Product Description

Every U.S. president is the focus of public scrutiny, but how well do we know these men? What kind of fathers do presidents make? Husbands? Neighbors? Other books focus on the historical achievements of those who have occupied our country's highest office; Lives of the Presidents looks instead at their bad habits, silly nicknames, and strange pets. Every president--from George Washington to Bill Clinton--is included, with an emphasis on those who have had the greatest impact on history. Discover their high points, low points, and the times in between. In this stunning addition to their acclaimed series, Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt take us beyond politics and photo opportunities, revealing the entertaining, complex, and very real lives of the presidents.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #614952 in Books
• Published on: 1998-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 96 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780152008086
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From Publishers Weekly
Krull (Lives of the Writers; Lives of the Athletes) has a proven knack for delivering generous dollops of covert asides along with fun facts and pertinent information when it comes to profiling famous figures. This latest effort does not disappoint. Beginning with her debunking of the myth that George Washington had wooden teeth, Krull briskly moves through the list of White House inhabitants, discussing their personality quirks and qualifications for elected office (or seeming lack thereof) as well as offering tidbits about their marriages and love lives, favorite foods and pastimes, family pets and, of particular import these days, scandals. She goes so far as to mention that President Clinton has "admitted privately that he has had affairs," and hints at his reputation as a womanizer. Presidents whose terms had major historical significance and more recent chiefs of state are given longer entries (two to three pages) while the others receive paragraphs. All, however, are written up in the same chatty and intriguing tone. In watercolor-and-colored-pencil paintings, Hewitt, in her signature style, depicts each president with a very large head and smaller body. Background scenery and dress suggest the historical era and significant details about the man; those presidents with a full-page portrait include an inset, smaller portrait of the First Lady in the top left corner of the painting. Young readers will find many of the school-report essentials here?birthplaces and dates, number of terms in office?and plenty of items that will surely entertain as well as educate. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-Who says biography can't be authoritative and fun at the same time? This briskly written book presents our presidents as human beings first, figureheads second. Krull asserts that her intent was to look "at our leaders with a cool, contemporary eye, respectful but definitely nosy." She succeeds admirably. This is the perfect antidote to encyclopedia articles and standard collective biographies. Krull is factual, but her writing has pizzazz and her details bring the heads of state to life. The most coverage is given to modern presidents and the best known leaders of the past, but for almost any of the 42 men, tidbits of information contain insight. That Andrew Johnson barely escaped impeachment is fairly common knowledge, but not so well known is the fact that this dapper little man was apprenticed to a tailor and made his own suits. John F. Kennedy certainly had charisma, and he could also bark like a seal for two minutes straight-a voice technique he had learned from a vocal coach. Packed with enough detail for brief reports, these articles are also just plain entertaining and could be used to pique students' interest in biography. Hewitt's spirited watercolor cartoons add to the presentation immensely, showing, as they do, the individual, his style of dress, and, in the case of longer articles, his spouse and some of the accoutrements of his life. The jacket cover, displaying presidents, spouses, and one first child, provides a provocative draw for this fine book.
Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 4^-7. Krull and Hewitt, using the successful format that began with Lives of the Musicians (1993), now turn their attention to the U.S. presidents. As in the previous books, and as the subtitle indicates, the book deals with the minutiae of the subjects' lives, with only an occasional nod toward their accomplishments. Important presidents--such as Washington, Jackson, Lincoln, and all the post^-World War II crowd--get a full-page illustration (wives are featured in cameos) and several pages of text. Others, like Rutherford Hayes ("With whiskers so long they dipped into his soup") and Benjamin Harrison ("the Human Iceberg") get a short paragraph. Much of the fun of these books is Hewitt's stylish pictures that use elements of caricature and sly bits of details. For instance, the portrait of President Kennedy features a Frank Sinatra album next to the record player; Checkers' leash is wrapped around Richard Nixon's legs, and Nixon holds a reel of tape in his hand. Other facts? The sleeping arrangements of some of the presidential couples: Woodrow Wilson and his first wife slept in separate bedrooms, but he and his second wife, Edith, moved Lincoln's bed into their room. Bibliography. Ilene Cooper

Customer Reviews

Not suitable for elementary age children
My daughter recently brought this book home from the school library. It is beautifully illustrated, and the concept of telling some of the lesser known stories about our presidents is a good one. However, the authors take this too far by including frequent references to whether a president and his first lady shared a bedroom, affairs, out-of-wedlock children, and alleged homosexuality. These are subjects I don't feel are appropriate for a book aimed at elementary school age children.

Hilarious!
Hi! I read this book for facts for a report I had to do. The covers really hooked me in by the funny pictures! It had great information, but I would read another book also if you wanted to report on the lesser-known presidents!

Great Pictures, Interesting facts
I thought it was very entertaining. Some real odd-ball facts to make you wonder how these people ever got elected president (mean, friendless presidents, and presidents who enjoyed "naked time" in the Potomac river). Thumbs up.