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Presidents

Diana’s White House Garden

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Submitted by Ms. Sue!

Diana’s White House Garden by Elisa Carbone and illustrated by Jen Hill. Diana who is ten years old lives in the “white house.” Her dad Harry Hopkins was the president’s chief adviser in 1943. She lived there with lots of other people that worked there including President Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor. President Roosevelt wanted every citizen to help with the war effort. When he asked that everyone plant a garden to grow food for our soldiers, Diana wanted to help too. The gardens were called “Victory Gardens.” Diana worked with George the grounds keeper to turn the soil, fertilize, and plant the seeds. She went every day before and after school to tend the garden. When the plants were almost grown reporters came to see it. They asked Diana “how does it feel to inspire the whole country and help with the war effort?” “It feels very good,” she said. An article went out a few days later and the headline read “Diana Farms Her White House Plot”. It explained how the president’s plan was working and how she was an important part! See this book listed in our catalog

President Taft Is Stuck in the Bath

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Submitted by Ms. Tess!

We at the Kid’s Book Blog think Mac Barnett is pretty swell. Looks like he’s hit another one out of the park with President Taft Is Stuck in the Bath. We’ve all heard the rumors: President Taft had a special bath tub put in the White House to accommodate his size. This is true! And that prior to this he once found himself lodged in the White House tub, and 2 or 4 men had to free him with a gallon of butter. This is probably not true. But it makes for a great story! In this book, Taft, our beloved 27th President, gets stuck in the bath. 2 hours later the first lady, Nellie Taft, comes to check on him. “It’s a disaster!” the President exclaims, “Call the Vice President!” When the veep arrives he says he’s ready to be sworn in. “Blast that!” bellows Taft. “Call the secretary of state!” The secretary of state suggests some diet and exercise may be helpful to President Taft. “I need something fast!” says the President. “Call the secretary of agriculture!” Taft continues to summon more and more advisers until practically the whole Cabinet is working on a solution to get Taft out of the bath! This hilarious story will have your kiddo rolling in the aisles. Thanks Mac Barnett for this story that needed to be told! See this book listed in our catalog

Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Everything

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Submitted by Ms. Tess!

Maira Kalman makes excellent books for children. She relays information kids are actually interested in in a way they can actually understand. Her biography Thomas Jefferson is a prime example. As a child, Jefferson was interested in EVERYTHING. He loved to read. He even said “I cannot live without books.” He read books on every topic imaginable. His love of learning lead to an amazing life. In addition to being the third president of the United States, he designed his home, Monticello, on a mountain in Virginia, filled it with incredible collections, and surrounded it with magnificent gardens. He loved music and practiced the violin every day for three hours! He was friends with founding fathers Ben Franklin, John Adams, and George Washington. He was the author of the Declaration of Independence, and doubled the size of the U.S. with the Louisiana Purchase, famously explored by Lewis and Clark (and Sacagawea). But Kalman reminds us “the monumental man had monumental flaws.” Jefferson owned about 150 slaves. Although he was reputedly kind to them, and even in love with one, Sally Hemings, owning slaves is just wrong, and hypocritical for a man who believed that “all men are created equal.” But he was still an extraordinary man, of many great achievements. He wrote his own epitaph for his gravestone and it doesn’t include anything about being president. Really, the story of Jefferson is not unlike the story of America as we continue to grow. Kalman says, “If you want to understand this country and its people and what it means to be optimistic and complex and tragic and wrong and corageous, you need to go to Monticello.” See this book listed in our catalog

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters

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Submitted by Ms. Tess!
Of Thee I Sing is a children’s book by President Barack Obama. Now, where President Obama found time to write a children’s book, I’m not sure. He strikes me as a busy, busy man. But I am not going to complain. Because this book is scrumptious. It’s full of inspirational prose, and beautiful illustrations compliments of Loren Long. Of Thee I Sing is actually a letter to the president’s daughters. It begins, “Have I told you lately how wonderful you are? How the sound of your feet running from afar brings dancing rhythms to my day? How you laugh and sunshine spills into the room?” (Do you need a tissue yet? I did.) The president goes on to list the attributes of his daughters, along with examples of multicultural figures who embodied those attributes. They are creative like Georgia O’Keeffe. They are brave like Jackie Robinson. They are strong like Helen Keller. Because ultimately, as the president eloquently puts it, “America is made up of people of every kind” and “Have I told you that they are all a part of you? Have I told you that you are one of them and that you are our future? And have I told you that I love you?” (Where are those darn tissues?!) Of Thee I Sing is definitely worth checking out. I think it’s an absolutely lovely tribute from a parent to a child, and hope you will think so too. See this book listed in our catalog

United Tweets of America

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Submitted by Ms. Tess!

For the young bird enthusiast in your life, try United Tweets of America: 50 State Birds, Their Stories, Their Glories by Hudson Talbott. This fun and festive non-fiction picture book lists the official bird of all fifty of the United States of America (and the District of Columbia), from the Nene of Hawaii (the rarest state bird) to the Northern Cardinal (the state bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia)! The parade of birds is presented like a pageant, hosted by the nation’s most symbolic bird, the bald eagle! Each bird gets a page with info about the bird, and the state they represent, including the state motto, capital, and interesting facts like… Did you know the state neckwear of Arizona is the bolo tie? The state cookie of Massachusetts is chocolate chip? The state dance of South Carolina is the shag? This pageant could get ugly, with all those beautiful birds vying for top prize, but instead ends in a resounding sing-a-long rendition of “America the Beautiful!” See this book listed in our catalog

Our Children Can Soar

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Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change by Michelle Cook, with illustrations by a variety of talented artists, is an excellent book for Black History Month, or any time of year you want to have a conversation with your child about the monumental achievements of African Americans throughout our country’s history. Beginning with the buffalo soldiers of the civil war, and ending with the election of Barack Obama and a promise of hope for the future, it features such heroes as George Washington Carver, Jesse Owens, Ruby Bridges, Ella Fitzgerald, and Thurgood Marshall, who all lead the way to inspire generations after them to dream and succeed. This is an upliftifting and powerful book, that may even bring tears to your eyes! See this book listed in our catalog