Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy (review)

This new entry in Rappaport's series of picture-book biographies presents a speedy overview of the life of the youngest elected president. Beginning with the sibling adoration and rivalry between Jack and his older brother Joe, Rappaport explains how the elder sibling's death led directly to the younger's immersion in political life. John Kennedy's success as an author, war hero, and rising political star are discussed, as well as troublesome facets of his presidency—the invasion of Cuba and the subsequent missile crisis. Following the format of previous titles (e.g., Martin's Big Words, BCCB 1/02), quotations (some edited in the interest of brevity) interspersed with the text lend a touch of primary-source immediacy. The narrative, pitched to a lower-grades audience, includes terms that are not clear in context, such as "senior thesis" and "test-ban treaty," and the exclusion of serious reference to brothers Robert and Ted leaves readers short on understanding John Kennedy's place within his remarkable family. Tavares' epic-scaled paintings do better service to Kennedy in his mature years, but the compositions nonetheless retain some of the static feel of the photographs on which they are based. While this may not be as satisfying a work as Big Words, it will certainly be of use to newly independent biography readers and to teachers in need of a quick read for Presidents Day observances. A timeline and bibliography are included.