Jackie and the Books She Loved

So humbled to receive these kind words from former First Ladies…

“Congratulations on a lovely book!….I can’t wait to show this book to my girls, Barbara and Jenna.” Laura Bush

“I am so grateful for all you are doing to make reading engaging for young people through Jackie and the Books She Loved…” Michelle Obama

“I will never forget visiting with Jackie in her New York apartment and being struck by how it was simply overflowing with books…Thank you for writing about this aspect of her life, and the literary legacy she left behind.” Hillary Rodham Clinton

“Diamondstein celebrates Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Bouvier Kennedy Onassis and her lifelong love of reading in this debut illustrated children’s book. Following a tidy biographical timeline, the author shows the impact that literature had on Jackie throughout various stages of her life and how a passion for reading deepened the first lady’s personal connections. Readers first meet Jackie as a bookish youngster who forgoes naptime for reading, writes stories, and memorizes poetry with her grandfather, who encourages her to write poems of her own. Jackie’s spirited rhyme “Sea Joy” appears in the book (“I can think of nothing I want more / Than to live by the booming blue sea / As the seagulls flutter round about me”). In her teens, Jackie writes for the school newspaper, and her college essay (“People I Wish I Had Known”) wins a Vogue magazine contest. Later, while working as a journalist, she meets her future husband, fellow book enthusiast and then-senator John F. Kennedy. Readers learn about Jackie’s weekly newspaper column (which boosted her husband’s profile during his presidential campaign), the White House guidebook she helped create as first lady, and the ways in which she instilled a love of reading in her children. When she is widowed in 1963, Jackie and her children make a fresh start in New York City and she eventually secures her first publishing job, editing nearly 100 books throughout her career. Langley’s whimsical illustrations, rendered in realistic colors, capture the sparkling creativity of Jackie’s world, while Diamondstein’s quiet, no-frills text reflects the informed and calm demeanor of the crisply tailored subject herself. Excellent additional details can be gleaned from the artwork, such as a selection of books Jackie edited (including Amy the Dancing Bear by singer-songwriter Carly Simon and My Book of Flowers by the late Princess Grace of Monaco). The author, a school library media specialist and teacher, uses age-appropriate language to introduce early readers to a captivating female historical figure and handles delicate themes with care. History fans and book lovers of all ages will adore this.

An enlightening and visually superb bookshelf addition.”

—Kirkus,  August 1, 2024

Verdict: Get it!

“Children are invited to explore the literary world of former first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis in this colorfully illustrated book by Chappaqua’s Ronni Diamondstein. A celebration of both reading and the life of Onassis, Jackie and the Books She Loved follows JFK’s wife from her earliest years as a child cozying up to Chekhov stories and drafting poems to her later years as a capable journalist, doting mother, self-possessed first lady, and finally, an accomplished editor. It amounts to an inviting children’s book that details the impressive contributions of one woman to history, and the ways in which literature guided her throughout her life.”

—P.A. Westchester Magazine

“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…”

—Peter Sís, award-winning author and illustrator and recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award & Caldecott Honor Medal

“A vivid, varied portrait that gently takes readers behind the scenes to celebrate Jackie’s lifelong love of words—both written and read.  Sure to inspire young readers and wordsmiths.”

—Roni Schotter, award winning author of  Nothing Ever Happens on 90^th Street and The Boy Who Loved Words

“Ronni Diamondstein’s story of Jackie Kennedy and her lifelong passion for reading is a beautifully-told ode to books and how they enrich our lives. Written about a book lover by a book lover. Illustrated with warmth and wonderful detail.”

—Jennifer Berne, award-winning author of Manfish and On a Beam of Light

“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.”

—Nancy Churnin, award-winning author of Dear Mr. Dickens, The William Hoy Story, and Manjhi Moves a Mountain

“Debut picture book author, Ronni Diamondstein, skillfully reveals former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s passion for reading and writing. Children will delight in 10-year-old Jackie’s poetry as well as discovering how she encouraged many others, including her husband, to write award-winning books. Complemented with vivid illustrations by Bats Langley and Diamondstein’s comprehensive timeline in the back of the book.”

—Sally Cook, award-winning children’s book author

“Jacqueline Kennedy’s passion for books nourished her throughout her life, through childhood, to motherhood, as First Lady, and during her career as a book editor. Through this delightfully charming biography, young readers will be inspired to emulate Jackie in making reading and writing an important part of their own lives.” 

—Lisa Rogers, award winning author of “16 Words: William Carlos Williams and ‘The Red Wheelbarrow’” and the forthcoming “ Woody’s Words: Woodrow Wilson Rawls and ‘Where the Red Fern Grows”

“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.”

—Dawn Greenberg, Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival Executive Director