President's Day

Obviously, my calendar doesnt realize yet that 2008 is a Presidential YEAR. Not a month, or a long weekend, and certainly not a DAY. How long did it take to build Rome? My point exactly. With this in mind, I'm going to take some liberties with my recommendations this month. Consider it more of a patriotic list, for February, July or November!

Vote! By Eileen Christelow (Clarion) A mayoral race is depicted with delightful pictures and wry humor in this primer for an election year. Topics like political parties, voter registration and even recounts are given a humorous side by wise-cracking puppies. Ages 5-9.

The Presidents House: The secrets and History of the World's Most Famous Home by Margaret Truman (Random House) Kansas City native Margaret Truman delivers a tour of the White House, full of delightful anecdotes about first ladies, guests and, of course, presidents! From the kitchen to the ballrooms to the gardens, insights are given to the role this famous home plays in our countrys history. Ages 8-12.

The Real Benedict Arnold, by Jim Murphy (Houghton Miflin) Murphy, who wrote the powerful non-fiction books An American Plague and The Great Fire, strikes again with the biography of the man whose name is now the definition of traitor. Rounding out the man as a soldier, husband and father, we see a different and more complex side to a man who could have been a hero. Ages 10 & up.

Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame and What the Neighbors Thought, by Kathleen Krull, illus by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt) Im a Krull fan - - in a nutshell. If she can make Isaac Newton interesting to kids, she is a goddess. This book is full of the facts needed for that biography report, but adds that People Magazine brand of entertainment to make these men, well, human! Ages 10 & up.

Lincoln, A Photobiography, by Russell Freedman (Clarion) Winner of the Newbery Medal in 1990, this book became the landmark for childrens non-fiction in the same way Ken Burns Civil War series changed documentaries. Filled with over 80 carefully chosen photos, it chronicles the facts of Lincolns childhood and finishes with his assassination at Fords Theater. Ages 8-12.

Julie Hubble loves to wear her I Voted sticker around Leawood.