Hot Dog!: Eleanor Roosevelt Throws a Picnic

Gr 2–4—This picture book recounts England's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth's 1939 visit to America. Eleanor Roosevelt is depicted as an active, tireless, and caring First Lady who can handle stately White House dinners proficiently enough, even though she prefers simpler fare. While specific source notes aren't provided, Kimmelman references the letters available at the research library at Hyde Park, where the Roosevelts hosted the picnic honoring the royal guests. Snippets of the letters highlight the first couple's down-to-earth qualities and Eleanor's deft handling of the criticism she received for daring to serve hot dogs to the royals. From Queen Elizabeth's dainty and tentative expression while eating her dog with a fork and knife to Eleanor's wide smile and FDR's pointed chin, the exaggerated features of the caricature illustrations amplify the humor and warmth generated from a meeting that would prove to sustain the leaders through the dark times of World War II.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library