Eleanor, Quiet No More: The Life of Eleanor Roosevelt by Doreen Rappaport

Eleanor, Quiet No More: The Life of Eleanor Roosevelt Reviews

• 
  Calista

  I knew so little about Eleanor. She very much appreciate this woman now. “Do something every day that scares you.” What a great philosophy she had, but that is tough. It takes a lot of energy to do that daily.
  
  She was called many names in her life, Ugly being a word hurled at her often, but she never listened to people like that. Quote “Do what you feel in your heart to be right— for you’ll be criticized anyway.”
  
  She has some great quotes. “You must do the things you cannot do.” That is pretty scary too. She gave speeches all over and she got women involved in politics.
  
  She visited all over during the depression and she saw first hand how people suffered. Her husband was in a wheelchair and she would go back and report to the president all the people she spoke with. He started all the programs after what he heard. Quote “Government has a responsibility to defend the weak.” That’s a fantastic one. I do believe that is what government is here to do. That’s it function and why it is important and why it does not need to be drowned in a bathtub. She was the only first lady to visit with normal folks while in office.
  
  She did her best to help African Americans during that time too. I didn’t know this, but she left the daughters of the American Revolution when they refused to let Marian Anderson sing in their auditorium. She said, “To remain a member implies approval of that action.” She set up Marian to sing at the LIncoln Memorial where 75,000 black and white people could hear her together.
  
  She visited troops overseas and lifted spirits. She was against the Japanese American internment in WWII.
  
  She went to the United nations. They came up with a world declaration of Rights. “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” That’s an amazing statement. Human being - all genders, all races, all people, all classes. Extraordinary. I like that they use the word dignity too.
  
  Great book for anyone interested in learning about this fantastic lady. She was an empowered woman in a time when woman were supposed to be at home working. This is a great little story to get you into Eleanor and wanting to know more about her. I’m hooked.
  
  I read this to the niece and she was impressed. She isn’t much into history so she still gave it 3 stars, but she had a gleaning of how much this woman did. The nephew got very squirmy as it is long and there are no elements in there he liked. He still heard it and gave it 1 star. Maybe a little something sunk in.
• 
  Amalie

  This book has beautifully captured Eleanor Roosevelt's determination to change from that quiet, sad young girl into a determined woman who was the voice for many people in need.
  Reading this, I learned things about her that I never knew before. I was amazed to find that she had a deeply insecure upbringing. She didn't receive affection and love from her parents, became an orphan at a tender age. She was a shy girl who was unhappy and lonely.
  Her story gives evidence to something I always believed. Not everyone who had tough childhoods ended up being destructive people in their adult lives.
• 
  Alison

  *****NOTE: While the publication date of this book was 2009, it won an award for 2010, so I used it. Just wanted to clarify, thanks!******
  
  Audience: primary
  
  Genre: non-fiction - biography
  
  Fiction Twin Text: Pearl, S. & Sheckels, A. (2012). Hope somewhere in America: the story of a child, a painting, and a president. Rockport, MA: Twin Light Publishers.
  
  The book "Eleanor: Quiet No More" is an biographical account of Eleanor Roosevelt's life. It describes her rocky childhood. Her mother was not kind to her, and both of her parents died before she was ten years old. She didn't feel seen or heard until she went to school overseas. It was at this time that Eleanor began "to feel more sure of herself and made many friends at school (Rappaport, 2009, p.6)." What really began to inspire Eleanor was a feeling of inequality in the United States when she returned from school overseas. At this time, it was the early 1900's. She met her husband, Franklin Roosevelt, and moved to Washington D.C. for his occupation. When he was elected president of the United States, Eleanor was was outspoken in defending the poor, the weak, and minorities. This was the time of the Great Depression, and she was committed to helping others. Later in her life, she was appointed to the United Nations, where she fought for human rights.
  
