell and Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady of the World (Viking, 1985) by Doris Faber. --Renee Blumenkrantz, Davis Community Lib . , Bethesda, MD
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

Continuing his very brief biographies, Adler presents the essential facts here in a style so succinct that it can verge on parody (``Franklin's mother Sara often told Franklin and Eleanor what to do...Eleanor didn't complain, but later she refused to be bossed around''). Casilla's skillfully composed watercolors capture the pathos in many of the situations, though his figures are sometimes wooden and he emphasizes Eleanor's tendency to appear unprepossessing. Adequate but, of necessity, superficial. (Biography/Picture book. 5-9) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823411575
• ISBN-13: 978-0823411573
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 9.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( R ) > Roosevelt, Eleanor
  • #66 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Biographies > Political
  • #97 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > Political

More About the Author

I write both fiction and non-fiction. I begin my fiction with the main character. The story comes later. Of course, since I'll be spending a lot of time with each main character, why not have him or her be someone I like? Andy Russell is based, loosely, on a beloved member of my family. He's fun to write about and the boy who inspired the character is even more fun to know. Cam Jansen is based even more loosely on a classmate of mine in the first grade whom we all envied because we thought he had a photographic memory. Now, especially when my children remind me of some promise they said I made, I really envy Cam's amazing memory. I have really enjoyed writing about Cam Jansen and her many adventures. For my books of non-fiction I write about subjects I find fascinating. My first biography was Our Golda: The Life of Golda Meir. To research that book, I bought a 1905 set of encyclopedia. Those books told me what each of the places Golda Meir lived in were like when she lived there. I've written many other biographies, including books about Martin Luther King, Jr; George Washington; Abraham Lincoln; Helen Keller; Harriet Tubman; Anne Frank; and many others in my Picture Book Biography series. I've been a Yankee and a Lou Gehrig fan for decades so I wrote Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man. It's more the story of his great courage than his baseball playing. Children face all sorts of challenges and it's my hope that some will be inspired by the courage of Lou Gehrig. I am working now on another book about a courageous man, Janusz Korczak. My book One Yellow Daffodil is fiction, too, but it's based on scores of interviews I did with Holocaust survivors for my books We Remember the Holocaust, Child of the Warsaw Ghetto, The Number on My Grandfather's Arm, and Hiding from the Nazis. The stories I heard were compelling. One Yellow Daffodil is both a look to the past and to the future, and expresses my belief in the great spirit and strength of our children. I love math and was a math teacher for many years, so it was fun for me to write several math books including Fraction Fun, Calculator Riddles, and Shape Up! Fun with Triangles and Other Polygons. In my office I have this sign, "Don't Think. Just Write!" and that's how I work. I try not to worry about each word, even each sentence or paragraph. For me stories evolve. Writing is a process. I rewrite each sentence, each manuscript, many times. And I work with my editors. I look forward to their suggestions, their help in the almost endless rewrite process. Well, it's time to get back to dreaming, and to writing, my dream of a job. David A. Adler is the author of more than 175 children's books, including the Young Cam Jansen series. He lives in Woodmere, New York.