On the third Monday of every February, our country officially celebrates the remarkable, complex, charismatic, fascinating and divisive men who have inhabited the White House from 1789 until the present day. From Washington to Biden, we have an array of books at the library covering not only the lives of these men, and their noteworthy wives, but also what holding the office of president entails. Here are some of the most fun, interesting and thought-provoking ones that kids and parents can read and discuss together this Presidents’ Day:
Highlighting ten of the most memorable presidents, “This Little President: A Presidential Primer,” is a board book primer full of age-appropriate facts, leadership skills and White House history. In the same vein, but for slightly older readers, the Caldecott-winning classic, “So You Want to Be President,” shows the foibles, quirks and humanity of the first forty-four presidents.
In “Presidents’ Day,” by Anne Rockwell, and “Ellie May on Presidents’ Day,” by Hillary Homzie, Mrs. Madoff’s preschool class and second-grader Ellie May have fun learning all about the holiday and take part in a play and other activities as ways of imagining what the lives of presidents like Washington and Lincoln were like.
For a more encyclopedic take on the inhabitants of the White House, DK and the Smithsonian Institution have put together both “The Presidents Visual Encyclopedia” and “Presidents and First Ladies,” which are entertaining and informative visual guides to the lives and careers of the presidents and their wives.
Famous documentarian Ken Burns brings the presidents to life in “Grover Cleveland, Again!,” which gives each man a lushly illustrated spread with curated stories and information to give readers of all ages a comprehensive view of the varied and fascinating characters who have led our nation (with the exception of Grover Cleveland — the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms — who gets two spreads!).
For a look at our so-called Founding Fathers, “I Am George Washington,” by Brad Meltzer and “Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Everything,” by Maira Kalman, both offer up colorfully illustrated portraits of two of this country’s earliest leaders, though Kalman’s book paints a more complicated and nuanced view of Jefferson than Meltzer’s does of Washington. Maira Kalman also has a lovely book about Abraham Lincoln entitled “Looking at Lincoln,” which follows a little girl who wants to learn all she can about our 16th president, and who discovers he’s much more than the face on the five dollar bill. And to learn about another president from the Civil War era, look no further than Megan Stine’s “Who Was Ulysses S. Grant?,” which is part of the “Who Was?” series, and which covers the personal and political turmoil in the career of one of the few U.S. presidents to have resided in Missouri.
“To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt” and “Nice Work, Franklin!” tackle both Roosevelts, Teddy and Franklin, the 26th and 32nd presidents, and the challenges and triumphs of both iconic leaders. And in “Jack’s Path of Courage,” author Doreen Rappaport shows how the also-iconic John F. Kennedy overcame pain and self-doubt to see the country through one of the most difficult crises in its history. On the flip side of this is Andrea Balis’ “Bringing Down a President: The Watergate Scandal,” which charts the history of the Watergate scandal revolving around one of our most notorious presidents, Richard Nixon.
And finally, the first picture book about the inspiring life of the oldest living president, “Hard Work, but It’s Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter,” by Bethany Hegedus, tells the story of Carter’s rise from farm boy in Georgia to businessman, 39th president of the U.S. and, eventually, Nobel Prize-winning humanitarian.