  I chose to pair this non-fiction book with "Hope somewhere in America: a story of a child, a painting, and a president." I thought that it would be appropriate for students to first read the biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, because it is inspiring and paints a broad picture of what it may have been like to live during various times in our country, including The Great Depression. Following this, students can read the fiction book, which takes place in the time of The Great Depression. It follows a girl named Hope, an African-American child who lives in Harlem. It illustrates the challenges that many Americans faced at this time, but Hope also demonstrates perseverance. I think that a character like Hope would be relatable to many students. Hope eventually meets President Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, connecting the two books. I think a good follow-up activity to these twin texts would be a written assignment or drawing illustrating The Great Depression, and compare it to their lives today. Students can explain why they incorporated certain elements into their drawings or written pieces. This would be an assignment that exemplifies an evaluating question in Bloom's Taxonomy.
• 
  Jill

  Eleanor: Quiet No More by Doreen Rappaport follows the pattern Rappaport has used in her other biographies for children: her biographical passages about the subject are punctuated with actual quotes by the biographee.
  
  Rappaport’s book gives biographical data about ER, describing her unhappy childhood (her mother thought Eleanor was “ugly and too serious”), the death of both parents before she was ten, and how Eleanor then grew up in the loveless house of her grandmother.
  
  When Eleanor was 15, she was sent away to boarding school, and was fortunate to have a teacher who believed in her and encouraged her. When Eleanor came home at 18, she was a different person, and one who had developed compassion for those with less than she had.
  
  A distant cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, proposed to her, and she became a politician’s wife, and then a behind-the-scenes politician herself. She continued to crusade for poor and minorities even after her husband died, meeting with world leaders and advocating for human rights.
  
  End notes add a list of important dates in ER’s life, selected research sources, and suggested further reading.
  
  The muted pastel illustrations by Gary Kelley are adeptly done.
  
  Evaluation: Generally in her biographies Rappaport emphasizes the positive and elides the negative, but she does a more balanced job here (and in truth, there isn’t much negative to say about Eleanor Roosevelt).
  
• 
  Dolly

  This book is part of the
  Big Words series of picture books by
  Doreen Rappaport.
  
  It is a wonderful biography about
  Eleanor Roosevelt for children. The narrative is short, but describes the major events and influences in her life.
  
  The illustrations are very realistic and nicely detailed, but seemed a bit too dark for my taste. I understand, though, that the sepia tones are good for implying age and atmosphere.
  
  At the end of the book, the author includes a timeline of her life and selected resources for additional information.
  
  interesting quotes:
  
  "Do something every day that scares you." (pp. 2-3 [front end pages], and p. 43)
  
  "Women must get into politics and stay in." (p. 24)
  
  "Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway." (p. 34)
• 
  Abby E

  Eleanor, Quiet No More, is a richly illustrated biography of one of the most memorable and politically active first ladies in our nation's history. This book takes the reader from Eleanor's victorian upbringing through her education, meeting her husband, and her work as first lady. This book utilizes Eleanor's own words by incorporating direct quotes on each page. This brings home many of the points in the book about Eleanor's intelligence and social conscience. Eleanor was from a time when most women did not pursue education, they focused mainly on finding a good husband. Eleanor was not content to sit by while there were social injustices going on. She was an avid support of civil and women's rights. This is an excellent and engaging biography that I would recommend to any upper elementary school teacher to incorporate in a unit about any of the causes that Eleanor was so passionate about, or a unit about influential women in our history.
• 
  Tammy Blackwell

  Thanks to a life-long obsession with Annie, I've always had a warm spot in my heart for the Roosevelts. Unfortunately, I've had very few facts to support my affection since I try to avoid anything involving politics. This well-done biography of our former First Lady, however, drew me in with it's beautiful pictures and quotes that jumped off the page. By the time she had met with soldiers over-seas, promising to take home messages to their families, and saw her beloved husband die, I was in tears. Turns out, picking your favorite President and First Lady based on their willingness to sing with a precocious red-head isn't a bad way to do things after all.
• 
  Krista the Krazy Kataloguer

  This has got to win a Caldecott next year! Gary Kelley's illustrations are a beautiful accompaniment to Doreen Rappaport's description of the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. I love the way she puts a quote from Eleanor on each page to accompany the text. Eleanor Roosevelt has long been one of my heroines, and this book brings out her most admirable qualities. I've read that she always felt herself ugly and unattractive, but I think she was beautiful. I think I'll have to buy a copy of this for myself. Very highly recommended!
• 
  Mitchell

