Jack: the early years of John F. Kennedy / Ilene Cooper / 161 pages

This is an engaging biography which is perfect for young readers who want to know about the childhood of our 35th President, John F. Kennedy.  The book covers everything from the birth of Jack Kennedy in 1917 to his assassination in 1963.  Readers will get to see him as a toddler, elementary & high school student and college student.  While written for tweens, the book is also interesting to parents who have a different perspective and are curious about how Rose & Joseph Kennedy raised their family of nine children and the dynamics of their family that resulted in such an interesting life for each of the children.  The book is filled with fabulous b&w photos from the Kennedy family photo albums.  This is a fascinating story of prejudice, wealth, tragedy, perseverance, high goals, expectations, family unity, sibling rivalry, and philosophy that is well documented with notes, resources, and index.  For those of us who lived the Kennedy years, this book is a great insight into what shaped the man Jack Kennedy became. More indepth books for further reading are included.