A Boy Named FDR
How Franklin D. Roosevelt Grew Up to Change America
-
- $5.99
-
- $5.99
Publisher Description
Franklin D. Roosevelt was born into one of the wealthiest families in America, yet this ultimate rich kid grew up to do more for ordinary Americans than any other president. This appealing picture book biography shows how, from childhood on, FDR was compassionate, cheerful, determined, and enormously likable. Though he had private tutors as a young boy and later attended an elite boys' school, he played pranks and had down-to-earth fun just like any boy today.
Kathleen Krull's animated picture book biography focuses on FDR's childhood years through his entry as a young man into politics and his battle with polio. A summary of his achievements as president and a chronology of his life are included. The well-researched text and the evocative illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher provide an inspiring introduction to one of our greatest presidents.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Krull (Kubla Khan: The Emperor of Everything) details how "the ultimate rich kid," who could have had a life of luxurious ease, grew up to become one of America's most renowned 20th-century leaders. The doted-upon only child of a wealthy New York couple, Franklin Delano Roosevelt at one point Krull calls him "Fancy FDR" had it all: "nurses, private teachers, butlers, cooks, housekeepers.... all he had to say was that he wanted something and it was given to him." Krull explains how Roosevelt's family, schools, spouse, struggle with polio, and famous cousin Teddy all influenced his concern for those less fortunate, with vignettes picturing a young Roosevelt passing out Christmas gifts to servants' children and working as a camp counselor for poor youth. Johnson and Fancher's (Sunday Is for God) full-page ink and oils radiate an almost Rockwellian nostalgia. Muted hues and soft edges, found even in a dynamic painting of Roosevelt sailing off the Maine coast, complement FDR's image as a warm and caring individual. Krull concludes with a time line of his life, augmented by quotations from Roo-sevelt himself. Ages 6 10.