  A children's picture book biography. At this point Eleanor Roosevelt is mostly known for having been her husband's wife. But apparently she did a lot more than that. An interesting choice for a children's biography. The writing was direct and kind of brutally honest - the first page says her father "drank a lot and wasn't home much" and her mother "thought Eleanor was ugly and too serious". This set the tone for the rest of the book as well. This book definitely made it clear that Eleanor Roosevelt and her role in the world is worth remembering.
• 
  Kathryn

  This book tells Eleanor's story so poignantly, gently and true. Eleanor is someone I do think I would have enjoyed having a cup of tea with and listening to her share her thoughts and ideas. She truly was a remarkable woman.
• 
  Robin Raines-Bond

  Excellent book about Eleanor Roosevelt. Love the pictures and this not-in-any-way-boring factual text.
• 
  Shiloah

  An excellent book about an admirable and remarkable woman.
• 
  Lila Smith

  Been on my want to read list for some reason for two years now! So I decided to pick it up and read this short picture book in 10 minutes. Really informative because to be honest I knew nothing about this.
• 
  Heather

  Wow, I really enjoyed learning about Eleanor Roosevelt in this picture book. This makes me want to read a longer, adult level biography of her. I identified with being the type of woman who always wants to please everyone--Eleanor learned when she was young that that isn't possible, and that people should "do what you feel in your heart to be right--for you'll be criticized anyway." I think a lot of women struggle with this because women are more conditioned to "fit in" with other people than men are--we're taught that disagreeing isn't "nice." It's not necessarily some "patriarchy's" fault--a lot of women are cruel to each other for not conforming, and any woman who stands out in intelligence, courage, or creativity is fodder for the grist mill. Eleanor dove into that mill head first and came out of the other side unscathed every time.
  
  Although I felt like the quotes sort of interrupted the flow and emotion of Eleanor's story, I'm still glad the author put them in.
  
  Eleanor started out life the daughter of an alcoholic father and a cold, critical mother. She came out of her shell when studying in Europe, and eventually married Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Though she had to deal with a freakishly possessive and controlling mother-in-law, she made it through and became her own person on the international scene in an era when president's wives normally stayed in the background and weren't supposed to have opinions of their own. She stood against any injustice that she saw, and genuinely cared about normal everyday people. Even after her husband's death, she was at work in the United Nations trying to make the world a better place. What an inspiring woman.
• 
  Blair

  This year, my family has been interested in the Roosevelts. My husband and I are watching an old PBS documentary about Franklin. My daughter already knew a little bit about Franklin and Eleanor because they are characters in one of her favorite movies, [i]Annie[/i]. I chose this book at the library for my oldest daughter, who is almost 5, and we read it together.
  
  The book was a great overview of Eleanor's life, which begins rather sadly but ends in triumph. The book does not shy away from the fact that Eleanor spent several portions of her life dealing with unhappy or unkind relatives, first those who raised her and later her mother-in-law. This was a little difficult for my daughter to grasp, but an interesting spark to a conversation about different types of family backgrounds. Similarly, reading this book read to conversations about segregation and racial inequality, subjects which we have not discussed in detail before.
  
  I enjoyed the read, probably more than my daughter did, but that's okay. The illustrations are beautiful but I regret that they're so dour. The overall tone of the book is celebratory of Eleanor's accomplishments, and the pictures, while gorgeous, did not reflect the spirit of the book as much as i'd like them to.
• 
  Kelly

  Kelly Wiegand
  April 1, 2015
  EDL54500 Library Materials for Children and Youth
  
  Title: Eleanor, Quite No More
  
  Author: Doreen Rappaport
  
  Plot: This book tells the story of Eleanor Roosevelt, who grew up privileged with a mother who criticized her appearance and a father who was never home. Eleanor learns the power of education and speaking up for what is right and eventually uses her position as First Lady of the United States to influence change.
  
  Setting: New York; Washington D.C.
  
  Characters: Eleanor Roosevelt; Franklin D. Roosevelt
  
  Point-of-View: Third-Person
  
  Themes: Independence; Intelligence; Perseverance; Empathy
  
  Style: The words of this picture book were written hugging the vertical edge of the page and each page with words included a quote from Eleanor herself.
  
