Eleanor Roosevelt

PreS-Gr 1—Although seemingly meant to be simple introductions to first ladies for very young readers, the texts here are not merely simple but frustratingly vague and uncertain. Readers learn of the Kennedys that "many people liked them" and that Laura Bush, in fact a second grade teacher and later school librarian, "worked in schools." Sentences are typically vague as, for example, each of the women "became first lady" on a given date. All of the volumes are highly visual, often including striking photos, such as Jackie Kennedy visiting the Taj Mahal or Michelle Obama reacting to the crowd with husband Barack at his first inauguration. Each book concludes with a "Quick Stats" box and time line as well as glossary and simple index. No sources are cited, although a reference is provided to a difficult-to-navigate site that links to some related web resources.