So You Want to Be President? - Caldecott Medal Winner

St. George, J. (2000). So you want to be president? New York: Philomel Books.

Although this book is now becoming somewhat outdated (it does not include our current president nor will it include the president elected this year) I still think that it is wonderful and provides great tid-bits from history that will never be outdated. These interesting and little-known facts are what makes this book so wonderful. The book is written in a very kid-friendly way with easy-to-read and understand language. It includes facts but does not read like a textbook. I enjoy reading about history when it is presented in an interesting way - this book does just that. Of course the illustrations were great and added to the humor and light-hearted feel of the book. I especially loved the cartoon-like representations of the different presidents. At a time when we are hearing so much about the upcoming presidential election and tensions are running high about what the future holds and what changes a new president will make, it was nice to step back and take a relaxed look at the history of the presidency. From reading this book, I learned that it is possible to present facts and history in a way that is fun, humorous, and appealing to children. Thank goodness for books like these that can be used as supplements to the generally boring Social Studies books found in the classroom!