  Copyright: 2009
  
  Reflection: Doreen Rappaport is becoming a favorite author of mine with each of her books I read. She does an incredible job telling the moving stories of important people, while also bringing a humanity to them to connect with the reader. I loved the quotes she chose to include on each page, they pertained to the text and were amazing talking points. This was a wonderful and inspiring book.
• 
  Michaela

  Never did I think I could learn so much about American History through a children's book!
  Although I am a little older than the target age for this beautiful picture book, I enjoyed both the pictures and the text.
  
  Most of the picture books I read as a child, or that were read to me, had to do with animals or riding a bike or sharing. All really great picture books that I loved and taught me a lot, but never do I remember reading a picture book that taught me about history. If you read this to your child, they will definitely be the smartest in the class.
  
  I knew a little about Eleanor Roosevelt, I knew what an inspiring woman and leader she was. I knew she was married to her cousin. I knew that she helped with the depression and with women's rights and international relations. Never in school did we learn about the hate she felt from her own family. I had never heard about her struggle to be taken seriously because of how she looked. It was very inspiring to learn that she rose above the reality that most people judge you based on appearance and did what she wanted. She spread creativity, equality, and inspiration everywhere.
• 
  Todd

  This is a very good overview of Eleanor Roosevelt's life in a picture book format. The illustrations are well-rendered, if slightly muted and dark for maximum impact. Distilling a life as well-known as Eleanor Roosevelt's into the amount of text for this age level is an accomplishment in itself. Eleanor's transformation from a meek individual to someone who spoke out for what she knew was right is clearly explained.
  
  Two minor quibbles and a major one: the five children of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt are mentioned in the text and named in the chronology, but nothing more is stated about their relationship with their mother, or their own lives. A brief statement would have been illuminating. The other minor issue was that Eleanor's important role in pushing Franklin to continue in politics after he contracted polio could have been explained more strongly. The major quibble I had was the statement that World War I ended in 1919. The war ended November 11, 1918; something that should not have been missed by an editor.
• 
  Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance

  How many people have been encouraged to be better human beings because of Eleanor Roosevelt? This is the story of her life. The author uses quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt to add strength to her story. The story is a powerful one and this is well told, with simple words that should be clear to young children. The line breaks the author uses make the text seem like poetry. The pictures show the feelings Eleanor had as she grew bolder and braver.
  
  Here’s a little bit of the book:
  
  ‘Eleanor’s parents died before she was ten.
  She and her brother went to live
  with their grandmother Hall
  and two aunts and two uncles
  in a big, dreary house.
  Her grandmother did everything
  she thought was right for a little girl,
  except hug and kiss her.
  “I never smiled.”’
  
  The enormous picture of Eleanor's face on the front cover is very appealing. I also love how the author highlights Eleanor's words by writing them in large type. The author also includes a timeline and a list of selected research sources.
  
• 
  Nicole Doerr

  This is one of my favorite biography for children. This book was intended for older school aged children. It is a simple and to the point story for Eleanor Roosevelt's life. She became the first lady of the United States of American when her husband became the thirty-second president. It starts off with her life as a child and tells about her life until death at age seventy-eight. It explains how she was the woman the world knew as the "women who refused to be quiet." She was such a inspirational women. I love the pictures in the book that are painted by Gary Kelly. They are life like and show emotion. My favorite thing about this book is how they uses direct quotes for Eleanor on every page. She was a bright women with a lot to say. I would love to have my student research this amazing women, and this is just the book to use. This book could be used in a lesson about women's history as well.
• 
  Molly Duerré

  I was able to learn a lot about Eleanor Roosevelt from this picture book. Having not known a lot about her life before reading it, I can now understand why so many people name her as a role model. I loved that Rappaport included actual quotes from Roosevelt on every single page. It made me feel like the biography was based on fact and not just the author's interpretation. I had no idea that Roosevelt was the first first lady to visit the troops (and now it's something that is expected!) I really think that Roosevelt paved the way for the modern first lady. I am glad that this book is out there for children to read, especially for girls. I think it is so important to not only have students learn about the US presidents, but also to learn about important women from our history. I would definitely use this book as an introduction to Eleanor...which is exactly what I am using it for in my own life. It has prompted me to do more research about her!