Franklin Books

A true gem! This book will inspire little ones to help others. It teaches them to be superheros in everyday life by lending a helping hand and that giving can sometimes be more special than receiving. What could be more rewarding! I believe it is the greatest book in the Franklin series and we've read them all!

Franklin and his friends are heading back to school, but it looks like things are going to be a bit different. Mr. Owl has hurt his leg and so they're going to have a substitute teacher. Franklin is worried about this, as he's often reluctant to accept new things. He really likes Mr. Owl. He's not sure he'll like the new teacher.

The new teacher is Ms. Koala. She's definitely different, very different. She uses a lot of seemingly strange expressions when speaking, such as "fair dinkum." But it turns out that Ms. Koala is a bit nervous about being their replacement teacher, just as they're nervous about meeting her. Franklin comes with a great idea to make her feel better.

A nice adaptation of the special "Back to School with Franklin." The book necessary eliminates all of the special's sideplots, such as Harriet & Kit, as well as Ms. Koala setting up a school soccer team. But this version of the story really works well, and will satisfy readers.

"Franklin Celebrates" is a Franklin TV Storybook based on "Franklin Migrates," a story from the sixth season of the show. (Hasn't yet aired in the United States as of the time of the posting of this review, but will air soon.) In this story, Franklin receives an invitation to a party for a holiday he's never heard of before.

Goose sends Franklin an invitation for a Migration Eve party. Franklin doesn't know anything about the holiday, but is excited to be invited to a party. He asks Mr. Owl about the holiday, but when Mr. Owl tells him that there will be special foods and a special dance, Franklin is kind of scared to go to the party. However, when his Mom says that she's counting him to deliver a blueberry pie to the party, it seems there's no way. Franklin goes to the party and shares in a very special event, one that both he and Goose will remember.

This is one of the strongest stories from the sixth season of the show and it makes for a great book. The characters and general look in the book is that of the TV show, but there are nice visual details and illustrations as well. Naturally, some things are left out or changed a bit, but they really did a good job on this one.

This book is packed full of Family, County, Schools, Church histories and just about everything that pertains to Franklin County. It is packed full of photos.
A must have for Franklin County familys' and genealogist alike.

This book was carefully compiled and is an excellent source for genealogy. Can be obtained from the Franklin County Historical Society, Inc. P.O. Box 905 Rocky Mount, VA 24151

Make no mistake, this biography is geared towards high school students and it is a bit of a sophisticated read but it contains a lot of good information. When a student must write a research report and find out information on FDR, this is a good book to look to. It is not an easy read so be careful with poor readers.

I am currently working my way through various juvenile biographies of the Presidents in alphabetical order and the Profiles of the Presidents series has carved out a niche as the best volumes for young readers to be introduced to the occupants of the White House. This look at Franklin D. Roosevelt by Michael Burgan provides a solid introduction to the wheelchair-bound president who optimistically led the United States through more than a decade of economic, social, and political problems. After establishing FDR as "A President with Hope," Burgan provides the standard biography of Roosevelt's rich childhood, his early involvement in politics, and the polio that paralyzed his legs. From that point on the book is organized more by national events: the Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II. Burgan does a nice job of explaining how FDR responded to each of these challenges and underscores that it was this President who changed the role of the president and the role of the government in people's lives.

The Profiles of the Presidents series goes from George Washington to George W. Bush and each book features a glossary, fast facts about the president, a parallel timeline of world and presidential events, an index, and other resourcs intended to help young students better understand the life and times of each president. The books are lavishly illustrated and even the black & white photographs sometimes have golden frames around them to keep the look of the book up to date, which it proves with the final photo of the statues of FDR and his dog, Fala, that are part of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. The result is another solid effort in a fine series. Young students can get more information about FDR from other books later in their education, but this would be the ideal choice for their first book about the man who was elected President of the United States four times.

As a teacher, I found this book to be informative and grade-appropriate. Caplan brings history alive by vividly describing FDR's early life, political career, and presidential policies and actions. Since they are filled with photographs and activity sidebars, the pages are visually pleasing and easily capture the attention of young readers. This is a great overview of one of America's most influential presidents!

Given the format of the Our Presidents series author Melissa Maupin was going to face a challenge telling the story of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Usually these books devote a chapter to each term of office served by a president and since Roosevelt was elected to the White House four times this was going to present a problem. But Maupin goes with the best approach and divides the Roosevelt presidency into two halves, the first dominated by the Great Depression and the second by World War II. The opening chapter looks at Roosevelt's early life ending with his marriage to his fifth cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt, while the second looks at his political career, his paralysis from polio, and his election as governor of New York. Then Maupin focuses on the New Deal as FDR's response to the Great Depression and World War II as the Fight for a Free World. From the former young readers will get an appreciation for the ways in which Roosevelt changed the relationship between the government and the people, while from the latter they will understand how he was ahead of the nation in terms of being prepared for America to enter the war.

For the main part Maupin focuses on covering the biographical details of Roosevelt's life, but she also manages to provide some evaluation of the key ideas and events of the period as well. The result is a solid introduction to Franklin D. Roosevelt for young readers. This volume is illustrated with black & white photographs from FDR's personal and political life, there are informative sidebars on daily life during the Depression and Eleanor Roosevelt as a new kind of first lady, and the margins are filled with Interesting Facts (e.g., FDR graduated from Harvard in three years), As with the rest of the series the back of the volume has a Time Line that stretches from FDR's birth in 1882 to Eleanor's death in 1962, a glossary of over a dozen terms, a page of presidential facts, Internet sites and books for Further Information, and an index.

Definitely one of the better books out there about President Roosevelt for young people, although the volume is so well organized and well written that it will appeal to most general adult readers as well. The emphasis on Roosevelt's handicap is also highly informative and enlightening.