Customer Reviews

Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

This book, as stated by a previous reviewer, is not really for younger children. Even worse, it presents rumors as fact . Warren Harding was rumored to have joined the KKK, even though most of the evidence comes from Klan members themselves. Many historians doubt this happened and have sited far more reliable sources. One of my students, for example, takes this book at face value. It proved a positive learning experience about taking this stuff as is in the book, however, I wish I had not had to do that.

this is such a great book! all the other books about the presidents just tell about how "great" the first men were, while we ALL deep down know what inconsiderate jerks they REALLY are!!! cheerio, mates!

Really good book about the presidents' personal lives, especially in the White House. Written for grades 4-8 and really interesting. I loved every minute of reading it. It was published in 2001 so it only goes through Bill Clinton but still, a great resource on the presidents covered. Wonderful. I would love to get the new edition too.

This is one of those good books that bring life to history. It shows that the presidents were just as human as you and me. The illustrations are wonderful. My children enjoy this book.

I bought this book some time ago and I realized how good Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt are at writing books. I am hoping to get Lives of the Artists. Unfortunately, my 9th birthday already passed so I have to wait 5 months (Chistmas.) I highly recommend this book. Hope this was helpful to you.

I have used this book from the library for years for a brief and fun overview of Presidents in my history classes, and decided I really needed to own it for personal use!!

In Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought), the author writes brief biographical sketches about each of the presidents from George Washington to William Clinton. Included in the sketches are both historical and anecdotal information about the leaders of our nation. Also included are caricature illustrations of each president.
The information has been compiled from many sources, and communicates new information to the reader. The purpose of the book is to integrate historical facts and humorous tidbits. The information is presented in chronological order, starting with President George Washington. The table of contents includes names, dates in office, and number of terms served. The number of the president is listed on the left; therefore, Grover Cleveland is listed as 22 * 24 (between Arthur and Harrison). The illustrations are interesting, and enhance the biographies. Since they are caricatures, they are not historically accurate. A benefit of the illustrations is that the reader can better remember certain things about a specific president based upon the illustration. The jacket, both front and back, includes a guessing game. Although not every aspect of the figure is examined, much new information can be acquired. Different viewpoints are presented, and fallacies are also addressed. The information sparks interest in biography, as well as government.

Classroom Activity: After reading this book, students will write biographical sketches about world leaders. Included in the class book will be caricatures of the leaders.

Age Group: This book can be read aloud to 3rd through 4th graders, while independent reading is recommended for 5th graders.