I Grew Up To Be President
What I Loved:
A history book with a twist.Negative?:
I really think President Obama's cameo should have been on the front.This book has the scoop on Washington’s teeth, the two presidents who died on the same day, and the president who introduced “ice cream” at his inauguration.
History never had it so good. I Grew Up to Be President, by Laurie Calkhoven, is a great history book, biography and picture book all rolled up into one, and it’s debuting on December 1, 2011!
I Grew Up To Be President tells the story (or stories, in this case) of the fourty-four Presidents of the United States, beginning with their precocious and sometimes naughty childhoods, and ending with the impact their presidencies had on the United States.
But this book isn’t just about biographies, it’s also chock-full of wonderful tidbits, like the scoop on Washington’s teeth, the oddity of the two presidents who died on the same day – July 4, 1826 (you’ll have to read the book to find out who they were), and the president who introduced the smashing new dish called “ice cream” at his inauguration. Yes, Calkhoven sprinkles plenty of fun into this one, with irresistible factoids like which president named his plantation Sherwood Forest, which used sheep to mow the white house lawn, and which loved skinny dipping in the Potomac River.
I recommend this book to historians of all ages, and even moreso with the next presidential election just around the corner. As an African American, I found it particularly refreshing to see President Barack Obama’s biography and caricature inside, and I predict this little book will be a source of pride and inspiration for the multicultural community for years to come.
Calkhoven presents facts, rumors and quirks with enough precision to make this a reliable history book, yet enough warmth and familiarity to hold the reader’s interest. Each president’s official White House portrait is included in the book, and these are balanced against award-winning illustrator Rebecca Zomchek’s adorable rendition of each president as a curly-haired, wide-eyed, rambunctious little boy.
For a history book that will please as easily as it educates, be sure to pick up a copy of I Grew Up to Be President, by Laurie Calkhoven.
Best wishes and happy voting!
Rita Lorraine
PICTURE BOOK DEPOT
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