We spent most of 2012 learning about all of the presidents and along the way we found some great resources I’d like to share with you before Presidents Day!
Group Biographies
Buying individual biographies could get pretty expensive, so you might want to invest in a book that covers all of the presidents.
I Grew Up to Be President is one we found last year that my son enjoyed. The biographies are very short and interesting facts are included.
Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought) is an interesting read for kids probably in the middle school age range. You may want to preview the selections beforehand since some of them are pretty frank about the presidents’ personal lives, but you will enjoy reading them, too!
So You Want to Be President shares interesting facts about all of the presidents, but is not arranged into individual biographies and is meant to be read in one sitting as opposed to being a reference book. This book also won the Caldecott Medal!
Individual Biographies
If you’re looking for books about individual presidents, there are many to choose from! These are a few of our favorites.
The Getting to Know…books have been one of our favorite series. These cover all of the presidents’ lives as opposed to just their time in office and have funny cartoons that were a big hit with my son.
A Picture Book of Thomas Jefferson is one of several presidential biographies by David A. Adler. The Jefferson biography has nice illustrations and not too much information—some of the books on the founding fathers have so much included that it’s a bit overwhelming for a younger reader! We also have A Picture Book of Dwight David Eisenhower which is in the same format but includes many photos.
Lincoln: A Photobiography is a Newbery winner and a wonderful book for upper elementary and middle school students. As the name says, there are many photos throughout the book that are interesting to see. There are many, many books about Lincoln, but this is one of the best.
The President and Mom’s Apple Pie isn’t really a biography, but it is a fun book about William Howard Taft and since there aren’t many books for kids about him, I wanted to include it!
Fun & Games
Arthur Meets the President is one my daughter has enjoyed because she loves watching Arthur on TV.
Duck for President takes readers back to Farmer Brown’s barnyard as Duck decides he wants to be in charge!
Professor Noggin’s Presidents of the United States Card Game is a great way to review what you’ve learned! You can choose the skill level and try to answer questions on various topics such as Presidential Nicknames or The White House.
I’ve also got some fun ideas pinned on my Presidents board on Pinterest! I hope you enjoy them!
