Diana's White House Garden

by Elisa Carbone, Jen Hill (Illustrator)

Overview

Diana Hopkins lived in a white house. THE White House.

World War II is in full force across the seas. It's 1943, President Roosevelt is in office, and Diana's father, Harry Hopkins, is his chief advisor. And Diana wants to be part of the war effort. After some well-intentioned missteps (her quarantine sign on her father's office door was not well-received), the President requests her help with his newest plan for the country's survival: Victory Gardens!
From award-winning author Elisa Carbone comes the true story of how Diana Hopkins started her own Victory Garden on the White House lawn under the tutelage of Eleanor Roosevelt. With dedication and patience, she showed the nation that the war effort started first on the homefront.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780698139848
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/03/2016
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	44
File size:	51 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Elisa Carbone lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Hendricks, West Virginia. Visit her at elisacarbone.com.

Jen Hill attended RISD and studied under David Macaulay. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit her at jenhill.com.

Editorial Reviews

A cheerful mix of gardening, history and patriotism…Along with Hill's charming pencil and gouache illustrations full of homey retro details, Carbone's story gently humanizes history, reminding us that children are a part of it, too.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

02/15/2016
A 10-year-old living in President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s White House finds a way to contribute to the WWII effort in Carbone’s (Heroes of the Surf) endearing picture book, based on a true story. Diana Hopkins, the ever-curious daughter of the president’s chief advisor, tries being a spy, an important sign-hanging official, and a fighter of enemies, all of which get her into trouble. (“She put pins in all the satin chairs in the Red Room, the Green Room, and the Blue Room. Sharp pins, sticking straight up. That would send enemies away in a hurry.”) When the president decides the White House needs its own Victory Garden, Diana jumps at the chance to help. Hill’s (Percy and TumTum) vignettes playfully depict Diana’s well-meaning mischief and her gardening work with Mrs. Roosevelt and the groundskeeper. The mixed-media illustrations, with their limited palette of muted grays, browns, and pinks, engender a warm, uplifting mood. An author’s note includes a photograph of a young Diana with Eleanor Roosevelt and offers more information about the success of the WWII Victory Garden movement. Ages 5–8. Illustrator’s agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, Bright Group. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Diana's White House Garden:

"A cheerful mix of gardening, history and patriotism."—New York Times Book Review

"Carbone’s straightforward text features just the right details to engage children [and] is complemented by Hill’s mix of simple line drawings and muted colors that evoke the era’s austerity....An important piece of our history."—Kirkus Reviews

"Playfully [depicts] Diana’s well-meaning mischief and her gardening work with Mrs. Roosevelt and the groundskeeper."—Publishers Weekly

"Carbone's depiction is lively and entertaining [while] Jen Hill's line drawings with muted gray and pastels add to the austerity of the period."—SLC

From the Publisher

04/01/2016
K-Gr 3—Diana (Hopkins) Halsted, the daughter of one of Franklin Roosevelt's close advisors, lived at the White House during World War II. Without other children around, she spends most of her time with Fala, the Roosevelts' dog. After her playful activities get her in trouble with the White House staff, it is decided that a good way to direct Diana's energy would be for her to take care of a Victory Garden on the lawn. The 10-year-old becomes part of a publicity plan to encourage people all over the country to help the war effort by growing their own food. This book connects with the current day as Michelle Obama and many schools are involved in gardening, and demonstrates how that movement has roots in the 1940s. An author's note describes conversations with the real Diana, who is still living. The style of the illustrations reflects the time period. Created with pencil, gouache, and digital methods, sepia-toned backgrounds are drawn but not filled in or completely colored. Painted people and Fala are fully colored and appear more solid. They are arranged on the pages almost like characters on a stage or paper dolls being moved through different scenes. The effect is visually interesting but not highly engaging for children. The pictures reflect great attention to detail, with people of varying races featured in street scenes in Washington, DC. Front endpapers show the garden plants sprouting, while those at the back include vegetables ready for harvest. VERDICT The many curricular tie-ins make this book a good choice for school libraries.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

School Library Journal

2016-03-02
Based on a true story, Carbone's story shines a light on the little girl who became the face of the first White House victory garden. It was 1943, and the United States was at war. Everyone was contributing to the war effort: men were fighting for their country overseas. Women were producing heavy machinery in factories. Ten-year-old Diana Hopkins, who lived in the White House (her father was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's chief adviser), wanted to help too. At first, she thought she might be a spy and practiced by sneaking into the dumbwaiter. But the housekeeper was not pleased. Then she stuck pins in chairs all around the White House to keep "enemies" at bay. That didn't go well either, especially since Mrs. Roosevelt's friend actually sat on one! One day, President Roosevelt presented Diana with the perfect opportunity. Soon, Diana was turning over soil, fertilizing, and planting beans and tomatoes. By the time her vegetables were ready for harvesting, Diana not only provided a bounty for the White House table, but also inspired the whole country to plant victory gardens. Carbone's straightforward text features just the right details to engage children. It is complemented by Hill's mix of simple line drawings and muted colors that evoke the era's austerity. Diana is white, as are the president's advisers, but many of the White House staff as well as passers-by on Pennsylvania Avenue are black or brown. An important piece of our history brought down to a child's level. (author's note) (Informational picture book. 4-10)

Kirkus Reviews