The Presidents' Rap - CD/book kit -NEW VERSION (to George W. Bush) (History) [Audio CD]

Blaine Selkirk (Author), Sara Jordan (Author, Composer)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2001 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: History

This title is suitable for children of ages 9 to 12 years. Relive the history of our past Presidents in this treasure trove of tid-bits of knowledge about our Presidents packaged neatly into over a dozen catchy songs written within the musical style of each historical period. This is a comprehensive, illustrated, encyclopedic summary of the history of the American Presidents from Washington to George W Bush. It's approximate running time is 44 minutes.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Audio CD: 56 pages
• Publisher: Sara Jordan Publishing (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894262522
• ISBN-13: 978-1894262521
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 6.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,437,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not really what I'd hoped for -- a little disappointing, June 23, 2005

By 

homeschooler (Indianapolis) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Presidents' Rap - CD/book kit -NEW VERSION (to George W. Bush) (History) (Audio CD)

The concept is a great idea, but the result...not so great.

The songs are not in the genre of the presidents' eras as one review mentioned. There is one march, and most of the rest are attempts at a very white man rapping. His rapping is much better than his singing I'm sad to report. I think a variety of vocalists would have gone a long way to improve this item. Also, I am not opposed to rap music, just bad rap music...if you do not approve of this genre, you would probably want to stay clear of a CD with RAP in the title. The music is not harsh, just not great that's all.

However, there is a lot of information within the songs and they are mostly accurate. Many of the songs are WAY too long to be considered catchy, but a few of them are decent. One of my daughters really enjoys reading the words along with the music so this version with the book is great for her.

I would be leary of who I recommend this to, and thoughtful of the purpose. This is not going to win any musical awards, but as a unique teaching tool, it can be effective. I would probably not play this to a group of children who listen to real rap music as they would not get past laughing at this attempt -- maybe give them the book and let them rap it (that could be fun). It does have its uses though, and is thorough.

If you are learning about the presidents and want to expose your children to music of that era you'll need to buy a couple of different CD's, there are many albums available for colonial, revolutionary, civil war, and civil rights periods. Another unique option is the CD "Presidential Campaign Songs 1789-1996" that I found here at Amazon. At least you can listen to samples of it before choosing to buy...which they should have done for this one!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Teaching Tool to Cultivate Love of History, December 6, 2009

By 

Doris Brandt (Central NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Presidents' Rap - CD/book kit -NEW VERSION (to George W. Bush) (History) (Audio CD)

I came on here to buy this cd. I have previously only gotten it from the library on casette tape. I (and my children) LOVE this CD and enjoy listening to it over and over again. I am sure that as time goes by and the more often they listen to it, the more facts they will remember. Eventually, while studying these presidents, the facts will "click" and each song can be used individually while studying a particular president, group of presidents, or time period. I have used this tape (music) for at least 2 years, re-checking it out of the library, and it has fostered a love of American Presidents and American History that no other 2nd or 5th grader I know, has. The term "Rap" in the title has more to do with needing to put a cute, catchy title on the product (much the same way as I needed to come up with a name to go with this review) and the fact that there is so much information packed into every song and how it is presented. It really doesn't have much to do with modern-day Rap Music and one should not be daunted from its title. I am sure if a child is presented with this in a positive, up-beat, "Here is something cool I got you." manner, the child/children should be responsive to it. I sing along with my children and we usually listen to this in the car, while they read along with the book. Also, the version we've been listening to stopped with Bill Clinton. Having George W. Bush added to the collection is a nice addition, for history's sake at least (even if you were not fond of him) and we look forward to hearing it.