''Eleanor'' (1996) is a children's

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The ima ...

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

's childhood, written by

Barbara Cooney Barbara Cooney (August 6, 1917 – March 10, 2000) was an American writer and illustrator of 110 children's books, published for over sixty years. She received two Caldecott Medals for her work on ''Chanticleer and the Fox'' (1958) and ''Ox-Cart ...

, describing her as a shy girl who goes on to do great things.

Reception

A ''Kirkus Reviews'' review says: "Paintings reveal the action of a steamship collision; the hectic activity of a park full of children and their governesses; a night full of stars portending the girl's luminous future. The image of plain Eleanor being fitted with her first beautiful dress is an indelible one. Readers will be moved by the unfairness of her early life and rejoice when she finds her place in the world." A ''Publishers Weekly'' review says: "The author/artist focuses on Eleanor's emotional life as a childhood ""ugly duckling"": ""From the beginning the baby was a disappointment to her mother,"" Cooney begins. The tale ends with Eleanor's years at Allenswood, the English boarding school whose gifted headmistress helped transform Eleanor into a confident young woman." A ''Reading Teacher'' review says: "After reading about Eleanor's awkwardness in social settings, children can write about their own feelings in uncomfortable situations."

References

1996 children's books Cultural depictions of Eleanor Roosevelt Picture books by Barbara Cooney American picture books Children's history books about the United States Children's books set in New York City Children's books set in London Children's books set in the 1880s Children's books set in the 1890s Children's books set in the 1900s {{Child-hist-book-stub