Customer Reviews

Dolley Madison Saves George Washington

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dolley Madison was one of those types of people who seemed to have everything going for her. She was charming, graceful, stylish and an excellent hostess with the mostest. "Everybody loves Mrs. Madison. That's because Mrs. Madison loves everybody." When she was young, she was just a simple farm girl, but later on she met and married James Madison who was seventeen years older than she was. He couldn't have made a better choice because everyone just loved sweet Dolley!

She held weekly parties or "drawing rooms" where she greeted everyone as if they were "family or a long-lost friend and she had a 'smile and a pleasant word for everybody.'" She was also a fine decorator and saved a spot in the dining room for Gilbert Stuart's lifesize portrait of George Washington. But soon something ill was in the wind. In 1814 the British invaded America and the jolly Dolley and her parties were no more. Soldiers had to guard the presidential mansion, but soon were spooked, deserted and left Dolley alone. She too needed to escape, but oh, my ... how was she going to rescue poor George?

This is nonfiction the way it should be. Exciting with a bit of drama thrown in for good measure. This book was easy to read and the simple, but novel topic pulled me right into the tale. I've always enjoyed Don Brown's inimitable art work that adds just the right amount of pizazz to his books. If you want a bit of history for your youngster, especially the reluctant reader, this book will fill the bill. I'm sure you'll be wondering just how Dolley managed to save good old George Washington too!

We really enjoyed this book. In just a few pages the author tells the story of how Dolley Madison saves a painting of George Washington. And we learned a lot about her bravery, determination and importance in the early years of our country.

The illustrations were a bit odd. As in they could have been MUCH better. But the text is so engaging that we can't complain too loudly.

We'll use this again.

*taken from my review at goodreads

Powerful and ladylike. Dolley Madison was both. This book focuses on Dolley as first lady during the War of 1812, her bravery and her escape from the British. She preserved a full-size portrait of George Washington as the White House was being overrun and burned.

This is a good historical story. Our library has it in the biographies section, but it does not serve as a full biography of this remarkable woman. Check with your child's teacher before choosing this for a biography book report.