Monthly Special
American Presidents

Picture Books | Intermediate | Young Adult 

The books recommended below were published within the last several years. Grade levels are only suggestions; the individual child is the real criterion.

Picture Books
Suggested grade level for each entry: K–3

The Buck Stops Here: The Presidents of the United States written and illustrated by Alice Provensen (HarperCollins)
An enjoyable overview of the presidents of the United States depicts each president surrounded by symbols, placards, headlines, episodes, and other material that illustrate the main events of his administration. 56 pages.

So You Want to Be President? written by Judith St. George, illustrated by David Small (Philomel)
Arranging historical tidbits in an attractive buffet, this book offers anecdotes both cautionary and guaranteed to attract attention and arouse interest. 53 pages.

You’re on Your Way, Teddy Roosevelt written by Judith St. George, illustrated by Matt Faulkner (Philomel)
The future president struggles with ill health as a child but is determined to improve himself. 48 pages.

Intermediate
Suggested grade level for each entry: 4–6

Jack: The Early Years of John F. Kennedy by Ilene Cooper (Dutton)
Without idealizing or sensationalizing, Cooper offers a revealing portrait of JFK’s youth (ending with his graduation from high school) and the forces that shaped it. 168 pages.

Lincoln Shot!: A President’s Life Remembered written by Barry Denenberg, illustrated by Christopher Bing (Feiwel)
Beautifully integrating content and form, this oversize invented newspaper memorial of Lincoln’s death, complete with yellowed pages bound in faux-leather maroon, includes archival photographs and maps, artificial advertisements, and portraits that mimic period engravings. 40 pages.

The Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz (Putnam)
Jean Fritz brings a lesser-known president to life in this interesting, humorous biography of James Madison. 159 pages.

Kennedy Assassinated! The World Mourns: A Reporter’s Story by Wilborn Hampton (Candlewick)
This gripping account of the events surrounding President Kennedy’s assassination is at once personal and objective, with behind-the-scenes views of the confusion, false information, misleading “leads,” and continuous tension. 96 pages.

Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought) written by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt)
This collection of offbeat sketches transforms icons into human beings with distinct, sometimes quirky, personalities. 96 pages.

In the Line of Fire: Presidents’ Lives at Stake by Judith St. George (Holiday)
In this far-from-macabre historical account, St. George focuses on the four slain presidents, giving ample coverage to their assassinations, assailants, and successors in office. 142 pages.

Young Adult
Suggested grade level for each entry: 7 and up

George Washington: An Illustrated Biography by David A. Adler (Holiday)
Aided by many period prints, Adler dispels myths and explores many aspects of Washington’s personality and character, including his evolving attitudes as a slaveholder. 274 pages.

The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary by Candace Fleming (Schwartz & Wade/Random)
Equally inviting for reference, browsing, or pleasure reading, this dual biography is chock-full of reproductions of primary sources, both textual and visual, and an abundance of interesting anecdotes. 181 pages.

George Washington and the Founding of a Nation by Albert Marrin (Dutton)
A reliable, information-packed biography of a remarkable man and an examination of the social, economic, and political forces that shaped him. 276 pages.

The Great Adventure: Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America by Albert Marrin (Dutton)
Marrin addresses Roosevelt’s strengths, weaknesses, and ambiguities, focusing on his approach to being president and on the situations he faced and created that remain in some form with us today. 248 pages.

Old Hickory: Andrew Jackson and the American People by Albert Marrin (Dutton)
An illuminating portrait of the general and president who was both a product and a shaper
of his times. 262 pages.

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