Shari Frost

Many Chicago literacy coaches are still on a post-inaugural high, and decided that they were going to celebrate Presidents Day in a big way this year. Since they are literacy coaches, the first order of business was to put together good text sets. They combed school and classroom libraries, cashed in their book club bonus points, and even spent some cold, hard cash to acquire books. Here are the sets that they put together:

Barack Obama - The 44th President of the United States Text Set

Amazon lists 80 children's books under the search descriptor "Barack Obama"! Plowing through the list revealed that many of them were rushed to the press as soon as the election results were final. Others turned out to be coloring books and paper dolls. There were some good choices. The coaches cast their votes for these gems:

Biographies

Roberta Edwards (2009). Barack Obama: United States President. Grosset & Dunlap.

Beatrice Gormley (2008). Barack Obama: Our 44th President. Simon & Schuster.

David Mendell (2008). Obama: A Promise of Change. HarperCollins.

Garen Thomas (2008). Yes We Can: A Biography of President Barack Obama. Feiwel & Friends.

Picture Book Biographies

Nikki Grimes (2008). Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope. Simon & Schuster.

This is the must-have book of the text set. It is illustrated by award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier.

Jonah Winter (2008). Barack. HarperCollins.

Collection of Quotes

Kadir Nelson (2008). Change Has Come: An Artist Celebrates Our American Spirit. Simon and Schuster.

Award winning illustrator Kadir Nelson selects quotes from Barack Obama's speeches, and pairs them with his simple yet powerful drawings.

Lincoln's Bicentennial Birthday

This year is the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Our 16th president is a hero and role model of the current president. Lincoln is one of those presidents that everyone writes about, so look for other books about him in the authors' text sets. Books in the Lincoln text set includes:

Martha Brenner (1994). Abe Lincoln's Hat. Random House.

Amy Cohn and Suzy Schmidt (2002). Abraham Lincoln. Scholastic.

Barry Denenberg (2008). Lincoln Shot: A President's Life Remembered. Feiwel and Friends.

This is the must-have book of this text set. The book features a newspaper style account of Lincoln's assassination on pages resembling old newspapers. There are reproductions of photographs and articles, pen and ink drawings, and interesting details of Lincoln's life.

Candance Fleming (2008). The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary. Schwartz & Wade.

Nikki Giovanni (2008). Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship. Henry Holt.

Doreen Rappaport (2008). Abe's Honest Words. Hyperion.

Loyd Uglow (1997). Abraham Lincoln Will You Ever Give Up? Advanced Publishing.

There is a great website with additional information, references, and resources. Visit it at:

http://www.lincolnbicentennial.gov/

Author Sets

Several children's authors specialize in writing biographies of the presidents. Here are some of our favorites:

David A. Adler

David Adler's books are perfect for second and third grade students or struggling older readers. Almost every second and third grade teacher had copies of some of Adler's books in their classroom libraries. These books have a predictable structure, making them very supportive to transitional readers. Each book starts with the subject's childhood, moves on to his young adulthood, and ends with his significant contributions as president:

A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln. Holiday House, 1990.

A Picture Book of George Washington. Holiday House, 1990.

A Picture Book of Thomas Jefferson. Holiday House, 1991.

A Picture Book of John F. Kennedy. Holiday House, 1992.

A Picture Book of Dwight David Eisenhower. Holiday House, 2004.

Russell Freedman

Newbery Award winning author Russell Freedman is renowned for the careful research that he does for his biographies and nonfiction books. He often uncovers new facts and details about the subject's life. His books are appropriate for older students:

Lincoln: A Photobiography. Houghton-Mifflin, 1989.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Sandpiper, 1992.

Washington at Valley Forge. Holiday House, 2008.

Jean Fritz

Fritz is an accomplished and prolific author, known for her cleverly titled, engaging books. She has written many books on American history topics, including these books about the presidents:

Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt! Putnam, 1997.

The Great Little Madison. Putnam, 1998.

George Washington's Breakfast. Putnam, 1998.

Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln. Topeka Publishing, 1999.

Cheryl Harness

Harness specializes in picture book biographies. Her books have large, fill-the-page, boldly colored illustrations with limited text. They are accessible, informative, and appealing. These books are must-haves for struggling readers:

Young Abe Lincoln: The Frontier Days. National Geographic Children's Books, 2003.

Revolutionary John Adams. National Geographic Children's Books, 2006.

Thomas Jefferson. National Geographic Children's Books, 2006.

George Washington. National Geographic Children's Books, 2006.

The Remarkable Rough-Riding Life of Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Empire America. National Geographic Children's Books, 2007.

Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington: 1837-1865. National Geographic Children's Books, 2008.

Judith St. George

Everyone knows and loves St. George's Caldecott winning book, So You Want to be President? (2004). She updated it after the 2004 election. Do you think she will update it again? I didn't know that St. George had written books about individual presidents. They are:

You're On Your Way, Teddy Roosevelt. Philomel, 2004.

Take the Lead, George Washington. Philomel, 2005.

Make Your Mark, Franklin Roosevelt. Philomel, 2007.

Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln. Philomel, 2008.

Didn't Make It to Mount Rushmore

Have you noticed that if a president didn't get carved into Mount Rushmore, he hardly gets any attention in children's literature? A good way to give those presidents the respect that they deserve is through a compilation book. The trouble with compilation books is they have to be updated every four years. Anyway, here are our favorites:

Will Cleveland (1997). Yo, Millard Fillmore! (And All Those Other Presidents You Don't Know). Millbrook Press.

Katherine Gibb Davis (2004). Wackiest White House Pets. Scholastic.

Judith Greenburg (1998). Young People's Letters to the President. Franklin Watts, 1998.

Katherine Krull (1998). Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought). Harcourt.

Jane O'Connor (2004). If the Walls Could Talk: Family Life at the White House. Simon & Schuster.

Hanoch Piven (2004). What Presidents Are Made Of. Atheneum.

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