Bobby: A Story of Robert F. Kennedy

Tenderness typifies this subdued biography of Robert F. Kennedy (1925–1968), portrayed as the gentler sibling of President John F. Kennedy. In mythologizing text, Wiles describes both privilege and pain: “a rich boy, the seventh of nine children, small and awkward and shy.” A domineering father who pushed his children to win prompted him to act “tough and fierce on the outside.... But on the inside... Robert was thoughtful and gentle and, often, afraid.” As his brother’s campaign manager and later attorney general, he’s driven to succeed, but working with the Civil Rights Movement, he realized that “winning was more than steamrolling over everyone else.” Excerpts from his own presidential campaign speeches highlight his compassion, contextualizing the nation’s deep grief at his assassination “by an angry man with a gun.” Overlaid with color, uneven graphite sketches by Fazlalizadeh start out minimalist, building depth as darker events transpire. Back matter includes a creator’s note. Ages 5–10. (Sept.)