No matter how the question is answered, one thing is clear: There has hardly been a life in the last century that Eleanor Roosevelt has not affected, in one way or another. From securing safe, low-cost housing for Kentucky's poor, to helping her grandchildren hang a tire swing on the White House's south lawn, to representing America as the first female delegate to the United Nations, Eleanor rarely kept a second of her life for herself -- and she wouldn't have had it any other way.
In this stunning "scrapbook" biography, Candace Fleming, author of the acclaimed Ben Franklin's Almanac, turns her keen eye to our nation's premier First Lady. Filled with photographs of everything from Eleanor's speech at the 1940 Democratic National Convention to her high school report card, as well as fascinating stories about life in and out of the White House, Our Eleanor gives us a remarkable perspective on a remarkable woman, and presents to a new generation an Eleanor to call its own.

About The Author

Photograph (c) Eric Rohmann

Candace Fleming

Candace Fleming is the acclaimed author of numerous books for children, including the Bulldozer books; Ben Franklin’s Almanac, an ALA Notable Book and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, as well as Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!, and Sibert Medal honorees The Honeybee, and The Giant Squid. She lives in a suburb of Chicago.

Product Details

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (October 1, 2005)
Length: 192 pages
ISBN13: 9780689865442
Ages: 10 - 14

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Raves and Reviews

"[Franklin Delano Roosevelt's] most important political asset."
-- Jim Farley, chairman of the New York State Democratic Party

"A woman who does not know her place."
-- Winston Churchill

"The best-dressed woman of 1934."
--U.S. fashion industry

"The only one who comprehends the true meaning of democracy."
-- Marian Anderson, legendary black opera singer

"Candace Fleming has chronicled the life of Eleanor Roosevelt as no other. With photographs on every page and with special attention having been given each important person, place, and project, this book provides an exciting glimpse into a remarkable life. It will appeal to young and old alike."
-- Chandler Roosevelt Lindsley and Elliott Roosevelt Jr., grandchildren of Eleanor Roosevelt

"This book belongs in every school library and on the shelf of everyone who cares how America came to be the country we know. With thorough research and vivid storytelling, Candace Fleming brings to life a fascinating and complex woman. Through one engrossing tale after another, perfectly illustrated with historical photographs, Eleanor emerges from these beautiful pages; by midway, you half expect her to wander into your kitchen for tea at any moment."
-- Karen Blumenthal, author of Let Me Play

"Creating a unique form for biography -- the collage -- the author has given us a superbly rounded and penetrating portrait of one of our greatest women, Eleanor Roosevelt. No one can read it and not feel deeply grateful for her long service to the American people and to human rights the world round."
-- Milton Meltzer, five-time National Book Award finalist and author of There Comes a Time: The Struggle for Civil Rights

"Candace Fleming's portrait bursts at the seams with energy, and makes brilliantly clear why Eleanor Roosevelt is a perfect role model for American kids, and for kids around the world. Mrs. Roosevelt wasn't the head of her time, she's the head of our time."
-- James Carville

"In Our Eleanor Candace Fleming sets a new standard for the blending of an astonishing number of apt illustrations with fine writing and a strong sense of the ever-fascinating Eleanor Roosevelt."
-- Marc Aronson, author of the Sibert Award-winning Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado

"Many children's book writers have written biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt, but I don't know of any that illuminated so many different facets of this remarkable woman's life and activities."
-- James Cross Giblin, winner of the Robert F. Sibert Award and author of The Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin

Awards and Honors

ALA Notable Children's Books
ILA Teachers' Choices
CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children's Book Council)
CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book
ALA Best Books For Young Adults
NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
Publishers Weekly Best Books
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award
ALA Amelia Bloomer Project
Pennsylvania School Librarian Association (PSLA) "Top Ten (Or So)" Young Adult Books
SLJ Best Book of the Year
Jefferson Cup Award Honor Title (VA)
Kansas NEA Reading Circle List Starred High School Title