Step inside the house where FDR made history!
WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE LITTLE MISS HISTORY BOOK SERIES…
”…Turning the pages is like visiting an interactive museum and taking a journey through each milestone. Little Miss History “travels” and so do we, enjoyably so – and I am sure to the bookshelves of many fans of this delightful series.” – Amazon Reviewer
“This is a series not to … Reviewer
“This is a series not to be missed. History teachers will love its entertainment value, and the important facts it conveys. Kids will love it for the fun and colorful illustrations. Overall, a win-win for everyone.”- Reviewed by Kitty Muse Book Reviews
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Learning history in a fun way
‘Little Miss History Travels to Hyde Park, Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt: Presidential Library & Museum’ by Barbara and Victor Mojica bring a new part of history to life again. I was sucked into the story from the very first page, while Little Miss History drives through Hyde Park to the house where Franklin D. Roosevelt was born and returned many times during his presidency.
To understand the present better, we have to know about the past. The author’s alter ego, Little Miss History is the perfect guide to tell us this time about the personal and presidential life of Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR).
Did you know that FDR was born in this house in Hyde Park? That he contracted polio when he was 39 years old and was paralyzed from his waist down? But needing a wheelchair didn’t make him doubt about himself. Eleven years later he became the president of the United States of America, and afterward got re-elected 3 more times. He was a positive role model for disabled people.
Little Miss History makes you stand still at what happened during the great depression of the 1930s and World War II. We learn that FDR and his wife Eleonor, born into wealthy families, spoke on behalf of the underprivileged. As president, he made programs for senior care, the minimum wage for workers, and provided jobs for men who were unemployed (yes, at that time people believed women better stay at home).
These days we do care a lot about the environment and trees. Well, did you know that FDR loved trees too and that he planted more than half a million of them?
‘What we do today is important for tomorrow’, and to give the people of tomorrow a chance to study about today, FDR was the first president who donated his work-related documents to the American people. Today, his house at Hyde Park is one of the busiest research centers in the world.
And for all those reasons, I believe this is a book that should be in every school library today. There is enough content to learn about, to exchange ideas between teacher and pupils… And what an introduction this book is, to ask children, small and big ones, ‘What ideas do you have to create a better world tomorrow?’
I highly recommend!
A treasure trove of facts and opportunities
To say that Barbara Ann Mojica’s latest book is worthy of awards and accolades for its representation of pithy facts about FDR does not completely do it justice. Beyond the captivating photos and illustrations (by Victor Ramon Mojica), the way it playfully entices children into the subject, are many opportunities for expanded knowledge and interaction between teacher and student. Our history as a country and a people, to know all the amazing accomplishments of President FDR, is vital to every new generation. To know that he courageously led the country through the Great Depression, WWII, and was the first and only President to be elected to four terms, are notable achievements in themselves. To do so while suffering polio is a testament that people with disabilities can transcend their situation and rise to greatness. To realize that he (and his wife, Eleanor) were born to wealth and privilege and yet devoted their lives to public service to improve the lives of less advantaged citizens should be an inspiration to us all, especially youngsters in this era of technical toys and self-gratification.
Mojica dedicates her book to “all the children I have been fortunate enough to teach.” To that she can add “to all the adults I have reminded of our heritage, our heroes, and our country’s aspirations.” Most of us know, when prodded, that FDR created the Conservation Corps and was an avid environmentalist who planted more than a half million trees. Teaching Opportunity #1: how important it is to honor and protect our environment, especially in this era of climate change. FDR created and implemented Social Security, the minimum wage, unemployment insurance, the FDIC and the SEC. Teaching Opportunity #2: how important these programs are to the fabric of our society, that they kept millions of people from abject poverty, protected their personal financial welfare, and should be protected as rights of every American for generations to come. Of a lighter – but no less educational – perspective is the fact that FDR’s father bought the Hyde Park home in 1867 for $40,000. Teaching Opportunity #3: That was a lot of money in 1867; how much would that be in 2019 dollars! A math problem, and a real estate lesson: location, location, location.
There are more opportunities, to be sure, for exploration such as the exquisite photos of FDR’s home and library which can open up a conversation on 19th and 20th century architecture and decor. Teachers and parents will certainly add to my insights. At the end of the book is a Glossary that explains all the new terms kids will encounter in the book, which expands their knowledge as well as their vocabulary. Finally, it asks: “What ideas do you have to create a better tomorrow?” What better way to get children to use their creativity and ingenuity, put it in writing or in a piece of art, or maybe into song – and give us all hope for the future.