Review of "Miss Caroline," by Gerald Gardner

 Review of

Miss Caroline, by Gerald Gardner

Four out of five stars

Very dated humor, some history is needed to appreciate

 Caroline Kennedy was three years old when her father John F. Kennedy was elected president and was nearly six years old when he was assassinated. This book of cartoons depicts her dealing with situations concerning her father, his position and where he lived from the perspective of a young child. Since many of the references in the cartoon are to political figures and events of the time, a great deal of knowledge of history is required if the reader is to understand all the cartoons.

 For example, there is the one of Caroline walking into a room where a man has a smoking cigarette in his hand. If you know history, you will recognize famed journalist Edward R. Murrow. There is another where Caroline is asking a man, “Who lived in the nursery when you were here?” This will make sense only if you recognize the figure as that of former president Harry Truman. Finally, there is the one where Caroline looks up at a priest and says, “How do you feel about federal aid to parochial schools?”

 Although dated, these cartoons are an excellent look back to a time when the presidency of a young man was referred to as “Camelot.” While there were great tensions in the world, polite humor could still be generated featuring the child of a president.