Week Two: So You Want to Be President?

So You Want to Be President? 

by Judith St. George

illustrated by David Small

Summary

    So You Want to Be President? is a humorous Caldecott winner that presents fun facts about our Presidents, such as 'eight presidents were born in log cabins', 'pets have included dogs, cats, snakes, parrots, raccoons and badgers', and 'presidents have been lawyers, teachers, farmers, sailors, and engineers'. 

APA Reference

St. George, J. (2000). So you want to be president? New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

My Impressions

    I thoroughly enjoyed reading So You Want to Be President? I thought the text was clever and interesting, and I learned many things I did not know or had never considered. But what really made the book for me was the illustrations. They are drawn in an exaggerated caricature style and add to the humour of the book. 

    I have read other children's books about the presidents, but this was unique and much more enjoyable and memorable. The author helps the reader to relate to the presidents by depicting them as "human" figures and writing about the president's pets, hobbies, flaws, and embarrassing moments. 

    I think children would enjoy reading this book or, even more, having it read to them. The illustrations will stick in children's minds and help them to recall the facts about the presidents. I plan to use this book in a class lesson or story time to create and further students' interest in history and government. 

Review

    Booklist states that presidential biographies can typically be described as "staid, stodgy, and dull", yet it suggests "throw[ing] these adjectives out the window" when describing  So You Want to Be President? A Publishers Weekly review praises the illustrator saying the illustrations and caricatures are "comical" and "amplify the playful tone of the text." They also predict that the "clever and engrossing approach to the men that have led America" and "quirky asides" will "send readers off on a presidential fact-finding mission."

Phelan, C. (2000). So you want to be president? [Review of the book So you want to be president?] Booklist. Available from http://www.booklistonline.com/So-You-Want-to-Be-President-Judith-St-George/pid=1074006

Publishers Weekly. (2000). So you want to be president? [Review of the book So you want to be president?] Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-399-23407-1

Library Use 

    So You to Be President? could be used in a program to get kids interested in an upcoming presidential election. Kids could research and present their own fun, silly facts about the candidates. After discussing the candidates and the importance of voting, you could hold a mock election/poll. 

Week Two: Birds

Birds

by Kevin Henkes

illustrated by Laura Dronzek

Summary

    Birds follows a young girl's fascination with birds. She observes birds of different colors and sizes, notes on their behavior and listens to their songs. She imagines the patterns they might make in the sky or what a tree full of birds would look like and what it might be like to be a bird.

APA Reference

Henkes, K. (2009). Birds. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books. 

My Impressions

   Of all the books I read this semester, this may be one of favorites. It is simple and understated. The text is easily read, while remaining interesting (see the SURPRISE! toward the end) and thought provoking (what would the sky look like if birds left jet-stream like trails?) The illustrations are bright and clear, but contain enough detail to appeal to young children and older children alike. I used this book as an anchor/starting place for my Story time assignment. The children, ages 2-5, loved the book and asked to read it again and again.  

Review

    A Booklist review describes Henkes' picture book as "delightful" and "sophisticated", with a "lyrical magic." Booklist praises the illustrations, by Henkes' wife Laura Dronzek, which "reflect the text's plain elegance" yet have an "exuberant energy all their own." This combination of text and illustration will "enchant preschool audiences again and again."  

Barthelmess, T. (2009). Birds [review of the book Birds]. Booklist. Available from http://www.booklistonline.com/Birds-Kevin-Henkes/pid=2999643

Library Use

    This book would be good to use in story time with young children about birds, combined with a song, finger play, and other books.