Thomas Jefferson [Hardcover]

Cheryl Harness (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

In her sixth presidential biography for National Geographic, Cheryl Harness illuminates the many sides of Thomas Jefferson: scientist, lawyer, farmer, architect, diplomat, inventor, musician, philosopher, author of the Declaration of Independence, founder of the University of Virginia, and third president of the United States. Readers meet this extraordinary man of contradictions: a genius who proclaimed that "All men are created equal" and championed the rights of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness," while at the same time living a life that depended on the enforced labor of slaves.

Readers experience an eventful life lived largely in public service, yet also enjoy the personal warmth of this fascinating historical figure. The narrative examines the crucial role that the "sage of Monticello" played in shaping the ideals of freedom and self-government, which became the cornerstones of American democracy. The author's conversational storytelling, her richly detailed illustrations, and use of period maps bring to life the exciting times of Thomas Jefferson on every page. This appealing and insightful biography is an honest, well-balanced portrait of a complex and controversial American legend.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6--In a note at the beginning of this attractive, accessible biography, Harness deals in an objective and nonjudgmental fashion with the most controversial aspects of Jefferson's life--his assertion that "all Men are created equal" while keeping slaves, and his relationship with Sally Hemings. The book then proceeds in a lively, nicely paced style to examine the many facets of the man's life, which included "Scientist, Lawyer, Farmer, Architect, Diplomat, Inventor, Musician, Philosopher, and third President of the United States." The text is peppered with numerous quotes from Jefferson. Bright and busy mixed-media illustrations range from a full-page framed spread to small inserts, and are an appropriate match for the energetic text. This is a solid addition to the biography shelf and a first purchase for most collections.--Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Harness continues her successful series of picture books about the presidents with Jefferson, who is more controversial than some of her previous subjects. Harness brings up his relationship with slave Sally Hemings in her introduction, but, curiously, almost drops the subject in the text. A somewhat larger problem is Harness' attempt to fit a huge amount of material into a relatively small space. Situations are truncated, and at times, readers will have to make informational leaps. That said, this is still a remarkable book; it gives children a sense of Jefferson's personality, his exceptional skills, and even the demons he struggled with as he tried to reconcile his belief that all men are created equal and his role as a slaveholder. Harness uses every opportunity to squeeze in more information, and her striking watercolor, gouache, ink, and colored-pencil pictures and maps add extra detail. There are no notes, and the bibliography is brief, but there's a useful time line highlighting Jefferson's world. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792264967
• ISBN-13: 978-0792264965
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,553,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cheryl Harness makes her home in Independence, Missouri, the "Queen City of the Trails," a couple of blocks away from the big white house where Harry and Bess Truman used to live. She lives with Mimi (a black and white Shih Tsu)), and Merrie Emma (a cross-eyed scaredy-cat). As an author, illustrator, public speaker, and presenter in many an elementary school, Cheryl is known for her engaging, entertaining approach to history, her detailed watercolors, and the way she plays her harmonica.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly illustrated book... great for Jefferson reader, May 19, 2004

By 

Rosana Wan (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thomas Jefferson (Hardcover)

Cheryl Harness have written and illustrated some of our nation's great presidents (John Adams, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, etc.), but for Jefferson, I think she did a good job on explaining about Thomas Jefferson. Although this book is mainly for children to give them a main idea about our third president of the United States, many adults, including myself, can learn something from this book. It's highly illustrated on some of the important events in Jefferson life. If you really want your child to know Jefferson or just get a brief idea about him, or do a research paper on Jefferson, I would highly recommanded this book. As well as people that want to be major in US history, this is one of the book that I would recommand. Because illustrations can help a child, even as well as an adult, to understand better about what's going on in the book.
As you filp through pages of this book, Chernal Harness (author) gives you a very good idea of some of the events during Jefferson's time. She show some interesting maps in this book (like P. 25 for example) that tells you about what's going on in that time.
The author also showed you how Monticello was like during Jefferson's retirement. She show a "blue print" (P.36) and a layout map (P.38-39)of Jefferson's "Essays of Architecture"-Monticello and as well his garden and where his slaves work.
As a "Jefferson scholar" and history book collector, I really enjoy reading this book. Even though I might think I already know a lot about Jefferson, but when I first read this book, it teach me something new about him-William Clark came back from the "Corps of Discovery" and lay out the map of the US to show President Jefferson where did he and Meriwether Lewis traveled and explored.
I think this book is fun to read for everyone, no matter how old you are.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book in a great series on historical characters, August 16, 2011

By 

JCD - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Thomas Jefferson (Paperback)

Absolutely excellent! The information provided in a clear, concise manner is wonderfully done. I wish history books were written as well. Probably best for either third grade and up, or for a parent to read and discuss with younger children (rather than read word for word). I loved this one so much, I picked up many others (equally as great) by the same publisher.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Biography on Thomas Jefferson, February 23, 2011

By 

Lynn Ellingwood "The ESOL Teacher" (Webster, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thomas Jefferson (Paperback)

This is a good picture book biography of Thomas Jefferson for the classroom. It is intended for grades 4-7 I believe but there is information for adults to be had here too. Thomas Jefferson's life from birth to death is covered and yes, there is mention of Sally Hemmings and his possible 6 children with her. Some mentions in the book don't gel quite right because with modern sensibilities, the idea that Jefferson could state that "all men are created equal" and still have slaves doesn't seem logical but Jefferson didn't live in our times, but in his. Slavery allowed him to live a luxurious lifestyle and do many of the things an educated gentleman might do at the time. Without slaves, his quality of life would have suffered and he knew it. Still this book does provide terrific details of his life and gives us a portrait of how he lived.