JFK

PreS-Gr 2--The initials that make up the title of this admiring picture-book biography send a message to its readers: the smiling man on the cover was so important that even today, people recognize those three letters. The narrative begins with the author's personal connection to President John F. Kennedy, a glimpse of him in a parade in Dallas, Texas, on the day of the assassination. Winter was only a year old, but, he says, he's heard the story often. After these opening scenes, he provides a chronological summary of Kennedy's life, from sickly childhood in the shadow of a "perfect" older brother through a successful, if short, adult life of public service. Two accomplishments highlighted are writing Profiles in Courage and averting nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Like this team's Barack (HarperCollins, 2008), this title verges on homage. Several spreads show Kennedy in front of admiring crowds, including a green mall packed with spectators at his inauguration (the scene shows no trace of the eight inches of snow that fell the night before). Rockwell-like vignettes show the young Joe, Jr. playing football and the young Jack reading about Camelot; gold-framed portraits show the two as war heroes. In keeping with Kennedy's own carefully crafted image, the sun always shines on his family. For the youngest historians, however, this is an appealing introduction to the Kennedy legend.--Kathleen Isaacs, Children's Literature Specialist, Pasadena, MD

Winter opens this picture-book biography of John F. Kennedy with his 1963 assassination and a striking bit of personal history: just a year old, Winter himself was there that day in Dallas: "I watched his car pass by, watched him waving to the crowds of cheering people, watched him getting smaller and smaller as the car drove on." Beginning the book with tragedy allows Winter to conclude it with a sense of hope and promise, after whisking readers on a tour of select moments in Kennedy's life, from sickly daydreamer who "loved words" to war hero, senator, and president. Throughout, Winter emphasizes how Kennedy's charisma and eloquence served him both in campaigning for the presidency and in diffusing situations like the Cuban Missile Crisis. Ford, who collaborated with Winter on 2008's Barack, contributes fairly static paintings, several based on iconic photographs (a b&w image of Kennedy debating Nixon on TV; a 1931 photo of the Kennedy family on the beach in Hyannis Port). A rosy and somewhat thin account of Camelot. Ages 4-8. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Oct.)