CHILDREN'S
BOOKS
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Ages: 4-8
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Huckleberry
a First Family favorite pie ingredient
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Resolute Desk
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President Abraham
Lincoln and son Thomas (Tad) made by Mathew B. Brady on February 9, 1864
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BOOK
ILLUMINATIONS
From Merrimon Book Reviews
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First Family
by Deborah
Hopkinson
Illustrated by AG Ford
FIRST
FAMILY introduces
young
readers to the American president's family at home, at work and at play
in the White
House. Presented mostly through the eyes of daughters Malia and
Sasha, FIRST
FAMILY describes the similarities in the everyday life of the First
Family
and other American families. FIRST FAMILY also shows how
Malia and Sasha's life differs from other children, helping young
readers to imagine how their lives might change were they to be
children of the American president.
Deborah Hopkinson's FIRST FAMILY focuses on themes of family, the White
House and the continuity of American history. For the first time
in many years, young children are residents of the White House and what
better way to introduce children to the notion of the Presidency, the
White House and American history than through the eyes of the children
who live there! With words and images, Deborah Hopkinson and Ag
Ford emphasize the role of family. Despite their new home, Malia
and Sasha are children with lives grounded in the family. Values
of healthy eating, exercise, doing homework and cleaning one's room
emerge from the picture painted of the First Family's life together but
not to the exclusion of playful fun and family togetherness.
FIRST FAMILY presents a wholesome, positive role model of the family for
children readers.
The beauty and uniqueness of FIRST FAMILY as a young children's book
centers
around the portrayal of the White House, a living museum which houses
items that connect each generation of Americans. With images and
words, American history comes alive. The description
and illustration of the Resolute Desk, a desk also used by Presidents
Kennedy, Clinton and Bush gives young readers (and adults reading aloud
to children) a moving look at the importance of the history of this
country. Not only is America a country with a rich historical
legacy but also a nation with a sense of continuity between past and
present. Illustrations of the White House portray the
grandeur of the building itself and the impresive furniture
inside. Two
pages of White House and First Family Trivia, facts and fun
conclude this inspiring book thus once again
connecting past and present. FIRST
FAMILY does an excellent job at humanizing the family while also
honoring the rich legacy of American history.
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (December 22,
2009)
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
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