With the United States preparing for the presidential election, Hazel has heard a bit about the campaigns. Steve and I do not usually see eye to eye when it comes to politics and he and his mother are much more interested in politics than I am. They also tend to talk about it much more than I do. As result Hazel has had many questions about it all. She also heard a bit about it at school and will be learning more. She was really excited when I showed her 50 Things You Should Know about American Presidents by Tracey Kelly. She couldn't wait to start reading it and asks me to read more each night.
Hazel told me the only presidents she really knew about were George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. She was really excited to learn about Bill Clinton since she has heard Daddy and Nonni talk about Hillary and about Barrack Obama. We skipped to the end to read about the three latest presidents so she could hear know about them. I will admit to not reading to her about 9/11. She is so sensitive and easily scared that I did not want to put this into her mind at all.
This book starts with a double page spread about the United States Government and the three branches of it. This was good for Hazel to review since it still confuses her a bit. Then there is a double page spread on the start of the United States with a bit about the Revolutionary War and the formation of the government. Each president gets a page or a two page spread sharing short details about his presidency. It is a good introduction for a child but in no way goes into all the details of the presidency. For Hazel this is perfect. There was not too much information for her to process and not too many details of the scary things in life. Throughout the book there is also pages of information about historical events like the Civil War, expansions, the World Wars, the space race and international diplomacy.
I have to admit that Steve was excited to see this book as well. I am sure it will end up in his office eventually. He loves having Hazel learn about history and he also really enjoys politics and history. He read to her a couple of nights when I was working about some of the presidents. This book however is not a book for research or complete information on a president. For a complete book like that would need to be more than eighty pages!! This book is colorful and informative with pictures and blurbs of information. For Hazel (in first grade) it is the perfect resource to help answer some of her questions about our country and its government without confusing her even more. We are enjoying it and recommend it. I hope you will check it out.
