Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

An admiring text traces the life of John F. Kennedy from his often sickly childhood through his early political career, marriage, presidency, and assassination in Dallas. Oversize pages filled with engaging black-and-white photos make the book an inviting introduction to the life and times of the thirty-fifth president of the United States. Resources, timeline. Ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 4-7-A glossy take on the life of the 35th president. The text, which begins with a foreword by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, is frankly admiring, and successfully captures the spirit that makes Kennedy an enduring figure in our history. Heiligman covers her subject's life from his childhood to his assassination, including events from his administration such as the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the establishment of the Peace Corps, and his 1962 order to send 30,000 Army and National Guard troops to the University of Mississippi campus. The author addresses the president's health problems and need for pain medication, but leaves out allegations of drug abuse and adultery. This well-designed book features large, well-chosen, black-and-white photographs; black, white, and silvery-gray type highlights important quotations from Kennedy's speeches. The author lists numerous resources, including books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and Web sites. Ilene Cooper's Jack (Dutton, 2003), which goes into interesting psychological depth about Kennedy's formative years, is for an older audience. While less innovative in its approach, High Hopes is an attractive and useful addition.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Gr. 4-6. "It was is if the whole world fell in love withack and his glamorous wife." Heiligman is almost in awe of her subject in this handsome, large-size photobiography, which showsennedy and his family as brave, brilliant, benevolent superheroes. The black-and-white photos--some full-page, a few double-page--extend the glamour, especially the frontispiece of an adoringackie looking up at the president. The focus is on his stellar achievements, and then on the horror of the assassination and what was lost. The book design is spacious and inviting, much like a magazine piece, with clear type on thick paper. There's also a useful chronology and resource list, though the documentation for direct quotes is cramped into one tiny paragraph, which the middle-grade audience will find barely readable. Use this with Ilene Cooper'sack: The Early Years ofohn F.ennedy BKLan 1 & 15 03, which coversennedy's childhood and coming-of-age in far more depth, including his long struggle with illness and his rivalry with his older brother. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2003 Booklist