Don't Know Much About George Washington [Paperback]

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Rob Shepperson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 24, 2002 | Age Level: 8 and up | Series: Don't Know Much About

•Where did George go to college? (see page 20)

•Why didn't he sign the Declaration of Independence? (see page 60)

•Did everyone vote for him to be president of the United States? (see page 92)

Best-selling author Kenneth C. Davis lays aside popular myth to unveil the true character of an avid farmer -- and our nation's first president. He weaves a smooth, flowing narrative into the trademark question-and-answer format of his popular Don't Know Much About® series, peppering this outstanding biography with informational sidebars and compelling quotes. Washington's life illuminates a glorious era in American history. Maps, reproductions from the period, and clever black-and-white illustrations by Rob Shepperson help re-create the flavor of these exciting times.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Reviewed with Kenneth C. Davis' Don't Know Much about Sitting Bull.

Gr. 3-7. Organized in the author's trademark question-and-answer format, these biographies have sure appeal for reluctant readers. Davis gives just enough historical background to place his subjects in context, and he has selected and phrased his facts with middle-schoolers' interests and sense of humor in mind. washington features amusing line drawings by Rob Shepperson; the artwork in Sitting Bull, which is more serious in tone, includes some rather murky pencil sketches and period photographs. The selected bibliography in Sitting Bull is a mix of adult and children's books; in George Washington youth fiction and nonfiction titles are listed separately, followed by a bibliography of mostly adult books. Both books have a time line; Washington also includes a Web site list. The subjects are familiar, but the treatment is unusual and effective. Catherine Andronik
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Kenneth C. Davis is the New York Times best-selling author of Don't Know Much About® History, Don't Know Much About® Geography, Don't Know Much About® The Civil War, and Don't Know Much About® The Bible.

People magazine has said that "Reading [Davis] is like returning to the classroom of the best teacher you ever had."

A frequent visitor to classrooms and teacher groups, Davis has appeared often on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, National Public Radio, and many other television and radio shows. He is a contributing editor to USA Weekend, which features his Don't Know Much About® quizzes on a variety of subjects.

Born and educated in Mt. Vernon, New York, he now lives in New York City and Vermont with his wife, Joann, and their two children, Jenny and Colin.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: HarperTrophy; 1 edition (December 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064421244
• ISBN-13: 978-0064421249
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #881,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ken Davis is the author of Don't Know Much About History, which spent 35 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and gave rise to the Don't Know Much About series, which has a combined in-print total of 4.3-million copies.Ken Davis has been dubbed The King of Knowing by Amazon.com because he becomes a subject expert in all of the areas he writes about; the Bible, Mythology, the Universe, the Civil War, for example. Ken has also been a Wise Man; on Who Wants to be a SuperMillionaire and a Life Line on the regular edition of the show. Ken Davis's success aptly makes the case that Americans don't hate history, just the dull version they slept through in class. But many of them want to know now because their kids are asking them questions they can't answer. Davis's approach is to refresh us on the subjects we should have learned in school. He does it by busting myths, setting the record straight and always remembering that fun is not a four-word letter word. A somewhat well-kept secret: Ken Davis never graduated from college, but he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Concordia College in Bronxville, where he was also asked to give a commencement address. Ken Davis is a frequent media guest. He has appeared on hundreds of television and radio shows, including NPR, The Today Show, Fox and Friends, CNN, and The Discovery Channel. He has been a commentator for All Things Considered, and has written for the New York Times. In addition to his adult titles, he writes the Don't Know Much About Children's series published by HarperCollins. He lives in New York with his wife. They have two grown children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An informative piece of art!, February 17, 2003

By 

Cheri - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Know Much About George Washington (Paperback)

For those individuals who want an eas to read book about George Washington, I recomend this book. It goes through Washington's life from start to finish with commo asked questions and the answers. This is a cool book for grade levels 3-6.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An illustrated book of trivia, November 14, 2010

By 

M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Know Much About George Washington (Paperback)

My boys can not get enough of this book. Each heading has a paragraph or two of facts and trivia, and often an illustration. This boo kis packed with interesting context and some humor, and it makes it much more entertaining than a straight biography.

If your child's teacher is a good sport, this *might* count as a biography. It has plenty of biographical information, but it is so much fun that it seems to fall outside the "biography" category.