The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (Look-It-Up Books) [Paperback]

Wyatt Blassingame (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Look-It-Up Books

ENTERTAINING, UP-TO-THE MINUTE, and easy-to-use, The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents features a short, lively biography of every President from George Washington through the winner of the 2008 presidential election, plus a chapter on Election 2000—the “year of the chad.” It includes concise descriptions of the major events, issues, and achievements of each administration, and its eye-catching two-color interior is fully illustrated with engravings, cartoons, and photographs.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-Throughout more than 15 years of revisions, this book, first published in 1968, has remained a reliable resource for reference and browsing, offering comprehensive, informative profiles of American presidents. The 1996 revision took readers only as far as Bill Clinton's election to a second term, but this latest edition offers a completely rewritten 10-page profile, including the scandals that led to his impeachment as well as the fiscal policies that led to the nation's economic boom and the president's consistently high approval ratings. This edition also has a 10-page profile of George W. Bush and a concluding chapter that discusses the controversial election of 2000. Ranging in length from two to five pages, the profiles of the first 41 presidents remain exactly as they were in previous editions. Except for the occasional broad generalization, such as the statement that "No President has ever worked harder than Cleveland," the writing is factual and unbiased, with insights about each man's intellectual and political prowess as well as his legacy as both a domestic and a world leader. Ann Bausum's Our Country's Presidents (National Geographic, 2001) and James Barber's Presidents (DK, 2000) offer glossier formats with full-color illustrations, but they don't diminish the appeal and usefulness of this book.

William McLoughlin, Brookside School, Worthington, OH

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Throughout more than 15 years of revisions, The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents, first published in 1968, has remained a reliable resource for reference and browsing, offering comprehensive, informative profiles of American presidents. . . . Ann Bausum’s Our Country’s Presidents (National Geographic, 2001) and James Barber’s Presidents (DK, 2000) offer glossier formats with full-color illustrations, but they don’t diminish the appeal and usefulness of this book.”—School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; Revised edition (December 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679803580
• ISBN-13: 978-0679803584
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 0.5 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great basic reference, February 17, 2001

By 

David E. Levine (Peekskill , NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (Look-It-Up Books) (Library Binding)

This book was recently updated as it seeks to include all of the presidents. The fact that earlier editions of this book have been in print for several decades is a testiment to its fine quality. It is written for the late elemntary to middle school grade level but is a nice quick reference even for adults. The book tends to whitewash certain controversies and treat presidents in a more favorable light than might a longer, adult oriented book. Still, the book gives the basics of major scandals in the presiencies of Grant, Harding, Nixon, etc. Furthermore, the book gives the reader a basic understanding of who each of our presidents was and what the basic issues were during the presidency of each. Knowing the basics of each of our presidents is important for good citizenship and this book fills the bill nicely. I hope that this book will encourage readers to want to read full legnth biographies of some of the presidents profiled or, at least to delve deeper into their presidencies by reading a more complex, adult level book of this type. I highly recommend this great introduction to our presidents.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book on the Presidents, March 26, 2008

By 

collectivité (Havelock, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (Look-It-Up Books) (Paperback)

My first exposure to Wyatt Blassingame's The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents was the early 90's when my Aunt and Uncle gave the tome to me as a gift. Back then the book ended with President Reagan. Later on I updated my copy as President Bush 41 took and left office. In early 2009 I brought a copy of the book (after not owning a copy for several years) in order to have a book on the Presidents with President-elect Barack Obama in it.

What keeps me coming back to the Look-It-Up Book of Presidents is how clearly the biographies of each President are written without any confusing jargon. I'm also impressed with how neutral he is toward each President. For example Blassingame's narratives about President's Clinton's scandals and his foreign policy are written better than most news stories were during those years. This neutrality also extends to the major events of President Bush's term such as 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Democratic takeover of Congress in 2006. However I was disappointed that there was no mention of Hurricane Katrina, which one would think would be a given. The biography of President-elect Obama is well written and neutral as well. Other facts such as the 1994, 2004 and 2006 deaths of Presidents Nixon, Reagan, and Ford are included.

There is one weakness however. The list of Presidents in the front only includes general comments on how historians rank the Presidents up to Eisenhower. I think it would be a good idea to update the rankings to include the most recent Presidents after Eisenhower.

Above all I'm glad I own the Look-It-Up Book of Presidents again. The book got me interested in history. I fully recommend it to children who need a basic reference and to adults who need a refresher on our Presidents.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars educational and fun, December 29, 2010

By 

summertowlie - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (Look-It-Up Books) (Paperback)

Very interesting book. Educational and fun, what more can one ask! My 10 year old son is into history, so I got this for him, not even realizing how much I would enjoy it as well! Great for the whole family to read!