Book excerpt: This book recounts the historical achievements of the National PTA and its sister organization, the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers. The PTA is the result of the hard work of such women as Phoebe Apperson Hearst and Alice McLellan Birney, founders of the original National Congress of Mothers, and Selma Sloan Butler, who, with the support of the National PTA, founded the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers. When the two organizations merged in 1970, so did their identical mission to improve children's lives. The book profiles these women's work on such issues as juvenile justice, kindergarten classes, child labor laws, hot lunch programs, car safety, the Salk polio vaccine, today's National Education Goals, and the PTA Web site. The book includes:"The Historical Setting"; "The Founding"; "The Early Years, 1900-1909: Schooling Parents"; "1910-1919: For the Health and Safety of Children"; "1920-1929: Be It Resolved"; "1930-1939: The Voice of the PTA--90 Years in Print"; "1940-1949: PTA On the Air"; "1950-1959: Monitoring the Media and the Message"; "1960-1969: Bringing Justice to Juveniles"; "1970-1979: Advocates in Action"; "1980-1989: The Reflections Program"; and "1990-1997: Celebrating a Century of Commitment to Children." (SM)