Editorial Review

A noteworthy review of Our Presidents from Children's Literature on January 1, 2002

Cover: John Adams: Our Second President

This entry in the well-written ‘Our Presidents’ series provides an overview of John Adams, his early years in Massachusetts, his involvement in the Revolutionary War and his rise during the Second Continental Congress as a diplomat. In the first election cast in this country, he came in second to George Washington so was his vice president, a role he did not always cherish. It was during his campaign that political parties formed. All illustrations are taken from art and cartoons of the day or are photographs of contemporary settings. One-page sections feature Abigail Adams, the Boston Massacre, and the new White House. Sidebars add interesting facts and picture captions are informative and lengthy enough to inform casual browsers. Each book in the series ends with a glossary defining highlighted words in the text, a timeline specific to the president’s life, a complete table of presidents through George W. Bush with their home states, life spans, presidential spans, political party and the name of their first ladies. Included are a page of ‘Presidential Facts’ and numerous web sites and relevant suggested other resources, as well as an index. All in all, it’s a strong, informative, and very readable contribution to the literature about presidents for upper elementary and middle school readers.

—Susan Hepler

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