So You Want To Be President?

Written by Judith St. George

Narrated by Stockard Channing

According to this original tall tale, Angelica Longstrider, better known as Swamp Angel, is the greatest woodswoman in Tennessee history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Weston Woods
• Release date: Jan 1, 2002
• ISBN: 9780545787246

Reviews for So You Want To Be President?

[leamoore · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is a great book about all the good and bad things that come with being a commander in chief, and also gives facts about each one of the Presidents in each of the pages. With vivid animations, So You Want to Be President engages all students in identifying the Presidents, as well as important qualities that each President should have. I really like this book because it also features biography's of each of the former President's and interesting facts for entertainment. I think this book would be good for 5th and 6th grade history as it is a fun introduction to all the presidents.

[jillian.wehman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The drawings are cartoon looking. It has facts that makes it easy for students to understand.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Illustrated by David SmallThis picture book for young children tells some of the interesting tidbits about the American Presidents, from George Washington to Bill Clinton. The message is that almost anyone can be president – fat, thin, tall, short, born in a log cabin or a mansion, college graduate or struggled to learn to read, army general or tailor. There is an updated edition, that includes George W Bush, but even that one states all that all the presidents have been white men, and that no woman has even run for the office. (Although there is acknowledgement of Geraldine Ferraro’s historic run for Vice President.) David Small’s illustrations earned the Caldecott medal. His near caricatures are fun and engaging, and he includes small details to delight both children and the adults who may be reading aloud. I loved Teddy Roosevelt playing with a train set on the floor, or Richard Nixon bowling, or the Presidential “band” with Bill Clinton on the sax, Chester Arthur on the banjo, and Thomas Jefferson on the violin. I think I would probably rate this only three stars if it weren’t for the illustrations. Small’s drawings earned that extra star from me.

[canderson15-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a story about all of the presidents throughout time, as well as the all of the different unique qualities throughout time. The book goes through the different things that may come along with being President such as going to college. This is a good book because it uses the tool of allusion when describing the different Presidents and what they do.

[theindigoquill · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

See full review @ The Indigo Quill

It comes as no surprise that there has been some controversy over this book. What IS surprising, is the lack of knowledge people have displayed in their reviews in regard to our Nation's history and legal terms. So before I really get into my review, let's lay down some foundation in which my opinion has been based:

1) The term "impeached" refers to the process in which a President can be prosecuted. It does NOT mean that the President has been barred from office. That being said, Bill Clinton WAS impeached on both accounts of perjury and obstruction of justice, and THEN he was acquitted. Being this is a children's picture book and not an in-depth historical biography of the Presidents (and also to avoid getting into issues that are a little mature for young kids), I would say the author was limited, yet accurate, here.

2) To say a book is "inaccurate" because it was written before the information in it changed is not the author's fault. Authors of classic literature wrote within the societal norms or the purview of their present knowledge such as segregation or women's suffrage, but nobody complains that Shakespeare never gave Macduff an AK-47 to slay Macbeth because it is understood that guns were invented after his time, and, unfortunately, Shakespeare is not here to revise it to fit present day. (This book has since been revised to include Obama, so as of right now, this comment doesn't entirely apply)

3) A Caldecott Award is an award for illustrations, not text.

4) If you are a teacher, I really hope you encourage your kids to research facts. But I desperately hope that you also obtain facts yourself. That doesn't mean you have to like a book, but I am honestly shocked at how many people claimed they were teachers and yet, did not understand what the terms in this book meant. The poor author and illustrator had to suffer in ratings because of people's ignorance. Better to have an erudite opinion than a fallacious one that leads hundreds of little innocent minds astray.

Now that's established, let's press forward.

Judith St. George and David Small tag-team to create a hilarious paraphrase of all 44 Presidents. If you were looking for an entertaining way to present this bit of history to your kids or students, this is a great way to do it. Well, I also think a presidential version of Guess Who? would be fun, too.

We are given random bits of (often useless) information about each President that humanizes them, making them relatable. Some exemplifications may seem like a little TMI or downright absurd, but if you can look at it light-heartedly it can actually be entertaining and keep your child's interest.

David Smalls creates images that extend the story, almost portraying their own asides. They add to the comedy of the lyric in the form of caricatures, exaggerating the truth just a smidgen.

