In the 1930s Eleanor Roosevelt was traveling the country as the eyes and ears of her husband the President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She was a First Lady dedicated to listening to her people and she loved doing that part of her job much more than she loved throwing the fancy dinners at the White House.Then word came that the King and Queen of England had announced they were coming to the United States for a royal visit. One hundred and fifty years before, the Americans had won their freedom from England and no King or Queen of England had set foot on American soil since.
Eleanor knew she would need to throw a fancy party at the White House but she loved hot dogs and she wanted to throw an all-American picnic. So Eleanor put together her menu for the big day and she included hot dogs. When Americans found out about the hot dogs they started to write letters to Eleanor to tell her how upset they were. Some letters were really worried about American dignity. Eleanor was listening.
It was June, 1939 a time when Americans were out of work and hungry. Across the ocean Adolf Hitler was flexing his muscle and beginning World War II.
Now Eleanor had to decide. She needed to represent her country well, build a strong friendship with England and maybe even create some lighthearted fun for all to enjoy together. Would she stick to her plan or would she give in?
40 pages Ages 7-10 978-1585368303
Recommended by: Barb
