Jackie and the Books She Loved
by Ronni Diamondstein
illustrated by Bats Langley
Sky Pony Press November 2023
ISBN-10: 1510776427
ISBN-13: 978-1510776425
Discover a delightful new story about Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, one of the most famous women in the world.
History remembers Jackie as the consummate First Lady, especially for her White House restoration and the cultural events she instituted during her husband’s administration. Jackie was on the world stage in 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated. She led the nation in grieving the fallen leader with grace and dignity.
In this inspirational celebration of reading, Ronni Diamondstein, with her engaging writing style in this picture book biography, introduces readers to an independent and confident Jackie and the idea of how books guided her life. The insightful story paints the portrait of a child captivated by reading and a love of literature and writing—from five‑year‑old Jackie reading Chekhov stories to a seasoned and confident Jackie at her desk as an editor in the last two decades of her life.
Jackie never wrote a memoir but revealed herself in the nearly 100 books she brought into print. Jackie and the Books She Loved is a dazzling book about the real woman behind this American icon of style and grace brought to life by the whimsical and tasteful artwork of Bats Langley.
Buy Jackie and the Books She Loved at…
““When I worked on my picture book with Ms. Onassis, she was a wonderful editor who worked like an invisible whisperer from the background. I think it would delight her that children can find out how much she cared for books . . .” ”
““Ronni Diamondstein’s engaging writing and the charming artwork by Bats Langley illuminate Jackie O in a way that many of us didn’t know. It’s a lovely facet of a woman who was much more than a First Lady.” ”
““How lovely to learn that a love of books was the constant that guided little Jackie Bouvier as she grew up to become America’s beloved First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy! Ronni Diamondstein’s lyrical text, enhanced by Bats Langley’s charming illustrations, will get children thinking about how books can help enrich their lives, too.”
”