Product Description

George Washington is often called the father of our country. He beat the odds to lead the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War, served as first president of the United States, and then retired from public life to farm Virginia's largest plantation.

In this groundbreaking new series, DK brings together fresh voices and DK design values to give readers the most information-packed, visually exciting biographies on the market today. Full-color photographs of people, places, and artifacts, and sidebars on related subjects add dimension and relevance to stories of famous lives that students will love to read. Modern scholarship and a variety of narrative approaches give today's reader a chance to explore the extraordinary worlds of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. This new way of looking at classic subjects creates a unique reading experience that breathes life into the book-report and summer-reading repertoire.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #198205 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Customer Reviews

Ultra politically correct and crummy
I would give it 2 stars, but does have excellent pictures, as is the custom of DK books, so I suppose it deserves a 3 overall, but no more. This is, overall, NOT a good kid's biography of George Washington.

I am a Chinese American, recently naturalized, and in preparation of homeschooling my kids I got this book with high expectations. I've always known that Washington was voted unanimously into presidency, and I want to know why - what is so great about this guy?

I finished the book and cannot tell you why. The book never explained it, except the author hints here and there that the people thought highly of Washington for no apparent reason:

"The new commander was an instant American idol...Congress voted him a gold medal and Harvard University awarded the unschooled general an honorary doctor's degree before he had commanded a single battle." (p.45)

The latest trend in historical studies appears to be an overwhelming interest in digging up dirt of previously respected figures. While slow to praise, this book is quick to point out that Washington "swore...till the leaves shook on the trees" (p.64) on one occasion according to some observer, and "Washington was known to pay slaves who volunteered to have teeth yanked out and used in his dentures." (p.80)

Is it really necessary to report that some guy heard Washington swore one time? And does it make sense to yank teeth out of people - if one needs human teeth for dentures, why not get it out of corpses?

In the end, the book makes sure you know that "Washington was no saint...no military genius, and he lost many more battles than he won." (p.115) Trust me, by the time you get to the end, your brain will not be thinking of Washington as a saint at all, so the sentence is worthless except to reveal the author's goal: to dispel any misconceptions out there that might consider Washington a saint.

The book is crummy because it messed up on page 71. I can't imagine DK making such a fatal publishing error. The last line of p.71 reads

"to surprise Cornwallis at Yorktown. Washington himself"

Washington himself what? I turned over the page and read the first line:

"Martha was there, and so were her son, Jacky."

I guess I'll never know what Washington himself did. I am a fan of DK publishing, as they always come up with top quality work, but this book is seriously shaking my faith in them. Hopefully it is an isolated incident.

The man behind the monument

This is one in a series of DK Biographies that will probably be of greatest interest and value to younger readers (ages 7-12). I also highly recommend them for use in ESL and literacy programs whatever the ages of the participants may be. Each volume provides solid historical information in combination with more than 100 archival photos and attractive illustrations. All volumes in the series should be available in public and school libraries and, fortunately, are sturdy and thus will hold up well despite frequent use. With a retail price of only $4.99, they also offer great value. Lenny Hort is the author of this biography of George Washington who led the colonial army to military victory in the war for independence and then served two terms as the first president of the United States of America.

Hort carefully organizes his material within 13 chapters and wisely begins the narrative at an especially significant moment: Christmas Eve in 1776 as Washington and his depleted troops crossed the icy Delaware River to initiate a sneak attack on the Hessian troops stationed in Trenton after marching nine miles. "If Washington's plan works, his army will live to fight again. If not, the new nation and its commander in chief are as good as dead." Once having captured his younger readers' attention, Hort briefly reviews Washington's childhood, the French and Indian War in which he served, his residence and eminence in Virginia, events leading up to the revolution, the war, the creation of "a more perfect union," Washington's years as president, his retirement, and his "last battle." Hort concludes with his thoughts about "the man and the monument." He and the DK editors also provide several reader-friendly devices such as a map, timeline, bibliography, and "For Further Study" suggestions.

As a grandfather of ten with several of them in 7-12 age range, I highly recommend DK Biographies as birthday and holiday gifts and also plan to "read along" with my grandchildren and share my own thoughts about some of the material. Other volumes in the series include those that focus on Madame Curie, Princess Diana, Amelia Earhart, Albert Einstein, Anne Frank, Benjamin Franklin, Gandhi, Joan of Arc, Helen Keller, John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Annie Oakley, Pele, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Mother Teresa. Additional biographies of Abigail Adams, Thomas Edison, Thomas Jefferson, and Laura Ingalls Wilder are now in preparation.

Fine biography for young teens
George Washington was a well-written, comprehensive biography of our first president. Rather than sticking to platitudes, we learn about the real man behind the myth. I'd recommend it for any middle-schooler...