The Presidents: Portraits of History

Each of our forty-four presidents (Grover Cleveland served two terms, separated by Benjamin Harris’s one term) has a unique story. Our history is fun and interesting, but how can this be conveyed to young people today? This oversized picture book is really designed for middle-graders. Each spread has a large portrait of the president, and on the facing page there is an interesting fact about him. His portrait is surrounded by a few more interesting facts about the man, including the years he served and what number he is in the pantheon of presidents. In addition, there are a few pages in the back with specific information for all of the presidents — their full name, dates, places of births and deaths, age when they took office, nickname, pets, and what he did before becoming president. This is as much an art book, with the highly stylized portraits and text design by artist Leah Tinari, as it is a history book. Perhaps the hope is that it will engender enough curiosity about these men to encourage young readers to find other sources and learn more about them.