George, Judith St. So You Want to Be President? Illustrated by David Small. New York: Philomel Books, 2004. ISBN: 0399243178.
Author Website: www.judithstgeorge.com/books.htm
Media: Ink, watercolor and pastel chalk
Awards: ALA Notable Children's Book, 2001, Caldecott Medal, 2001.
Special Notations: Non-fiction.
Annotation: Learn amusing and interesting facts about American Presidency. Discover a wide assortment of information as it relates to presidential lifestyle and how it has varied from president to president.
Personal Reaction: I am a fan of books about the presidency and so I was naturally drawn to Judith St. George’s book, So You Want to Be President? Initially, I thought the author had missed the mark by going for trivia and entertainment versus useful facts. By the end of the book, I had changed my mind because the text builds into greater coverage of the office of the presidency and ultimately, provides a great deal of useful and factual information. I particularly enjoyed the appendix at the end of the book that lists each president, dates in office, place and date of birth and what he is most famous for achieving while in office. The author successfully manages to provide comic relief along a dose of history at the same time. “One of the bad things about being President is that the President always has to be dressed up” explains this amusing yet factual book on what it takes to be president. The combination will especially appeal to older readers. The attractive illustrations rendered in ink, watercolor and chalk offer scenes that will bring both smiles and contemplative expressions to the faces of readers.
