298. Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Leader in Troubled Times

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Leader in Troubled Times by the Editors of TIME FOR KIDS with Jeremy Caplan (Canada) - (US)
TIME for Kids Biographies series

Pages: 44
Ages: 7-10
Finished: Dec. 29, 2010
First Published: 2005
Publisher: Harper Collins
Genre: children, easy reader, non-fiction, biography
Rating: 4/5


First sentence:

Times were tough all across America.

Acquired: Bought my own new copy.

Reason for Reading: Read aloud to ds for our history curriculum.

This is the third book we've read in this series for history and we've enjoyed them all. My son seems to have taken quite a liking to biographies in this format with lots of photographs. No reading level is given but it is an advanced early reader, perhaps the equivalent of a Level 4 from other series. The words are large and the text has a space and half between lines. FDR's life is told from his childhood through his death, concentrating on his years as president and focusing on the Depression and WWII. FDR's basic policies are introduced in a simple easy to understand manner, we learn of his polio (and how it may not have been polio) that left him wheelchair bound and how the president never let that interfere with his job or public image, his marriage to Eleanor and her role as the first First Lady to play a part in politics then finally onto FDR's role in WWII and his sudden death. Very detailed for such a short biography. Occasional sidebars add some extra information of a more personal or historical note and the numerous photographs with captions also add information not covered in the text. An enjoyable, informative biography for this age group.