Thomas Jefferson: President and Philosopher - Softcover

Meacham, Jon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0385387520 ISBN 13: 9780385387521

Publisher: Yearling, 2016

Synopsis

In this special illustrated edition of the #1 New York Times bestselling Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham, young readers will learn about the life and political philosophy of one of our Founding Fathers. This book is a must-read for President's Day!

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He was one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence. But he was also a lawyer and an ambassador, an inventor and a scientist. He had a wide range of interests and hobbies, but his consuming interest was the survival and success of the United States.
 
This book contains a note from Meacham and over 100 archival illustrations, as well as sections throughout the text about subjects such as the Boston Tea Party, the Library of Congress, and Napoléon Bonaparte. Additional materials include a time line; a family tree; a Who’s Who in Jefferson’s world; sections on Jefferson’s original writings and correspondence, “inventions,” interests, places in Jefferson’s world, finding Jefferson in the United States today, additional reading, organizations, and websites; notes; a bibliography; and an index. This adaptation, ideal for those interested in American presidents, biographies, and the founding of the American republic, is an excellent example of informational writing and reflects Meacham’s extensive research using primary source material.

Praise for Thomas Jefferson: President and Philosopher
“A solid resource for young people intrigued by Jefferson.” –Booklist
 
“Comprehensive and engaging.” –Scholastic Instructor
 
“There is a surprising paucity of books about Jefferson at this level and this handsome, well-written, and engaging volume fills that literary gap.” –Horn Book
 
“Wonderfully written and crafted... Entertaining for both kids and adults alike.” –KidsReads.com

About this title

About the Author:

Jon Meacham is the author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power and American Lion, his Pulitzer Prize–winning biography of Andrew Jackson, as well as the bestsellers American Gospel and Franklin and Winston. He is an executive editor at Random House. He and his wife live with their three children in Nashville and Sewanee, Tennessee.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 5–8—Thomas Jefferson was an idealist who was drawn to the cause of individual rights and a pragmatist who saw the need to take practical steps to get things done. That interpretation frames this adaptation for young readers of Meacham's Pulitzer Prize–winning adult biography, Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power (Random, 2013). Readers will see this mix of idealism and pragmatism again and again during Jefferson's career. Meacham first introduces these themes in the prologue, develops them throughout the book, and later reinforces them in the epilogue, making the book useful for introducing Common Core State Standard concepts, such as determining the author's point of view and the reasons and evidence provided to support it. The biographer presents important issues in American history, particularly those surrounding the beginnings of our nation, and a strong discussion of Jefferson's failure to deal with the issue of slavery. Students will also learn about significant people Jefferson encountered during his career: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and James Madison. The single shortcoming of this informative adaptation is its inability to capture Meacham's nuanced style and appealing storytelling. In reducing his 800-page biography by more than half, this adaptation has reduced his engaging narrative to shorter, often choppy, and much simpler sentences. Compare this title with Milton Meltzer's livelier account, Thomas Jefferson: The Revolutionary Aristocrat (Franklin Watts, 1991), which has stood the test of time well. Nevertheless, readers will be rewarded with a coherent, well-supported explanation of a complex man.—Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York

About this edition

• Publisher: Yearling
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0385387520
• ISBN 13: 9780385387521
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336