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Presidents

The birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington in February offer a perfect opportunity to focus on our country’s leaders. Studying about the presidents is serious business. There are dates to remember, new vocabulary words to learn, and details about responsibilities to digest. Some of these books, however, take the seriousness less seriously than others. Besides humorous fiction, this selection of books about the presidents includes historical fiction and nonfiction.

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A. Lincoln and Me - Book Cover

A. Lincoln and Me

Author: Louise Borden
Publisher: Scholastic, 1999
Tags: Grade: 1, Grade: 2, Grade: 3, Grade: K, Presidents

Skinny as a bean pole and born on February 12, a young boy points out the similarities between himself and Abraham Lincoln. Ted Lewin’s extraordinary black-and-white drawings of Lincoln contrast nicely with the colorful paintings of this boy and his world.

Abe Lincoln Remembers - Book Cover

Abe Lincoln Remembers

Author: Ann Turner
Publisher: HarperCollins
Tags: Grade: 1, Grade: 2, Grade: 3, Grade: 4, Presidents

From his humble beginnings in a small log cabin, young Abe Lincoln knew “that being tall is not enough to make your way in this world.” He worked hard on a flatboat, in a general store, and then studying to become a lawyer, eventually making his way into politics. Along the way he married and had three boisterous sons: “They were like balls bounding down a road, and people said they had no manners or discipline. I thought happiness more important than manners, though I didn’t like it when Tad drove his cart and goats down the White House hall.” Deeply relieved when the Civil War is over, Abe Lincoln is finally ready to be happy on the fateful night that he sets out to Ford’s Theater to see a play with his wife.

The focus of this simple picture book is not on Lincoln’s death–the book concludes before Abe and Mary even leave the White House–but rather on the admirable life he led. Although many are well acquainted with the legendary story of young Abe’s rough upbringing in Kentucky and his unquenchable thirst for learning, Ann Turner’s fictionalized biography, told in a fresh and immediate first-person point of view, adds a sweet note of poignancy and humanity to one of America’s greatest heroes. With his historically accurate paintings, award-winning illustrator Wendell Minor captures the expressions and experiences of a man who, at the conclusion of the war, sees “how sorrow has dug lines in my cheeks.” –Emilie Coulter

George Washington’s Cows - Book Cover

George Washington’s Cows

Author: David Small
Publisher: Farrar Strauss & Giroux, 1994
Tags: Grade: 1, Grade: 2, Grade: K, Presidents

Cows wear dresses, pigs wear wigs, and sheep are scholars on George Washington’s farm. Humorous rhymes, with pictures to match, explain why Washington left his farm to go into politics.

If I Were President - Book Cover

If I Were President

Author: Catherine Stier
Publisher: Albert Whitman, 1999
Tags: Grade: 1, Grade: 2, Grade: K, Presidents

Six fictional children talk about what they would do if they were president of the United States. “If I were president,” says one child, “the people would be my boss.” With simple text in a picture book format, Stier touches on the duties, responsibilities, and traditions of the office of the president.

It Happened in the White House: Extraordinary Tales from America’s Most Famous Home - Book Cover

It Happened in the White House: Extraordinary Tales from America’s Most Famous Home

Author: Kathleen Karr
Publisher: Hyperion, 2000
Tags: Grade: 4, Grade: 5, Grade: 6, Grade: 7, Presidents

In a chapter book format, Karr entertainingly tells the stories of real-life residents of the White House in the following categories: “Home Improvements,” “All the Presidents’ Dogs,” “The First Kids,” “Curious, Strange, and Weird,” and “White as a Ghost.”

Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family - Book Cover

Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family

Shannon Lanier was in the first grade when he stood up in class and announced that Thomas Jefferson was his ancestor. No one believed him because he was black. In 1998, when Lanier was 19, DNA evidence proved he truly was a descendant of Jefferson’s. This is his story and his family’s story as told through interviews, photographs, and family trees. The various voices provide fascinating details and tie together nine generations of Jeffersons.

Kennedy Assassinated! The World Mourns - Book Cover

Kennedy Assassinated! The World Mourns

Author: Wilborn Hampton
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 1997
Tags: Grade: 10, Grade: 5, Grade: 6, Grade: 7, Grade: 8, Grade: 9, Presidents

Wilborn Hampton was only a cub reporter at United Press International in Dallas when he answered the phone and heard these fateful words: “Three shots fired at the motorcade!” This is his account of how reporters collected the facts for the news story about Kennedy’s assassination. Black-and-white photos and Wilborn’s voice bring to life the shock and grief felt by Americans that day.

Lincoln: A Photobiography - Book Cover

Lincoln: A Photobiography

Author: Russell Freedman
Publisher: Clarion, 1987
Tags: Grade: 4, Grade: 5, Grade: 6, Grade: 7, Leadership, Presidents

Today, Lincoln is considered one of the greatest leaders in American history. Yet, as Russell Freedman writes in his Newbery Medal-winning history, during the Civil War, Lincoln “was the most unpopular president the nation had ever known.” Through quotes, photographs, and excerpts from speeches, students will learn about Lincoln’s boyhood, marriage, professional life, and presidency. And they’ll also discover what it takes to be a true leader.

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