Hard Work, but It's Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter

A timely picture book biography of former United States president Jimmy Carter as the 39th president reaches a monumental 95 years of age. Summarizing his long life while highlighting pivotal moments along the way, including his naval career, his return to Georgia to manage his family’s peanut farm, his efforts to protect and promote civil rights, his contribution to the peace negotiation between Egypt and Israel, the Iranian hostage crisis, and his continued service after his presidency building affordable housing. Hegedus uses Carter’s experiences with his childhood friend Alonzo “A.D.” Davis to provide perspective on Carter’s desire to promote civil rights. Her description of the day A.D. let Carter pass through a gate first because Carter was white and A.D. was black—not because Carter required it but because onlookers might cause trouble for A.D.—is a particularly poignant moment reflecting the tragedy of racial prejudice. “Nothing was the same after that. A.D. could no longer be himself around Jimmy.” Han creates the illustrations digitally and uses a soft, tan skewed color palette that gives the story a subdued, reflective touch as a picture book. Hegedus’s admiration of Carter, explicitly stated in her Author’s Note, is clearly conveyed through the story, though she even handedly includes Carter’s successes and disappointments.