Franklin & Eleanor

Franklin & Eleanor

From School Library JournalGrade 3-6-Copiously illustrated with realistic watercolors, some in full color, some in a muted blue, this dual biography is a little hagiographic but engaging nonetheless. Beginning with a family tree that shows how these famous Roosevelts were related, the narrative starts with the birth and early childhood of Franklin, then turns to the less happy early life of Eleanor. The book is unflinching in its treatment of Eleanor's uncaring mother and alcoholic father and Franklin's overbearing mother, but some of the later issues in the Roosevelts' marriage go unmentioned. However, the clarity with which Franklin's polio and Eleanor's reluctant first forays into public speaking is discussed is exemplary. Following their lives through to the end, the lively text will engage even reluctant readers. This lovely introductory title concludes with a chronology and contact information for the homes of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Less detailed than Russell Freedman's Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Clarion, 1990) or Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery (Clarion, 1993), Harness's work could serve as a jumping-off point for those more in-depth books.-Ann Welton, Grant Elementary School, Tacoma, WACopyright