In honor of the election of Barack Obama, the United States’ first African-American president, the S-Collection presents a sampling of some of our children’s books about the presidency. What is the job of the president? What’s it like to live in the White House? Why is it called the White House, anyway? The following titles explore life in the White House, past and present.
Nonfiction
Aldridge, Rebecca.
The Presidency. 2004.
Surveys the person and the office of the president of the United States, covering such aspects as its history, the role of the first lady, the vice presidency, life in the White House, and campaigning.
[Education Storage S.352.23 Al248p]
Bausum, Ann.
Our Country’s Presidents. 2001.
Historical details of US presidents including the dramatic results of the 2000 election.
[Education S Collection Q. S.973 B328o]
Grace, Catherine O’Neill.
The White House: An Illustrated History. 2003.
Explores the history, architecture, and symbolism of the White House, which serves as a museum, office, ceremonial site, and a home to presidents and their families.
[Education Storage S.975.3 G753w]
Harris, Nancy.
What’s a President and Vice-President? 2007.
Part of the First Guide to Government series, this title explains the interactions of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches.
[Education S Collection Call Number: S.352.230973 H24w]
Fiction
Harness, Cheryl.
Ghosts of the White House. 1998.
George Washington’s ghost pulls a girl out of her school White House tour and takes her on a personal tour of the building, introducing her to the ghosts of previous presidents and to the history of the White House and of the United States.
[Education Remote Storage S.973.099 H226g]
Leiner, Jane.
First Children: Growing up in the White House. 1996.
Anecdotes from the lives of children who have lived in the White House from the time of George Washington to the present (1996).
[Education Storage Q. S.973.099 L533F]
O’Connor, Jane.
If the Walls Could Talk: Family Life at the White House. 2004.
Funny, surprising stories and more about the most famous home in America and the extraordinary families who have lived in it.
[Education S Collection S.973.09 Oc55i]
Presidents of the Past
Armstrong, Jennifer.
Thomas Jefferson: Letters from a Philadelphia Bookworm. 2000.
An educated, inquisitive young girl in Philadelphia corresponds with President Thomas Jefferson about current events, including the Lewis and Clark expedition, new inventions, and life at Monticello.
[Education Storage S.Ar573t]
Gutman, Dan.
Mr. Macky is Wacky! 2007
Mr. Macky dresses up as Abraham Lincoln to get the students at Ella Menty School excited about their Presidents’ Day oral reports.
[Education S-Collection S. G985mr]
Sandak, Cass.
The Tafts. 1993.
Examines the private life and political career of the only president to also serve as Supreme Court justice and describes the influence of his wife, Nellie.
[Education Remote Storage S.973.9120922 T125S]
Strasser, Todd.
Abe Lincoln for Class President. 1995.
When Max uses his friend’s computer to do a last-minute President’s Day assignment, he accidentally triggers a time machine that brings Abraham Lincoln into the present.
[Education Storage S.ST812AB]
Presidents of the Future?
DiPucchio, Kelly.
Grace for President. 2008.
When Grace discovers that there has never been a female U.S. president, she decides to run for school president.
[Education S-Collection Q. SE. D626g]
Perkins, Mitali.
First Daughter: White House Rules. 2008.
Once sixteen-year-old Sameera Righton’s father is elected president of the United States, the adopted Pakistani-American girl moves into the White House and makes some decisions about how she is going to live her life in the spotlight.
[Education S-Collection S. P419fd]
Smith, Lane.
Madam President. 2008.
A little girl imagines what her day would be like if she were President of the United States.
[Education S-Collection SE. Sm618m]
Thomas, Helen and Chip Bok.
The Great White House Break Out. 2008.
With his mother as president, the rules and restrictions become too confining, until the day that Sam and his pets, Warren the cat and Leonard the rat, decide to escape and explore Washington D.C.
[Education S-Collection SE. T3614g]
New to the S-Collection
McCollough, David, ed.
Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out. 2008.
More than one hundred leading authors and illustrators donate their talents to a collection of essays, personal accounts, historical fiction, and poetry which looks at America’s history through the prism of the White House.
[Education S-Collection Q. S.975.3 Ou78]