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Picture Book Biography
A picture book of John F. Kennedy
A book to teach children about John F. Kennedy, including his character and accomplishments in youth and politics.
32 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
David A. Adler
407 books206 followersDavid Abraham Adler is an American children's author. He was born in New York City, New York in 1947. He graduated from Queens College in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics and education. For the next nine years, he worked as a mathematics teacher for the New York City Board of Education, while taking classes towards a master's degree in marketing, a degree he was awarded by New York University in 1971. In that same year, a question from his then-three-year-old nephew inspired Adler to write his first story, A Little at a Time, subsequently published by Random House in 1976. Adler's next project, a series of math books, drew on his experience as a math teacher. In 1977, he created his most famous character, Cam Jansen, originally featured in Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds, which was published that year.
Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.
Adler's son, Michael S. Adler, is now the co-author of several books with his father, including A Picture Book of Sam Adams, A Picture Book of John Hancock, and A Picture Book of James and Dolly Madison. Another son, Edward, was the inspiration for Adler's Andy Russell series, with the events described in the series loosely based on adventures the Adler family had with Edward's enthusiasm and his pets.
As of November 2008, Adler has three sons and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.
(source: Wikipedia)
Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.
Adler's son, Michael S. Adler, is now the co-author of several books with his father, including A Picture Book of Sam Adams, A Picture Book of John Hancock, and A Picture Book of James and Dolly Madison. Another son, Edward, was the inspiration for Adler's Andy Russell series, with the events described in the series loosely based on adventures the Adler family had with Edward's enthusiasm and his pets.
As of November 2008, Adler has three sons and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.
(source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 20, 2013
In honor of Presidents' Day, I borrowed several books about American presidents from our local library. I got a variety of books and tried to find stories that would interest our girls as much as educate them. After reading many different series by David A. Adler, I thought I would try some of the books from his nonfiction series of picture-book biographies.
This is a short and informative book about John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Since my husband and I grew up in Massachusetts, the Kennedy family was a known quantity our whole lives. They were considered somewhat of the royalty of our state, for good or bad. So the story of JFK was something that I knew my whole life.
But our girls really had never heard much about him before. His time in office was so long ago as far as they are concerned, and his impact on their world is not readily apparent. I liked sharing a bit of Massachusetts history with them, especially since their school social studies focuses mainly on Virginia topics like Christopher Newport, Jamestown and the Powhatan Indians.
The narrative of this book can easily be read at one time, and while the book isn't overly detailed, it does give a good, broad overview of his life. The watercolor illustrations by Robert Casilla complement the story nicely and help depict life in those times. I liked the information provided in the back of the book, including a timeline of JFK's life. We enjoyed reading this book together.
This is a short and informative book about John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Since my husband and I grew up in Massachusetts, the Kennedy family was a known quantity our whole lives. They were considered somewhat of the royalty of our state, for good or bad. So the story of JFK was something that I knew my whole life.
But our girls really had never heard much about him before. His time in office was so long ago as far as they are concerned, and his impact on their world is not readily apparent. I liked sharing a bit of Massachusetts history with them, especially since their school social studies focuses mainly on Virginia topics like Christopher Newport, Jamestown and the Powhatan Indians.
The narrative of this book can easily be read at one time, and while the book isn't overly detailed, it does give a good, broad overview of his life. The watercolor illustrations by Robert Casilla complement the story nicely and help depict life in those times. I liked the information provided in the back of the book, including a timeline of JFK's life. We enjoyed reading this book together.
June 15, 2022
A Picture Book of John F. Kennedy by (Picture Book Biography) by David A. Adler, Illustrator - Robert Casilla (Goodreads Author) Hindi language translation by Menoo Negi Rauthan- Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- The picture book begins with Kennedy’s birth in Brookline, Massachusetts. The author narration covers Kennedy’s childhood including his childhood illnesses, his recovery was playing competitive games, his education in college life. Kennedy joined the navy as boat commander during World war -II. Kennedy was elected to the United States Senate. John married Jacqueline Bouvier. He was elected as President of USA. He worked for the elderly, weak, nuclear proliferation, international peace. His wife also worked with him on Afro-Americans, arts. He was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. This is an inspiring book for all readers. Coloured illustrations help the readers in relating to the story. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.
April 26, 2025
Are you looking for an engaging biography with detailed illustrations to share with your students? Pick up a copy of John F. Kennedy by David A. Adler! Adler is a well-known author of children’s biography books, and this book is another example of his fantastic work. Learn all about one of the most well-known U.S. presidents, John F. Kennedy, in this book. Adler writes from Kennedy’s childhood all the way until his tragic death. This book would be perfect for students to read or use for a research project! Pick up a copy of this great book on Amazon today!
February 1, 2019
This is one of our favorite picture book biographies by David Adler.
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January 4, 2026The one that started it all
November 16, 2011
“A Picture Book of John F. Kennedy” is written by David Adler and is a complete biography of President John F. Kennedy.
Writer, Adler, uses chronological sequencing to tell the story of John Kennedy’s life. He begins with Kennedy’s birth in Brookline, Massachusetts. He then covers Kennedy’s childhood including his childhood illnesses. He writes about Kennedy’s college life and his time as a navy boat commander, his time in the United States Senate, Jacqueline Bouvier, and ends with his assassination.
The book engages the reader not just with the text but with the great illustrations. Robert Casilla who illustrated the book creates images based on actual pictures of Kennedy. The most famous being Kennedy’s assassination. Casilla recreates the picture of Jacqueline leaning in the car to tend to her mortally wounded husband. The images smartly and accurately accompany Adler’s text.
