Celebrate President's Day with Simon and Schuster (review)

Celebrate President's Day with Simon and Schuster! 

George: George Washington, Our Founding father

Written by Frank Keating

Illustrated by Mike Wimmer

ISBN: 9781416954828

Paula Wiseman Books ▪ 1/3/12 ▪ $16.99 ▪ Ages 6-9

The fifth of ten children, George Washington was a dreamer, a hard worker, an athlete, and a peacemaker. By the time he was fifteen he had handwritten for himself the "Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation." These were his rules to live by. He could not have known what his future would hold...and these rules speak to who he was as a boy and a man. Based on this little known historical document, this is George Washington's life from boyhood to his presidency.

We the People: The Story of Our Constitution

Written by Lynn Cheney

Illustrated by Greg Harlin

ISBN: 9781442444225

Paula Wiseman Books ▪ 1/3/12 ▪ $7.99 ▪ All Ages

Lynne Cheney’s New York Times bestselling illustrated history of how the Constitution came to be.

Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope

Written by Nikki Grimes

Illustrated by Bryan Collier

ISBN: 9781442440920

Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers ▪ 1/24/12 ▪ $7.99 ▪ Ages 5-10

The #1 New York Times bestselling picture-book biography of President Barack Obama.

My take:  Did you know (thank you Wikipedia!): "Washington's Birthday is a United States federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday of February in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States. It is also commonly known as Presidents Day (sometimes spelled Presidents' Day or President's Day). As Washington's Birthday or Presidents Day, it is also the official name of a concurrent state holiday celebrated on the same day in a number of states. Titled Washington's Birthday, a federal holiday honoring George Washington was originally implemented by an Act of Congress in 1879."

With that in mind, I was asked to review a few books appropriate for today.  I asked for the first one because my 7 year old's first grade class studied George Washington this week.  I didn't send the book into her teacher though because I didn't think of it in time, but I could have.  George: George Washington, Our Founding father  is for 6 - 9 year olds and it is a good primer of President Washington's life, from birth through his election as president.  Many of the pages also include a rule from his "Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation" (a list I'd like to read all of).  The illustrations are gorgeous oil on canvas reproductions.

We the People: The Story of Our Constitution, by former VP Cheney's wife, Lynne, is supposed to be for all ages.  I disagree.  It is an excellent primer for how our Constitution came about, with beautiful illustrations by Greg Harlin, but it's not for the younger set - I'd say middle school and up.  


Finally,  my favorite of the three was Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope, no doubt because I'm a big supporter of our current president.  This story, based on President Obama's own Dreams from my Father, is told from the point of view of a mother, telling the story to her own son (with comments from the child on each page as the story is told to him).  Like the George Washington book above, the story runs from birth to presidency.  The illustrations are in watercolor and collage which, according to the artist, represents a melding together of parts to create something new, just as Obama himself is the result of such a merging.  The theme of Hope runs like a thread through the story, tying it all together.  It's an excellent book on the life of our president.

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This review was sponsored by Simon and Schuster Publishing who provided the books for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary books.