World War II

Barbara Cooney’s Eleanor (Puffin, 1999) is a charming picture book about the childhood of Eleanor Roosevelt and how it helped shape the amazing woman she was to become. For ages 5-8.

Kathleen Krull’s A Boy Named FDR (Dragonfly, 2016) is an appealing picture-book biography concentrated on FDR’s childhood, entry into politics, and battle with polio. A summary of his achievements as president is included. For ages 5-9.

Russell Freedman’s Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery (Clarion, 1997), a Newbery Honor book, illustrated with period photos, is an excellent biography for ages 10 and up.

Kem Knapp Sawyer’s Eleanor Roosevelt (DK, 2017), illustrated with many color and black-and-white photos, is a reader-friendly biography for ages 10 and up.

Pam Munoz Ryan’s Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride (Scholastic, 1999) is the picture-book story of a little-known slice of history – a night in 1933 when Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart, still clothed in evening gowns, slipped away from a White House dinner, commandeered an airplane, and went for a ride. For ages 7-10.

Douglas Wood’s Franklin and Winston: A Christmas That Changed the World (Candlewick, 2011), beautifully illustrated with watercolor paintings by Barry Moser, is an engaging account of the momentous 1941 Christmas meeting between Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill that forged an essential alliance and eventually led to Allied victory in World War II. For ages 7-10.

Richard Panchyk’s Franklin Delano Roosevelt for Kids (Chicago Review Press, 2007) covers FDR’s life and times, with period photos, first-person accounts, and 21 hands-on projects and activities, among them building a model ship, starting a stamp collection, and designing a WPA-style mural. For ages 9 and up.

Ken Burns’s The Roosevelts: An Intimate History is a seven-episode mini-series from PBS, covering Theodore, Franklin, and Eleanor Roosevelt, running from 1858 to 1962. The website has a photo gallery and classroom resources and suggested activities.

Sunrise at Campobello (1960) is the story of FDR’s battle with polio, which he contracted in 1921, and its effect on his family and his political career. Not rated, but definitely in the G or PG category.

From PBS’s The Presidents series, see FDR and Truman. Click on each president for primary source material, images, and film clips.