Adler does a great job of relating details in Kennedy’s life but he does not do so in a balanced way. The book is a celebration of all of Kennedy’s successes but there is no mention of his most famous failure – bay of pigs. I realize children would not have an interest or total understanding of the intricacies of the debacle, but to not mention it at all is strange.
However, “A Picture Book of John F. Kennedy” is an historical book. The book is informative in a way that children will interesting. Children will enjoy viewing the pictures and reading the text. Thus despite the unbalanced portrait of Kennedy my rating for this book is four stars.
Writer, Adler, uses chronological sequencing to tell the story of John Kennedy’s life. He begins with Kennedy’s birth in Brookline, Massachusetts. He then covers Kennedy’s childhood including his childhood illnesses. He writes about Kennedy’s college life and his time as a navy boat commander, his time in the United States Senate, Jacqueline Bouvier, and ends with his assassination.
The book engages the reader not just with the text but with the great illustrations. Robert Casilla who illustrated the book creates images based on actual pictures of Kennedy. The most famous being Kennedy’s assassination. Casilla recreates the picture of Jacqueline leaning in the car to tend to her mortally wounded husband. The images smartly and accurately accompany Adler’s text.
Adler does a great job of relating details in Kennedy’s life but he does not do so in a balanced way. The book is a celebration of all of Kennedy’s successes but there is no mention of his most famous failure – bay of pigs. I realize children would not have an interest or total understanding of the intricacies of the debacle, but to not mention it at all is strange.
However, “A Picture Book of John F. Kennedy” is an historical book. The book is informative in a way that children will interesting. Children will enjoy viewing the pictures and reading the text. Thus despite the unbalanced portrait of Kennedy my rating for this book is four stars.
October 30, 2019
A Picture Book of John F. Kennedy would be a great resource when teaching students about famous americans, or about presidents.
October 19, 2013
Read by: Melanie
Author: David A. Adler Illustrator: Robert Casilla
Genre: Biography
Interest Level: 3-5
Grade Level Equivalent: 5.3
DRA: N/A
Lexile: 730L
This is a short book with beautiful illustrations alongside information providing the highlights of one of the most loved Presidents of the United States. From reducing the chances of nuclear war to setting up the Peace Corps, JFK brought a lot of help and hope to our nation and was lost far too soon. The last page has a short list of important dates to sum up some of the events of his life that could be used as a great educational timeline.
Author: David A. Adler Illustrator: Robert Casilla
Genre: Biography
Interest Level: 3-5
Grade Level Equivalent: 5.3
DRA: N/A
Lexile: 730L
This is a short book with beautiful illustrations alongside information providing the highlights of one of the most loved Presidents of the United States. From reducing the chances of nuclear war to setting up the Peace Corps, JFK brought a lot of help and hope to our nation and was lost far too soon. The last page has a short list of important dates to sum up some of the events of his life that could be used as a great educational timeline.
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April 8, 2014This story is a biography of the life of John F. Kennedy. It is written in a language for young children to understand and the story depicts his life from birth to his assassination. The illustrations in the story are incredible because they are based on real life images of Kennedy. The story touches on Kennedy's weak moments of going through an illness and how he became the commander of a navy boat. The book is set in a chronological sequence with a clear understanding of beginning and end. Students can learn sequencing and chronological order through this story. When teaching literacy, teachers can have students draw pictures of Kennedy's life events to indicate beginning middle and end.
February 8, 2016
David Adler takes us through John F. Kennedy 19s childhood, education, career, and death in a simple yet thorough biography. Robert Casilla accompanies the text with softly colored yet accurate images of JFK 19s life, family, and friends.
The simpleness of the text makes it easy for young children to understand, but the detail and diversity of John F. Kennedy 19s life intrigues readers of all ages. It is the perfect beginning to learn about JFK, and an inspiration for following in the footsteps of one of the Greatest American Presidents.
Grade Level: Kindergarten and up
Classroom uses: History, art lesson, social studies,
The simpleness of the text makes it easy for young children to understand, but the detail and diversity of John F. Kennedy 19s life intrigues readers of all ages. It is the perfect beginning to learn about JFK, and an inspiration for following in the footsteps of one of the Greatest American Presidents.
Grade Level: Kindergarten and up
Classroom uses: History, art lesson, social studies,
May 21, 2012
This book is about a young brave man from America called Jonh F. Kennedy, who was born on May 29 in Brookine, Massachusetts and he was a playful boy but he had lots of friends in his school. He was graduated from Harvard. He was the youngest and first Roman Catholic ever selected as President. He was a hard working man.
February 25, 2015
This book is about John F. Kennedy and his accomplishments. It goes in chronological order, telling about his life as a young boy, his family, schooling, health, and his political career. This would be a good book to have starting a research project on presidents. It does not get very in-depth about his presidential career, but it does a good job of outlining his life.
April 21, 2011
A book about the life of one of our greatest presidents, John F. Kennedy. Includes many drawings of JFK and his family members. Includes biography information. Excellent book to read for an introduction on him.
March 22, 2020
This book is a good read for a younger student to understand who John F. Kennedy was. The book isn't too graphic or goes into too much detail that is over the child's head. I learned from this book the basic facts regarding JFK that I didn't know myself.
July 12, 2010
provides a lot of information about the Kennedy's and the accomplishments of JFK.
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May 21, 2012“A Picture Book of John F. Kennedy” is written by David Adler and is a complete biography of President John F. Kennedy.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews