Just Being Jackie

Cardillo follows up her debut picture book, Just Being Audrey, also illustrated by Denos, with another biography of an important woman from history. She begins with young Jacqueline Bouvier's fall off a horse: "She dusted herself off and got right back on. She was tougher than she looked... and knew how to stand out in a crowd without saying a word." Cardillo focuses on Jackie's early career as a journalist--a pursuit that was unconventional for women of her era. Her marriage to Jack Kennedy and his election to the presidency leads to her efforts to revitalize the White House and to help build diplomacy worldwide. Denos's fluid, mixed-media art faithfully captures Jackie's intellectual curiosity and love of reading as a child; her sophisticated, understated style as First Lady; and her professional prowess as an editor. She subtly conveys the moment of President Kennedy's assassination through the drifting of red rose petals from Jackie's bouquet into an inky gray spread. End notes from the author and illustrator offer a personal touch to this affectionate story of a figure of substance and grace. Ages 4-8. (May)