From George and Martha Washington to George W. and Laura Bush, America's leading couples have intrigued, pleased, and angered the people of the nation for more than two centuries. In this easy-to-use, concise guide to presidents and first ladies, readers discover all sorts of essential information and little-known facts about some of the most powerful people in the world. Did you know that Andrew Johnson received no formal education? His wife, Eliza, taught him to read and write. And John Adams--by his own admission, "puffy, vain, conceited"--was called "His Rotundity" by his enemies!
A brief overview of each featured personage is accompanied by trivia boxes and biographical sidebars with such details as the dates of birth, death, and marriage, party affiliation, and years as president and first lady. A bar with key events during each presidency runs along the bottom of the page. Young readers will find this a valuable tool packed with nitty-gritty particulars about the many fascinating residents of the White House. (Ages 8 and older) --Emilie Coulter
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
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