Former Virginia first lady Susan Allen is out with a new book that should gladden the hearts of parents who want their children to read an inspiring story about a great American.

Ms. Allen’s The Remarkable Ronald Reagan: Cowboy and Commander in Chief, written for readers aged five to eight, is beautifully-illustrated (by Leslie Harrington) and fun to read even for us adults. It carries Reagan from his humble boyhood to the Oval Office.

Ms. Allen, who first met Reagan in 1987, regards the late president as having personified the American dream. The book depicts Reagan as a man who worked hard and practiced humility, but nevertheless dared to dream big dreams.

In an interview with The Hill, Ms. Allen talked about what young readers will take away from the book:

I think one of the biggest messages they will get is that you really — kind of in the American model — dream big. Ronald Reagan did. He wanted to be an actor, but along the way he did several other things. He was a lifeguard. He saved 77 lives working at the river near his home in the summer. He was a radio announcer for baseball and went on to be an actor. … 

It is very much so, although we do talk about how he told [then-Soviet leader Mikhail] Gorbachev to ‘tear down this wall’ [in Berlin]. That was such a significant event in world history. … The fact that he was shot in an attempted assassination but handled it with humor. … We talk about significant times he played such an important role — including when the Challenger exploded, and he gave that touching address to the nation.

Congratulations to Ms. Allen, who has performed a service for parents–and children!