Smithsonian Presidents and First Ladies - Softcover

DK Publishing

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0789484536 ISBN 13: 9780789484536

Publisher: DK Children, 2002

Synopsis

A fascinating look at the president and first lady for children 8 and older. Meet the extraordinary men and women who inspire, amaze, and enthrall us. The people who have lived in the White House -- and those who were presidents and first ladies before the great home was built -- are a chain of personalities who embody the peaceful succession of power which defines the United States system of government. Did you know... James Buchanan was a bachelor, so Harriet Lane, his niece, served as the nation's official hostess? John Tyler had two first ladies? Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt were distant cousins? Both Barbara Bush and Laura Bush chose literacy as a focus of their work as first ladies? A concise history. The clearly presented Key Events section on every page of Smithsonian Presidents and First Ladies shows what happened and when during the time of each president's administration. Biography boxes report data on important dates, places, and people in the lives of our leaders. Finding out about the complex, colorful story of the powerful couples in American history has never been simpler -- or more fun -- with this fact-packed instant reference.

About this title

Reviews

Grade 4-6-This breezy, entertaining survey provides basic information. Most presidential pairs are covered on double-page spreads; a few, notably George and Martha Washington, Thomas and Martha Jefferson, Abraham and Mary Lincoln, and Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, are given four pages. Each entry has a brief biographical chart for both the president and the first lady, a paragraph about each of them, key events in a chronological table, a portrait of each individual, and often an interesting sidebar. Religious affiliations, a map showing birthplaces by state, and election statistics are provided in the appendix. Illustrations, mainly in color and including photographs, portraits, and reproductions largely from the Smithsonian's collection, are attractive and interesting. Youngsters will enjoy browsing through this book but would need to turn to Elaine Pascoe's First Facts about the Presidents (Blackbirch, 1996), Pastan's First Ladies (2001), or Barber's Presidents (2000, both DK) to find enough information for a simple report. S. A. Kramer's The Look-It-Up Book of First Ladies and Wyatt Blassingame's The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (both Random, 2000) provide even more in-depth coverage. Some text from Pastan's First Ladies is repeated verbatim in Presidents and First Ladies. A supplemental choice.
Peg Glisson, Mendon Center Elementary School, Pittsford, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 4-8. This compact guide to the presidents and their First Ladies (including those women who served as First Ladies) gives children basic facts in the highly illustrated DK format. Each president gets from one (Millard Fillmore) to four (George Washington) pages. Along with a painted portrait or photograph of the president and his First Lady are a brief sidebar biography, a list of key events, and a box highlighting a particular episode during the administration--for instance, the Battle of Little Bighorn during President Hayes' years or the integration of the Little Rock High School during the Eisenhower administration. There's not enough here for report writers, but this will work as a quick overview. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: DK Children
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0789484536
• ISBN 13: 9780789484536
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96