About the Holiday

Since 1956, hot dogs have been top dog throughout July. Independence Day, summer picnics, and camping trips are just a few of the events that are more fun with this versatile favorite. Enjoyed throughout the world, hot dogs even get their own special days in the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, Australia and other countries. A favorite of kids and adults alike, hot dogs can be enjoyed plain or loaded with everything from mustard to chili. While Hot Dog Month may be winding down, there’s still plenty of summer left to enjoy this simple meal.

Hot Dog! Eleanor Roosevelt Throws a Picnic

Written by Leslie Kimmelman | Illustrated by Victor Juhasz

 

Before Eleanor Roosevelt became the first lady of the United States, she loved to grill up hot dog roasts for her family and friends. You see, Eleanor loved hot dogs! But after her husband Franklin became President, Eleanor had important duties. “Things were tough in the United States in the 1930s,” and since Franklin “couldn’t walk or move about easily, he counted on Eleanor to travel around the country for him” talking to people to see how the government could make things better. “Soon Eleanor was as popular as the president.”

Not only was the United States suffering through a depression, it looked like the world would soon be at war. Eleanor presided over many fancy dinners in the White House given in honor of important people. These dinners, complained Eleanor, were “always hot dog-less.” Then, in 1939, the king and queen of England decided they would visit America to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of our country’s independence from Britain. No English monarch had visited America in all that time.

Eleanor did a little research and discovered that Queen Elizabeth was a distant cousin of George Washington. “‘She’s practically a member of the American family!’” Elizabeth exclaimed. “‘So to celebrate the first royal visit,’ Eleanor continued, ‘we need an all-American picnic.’” But first, came a fancy dinner. Following that, the Roosevelts and the king and queen drove to Hyde Park, New York, where the Roosevelts had an estate.

Eleanor planned her picnic to be held at a simple stone house on the property owned by the president, where the scenery was as pretty as it gets. Eleanor packed the menu full of traditional American favorites, including turkey, ham, cranberry jelly, baked beans, strawberry shortcake—and, of course, hot dogs. When the details of the menu were released, the White House was inundated with letters from all over the country protesting that hot dogs should not be offered to the queen.

Eleanor answered the protesters in her daily newspaper column. She reassured them that there would be “plenty of other food, and…the more important guests will be served with due formality.” On June 11, Eleanor finished her morning routine and rushed to the cottage to prepare for the picnic. As the king and queen arrived—driven by the president himself in a specially outfitted car—Eleanor could see from the expressions on the royal faces that Franklin hadn’t resisted the temptation to show off, “racing their majesties up bumpy roads, through the woods, and around steep, twisty turns to the picnic site.”

When it came to eat, King George picked up a hot dog and “ate it with gusto … and mustard!” He even had seconds. And the queen? She daintily cut hers up with a fork and knife. After dinner, King George and Queen Elizabeth began their trip back to England with a train ride. Townspeople flocked to the station and stood along the banks of the Hudson River to see them off.

Three months later, World War II began. England and America fought side by side to defeat their enemies. The Roosevelts had promised to visit Queen Elizabeth and King George, but Franklin died before the war’s end. Eleanor later made the trip alone. On June 11, 1989 another picnic was held at Hyde Park in remembrance of that other picnic fifty years earlier. Some of the guests had been children at that first memorable party, and Queen Elizabeth “sent a special message: ‘The memory of the picnic was a source of strength and comfort to the king and me through the dark days of the Second World War….’” And what did the guests enjoy at that second picnic? The menu was “exactly the same—right down to the hot diggity dogs!”

An Author’s Note adding a bit more information about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and King George IV and Queen Elizabeth follow the text.

Leslie Kimmelman’s engaging and smoothly paced story captures Eleanor Roosevelt’s warm-hearted personality and down-home friendliness that made her one of American history’s most beloved first ladies. Details of Eleanor’s White House duties juxtaposed with humorous anecdotes about her love of hot dogs, reaction to her choice of menu, and Franklin’s penchant for driving create a well-rounded portrait of a particular time in history. Including 1989’s 50^th anniversary picnic reminds readers of the ongoing friendship between America and Great Britain.

Victor Juhasz uses lush, caricature-style art to great effect in representing the 1930s to ‘40s time period, the lavish trappings of the White House, and Eleanor’s larger-than-life personality and influence. Her wide smile and can-do attitude as well as her self-confidence are on display for young readers to appreciate and emulate. Other character’s facial expressions clearly spotlight the humorous incidents but also the seriousness of the times. And, of course, those hot dogs that Eleanor loved so much look good enough to eat!

For young readers interested in history, culinary arts, and biographies, adding Hot Dog! Eleanor Roosevelt Throws a Picnic to their reading menu would be a treat. Teachers will also find the book an engaging inclusion to lessons on the historical time period, women in history in general, and Eleanor Roosevelt in particular.

Ages 8 – 11

Sleeping Bear Press, 2014 | ISBN 978-1585368303

Discover more about Leslie Kimmelman and her books on her website.

To learn more about Victor Juhasz, his books, and his art, visit his website.

National Hot Dog Month Activity

Grab Those Hot Dogs!

 

There are delicious hot dogs scattered throughout this maze! Can you collect all nine on the way from start to finish in this printable puzzle?

Grab Those Hot Dogs! Maze | Grab Those Hot Dogs! Maze Solution

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