In my humble opinion, I think this is a fantastic book to introduce your child or students to Presidents. It totally beats trying to keep their attention through a 44-minute-or-so-snooze-fest. I understand that some people may not like the extreme comedy, but I thought it was hilarious and would use it in my own classroom. Just be sure that if you elaborate on what's in the book, your information is accurate.

Great comical debut of the Presidents for young kids!

[mckenzies-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book is filled with fun facts of each president from one to forty-two. The illustrations seem to be painted and humorous. This would be an interesting book for a child to read if they were interested in learning more about each president.

[emedwards-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great book to get children interested in presidents. Not only does it have cartoon drawings but it also tells details about presidents that you wouldn't normally read about. It tells about things that they liked and different talents that the presidents had. It told information about their siblings, pets, and character differences. Classroom Extensions: I would have the children write a report about a President of their choice. Or, I would have the students write a page to add to the book that would say something about them if they were President.

[kailee.gibbs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So You Want to be President?by Judith St. GeorgeThis is a great book filled with fun facts and information on past presidents. This a great book for young students to learn about past presidents without getting to bored.A great way to include this book would be having each student chose a president and create a poster with pictures and facts of that president.Another fun event would be to have students choose a president to dress up as and have them tell the entire class three facts about the president a loud.

[ewestr1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So you're a young child interested in learning about the presidents of the United States? Then this is the best book you can choose to read! I really had a good time reading it. This non-fiction book provides informative and interesting facts about the presidents in a humorous and enjoyable way. The author makes this book very relatable to young children, inspiring them to want to become president one day. The illustrations on each page are bright and colorful making learning about a real topic more enjoyable especially for younger children. What I loved most was that I was learning about these presidents from a kid perspective rather than a boring textbook I would read in school. I think the author's purpose was to make reading about presidents something kids would actually like to read. If kids are exposed to the news, they sometimes see that life as president isn't always exciting and happy, but this book makes being president a lighter topic to read about.

[nicole.diemer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George (2004) is an informational text that gives interesting facts about presidents of America. The author talks about where the president lives, things they might have to do, and similarities and differences among presidents. This is a quality information book for young children in many ways. The pictures are humorous cartoons of presidents. The information presented in the book introduces new ideas student may not have known before. Students are able to relate to the presidents when the author describes their lives before they became leaders in our country. One page talks about how presidents have had "pesky siblings" and another talks about pets. Important qualities, like honest, a president should have are addressed and students see the consequences of presidents who do not have such qualities.I would use this book as a fun way to introduce students to different presidents. Students can learn what it takes to be a president while also learning how presidents are just like them. I would point out to students that all of our presidents have been white and male. This could lead to a class discussion about why that might be.

[mariahpolen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a humorous, compelling way to learn about the first 42 Presidents of the United States. It has fun facts, and inspiring tales. The way their stories are told it is easy to relate to them, and inspire to be President one day.

[rnelson12-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great book that provides details about becoming president. it includes many unusual facts about the past presidents.

[dukefan86 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute book of information about the U.S. presidents that's an attention grabber. I liked the information presented, some of which makes the presidents a little more personable for children. For instance, it mentions which sports and musical instruments the presidents played, as well as pets some of them had.

[kschorn_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A really fun non-fiction book about the history of American presidents. A great tie over into a Social Studies classroom!

[bekeelen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The diversity of our presidents match up with the diversity of our nation. This is a great book to share with the class for Presidents Day. It describes what the president is allowed to do and what he can't do. The illustrations are great and they help the reader get a better understanding of what the book is talking about.

[lep119 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"So You Want to be President?" is a book that features a comprehensive guide to the Presidents of the United States. The book includes information about the education, family, and prior occupations of Presidents, as well as facts about their Vice Presidents. I enjoyed this book very much! I loved how the book is written in a way that children can read and be interested in! Would recommend it!

[jbeliel10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review: "So You Want to Be President?" is a picture book that explains the responsibility of what it takes to be President and what it takes to be elected. It describes the positives and negatives that come along with a Presidential position and describes specific scenarios within our nation's history. Genre: Informational Genre Critique: This book is a great example of an informational text because it informs the reader of who has been President in our past and the different responsibilities that our current President now has to take care of.

[elizabethhart_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So You Want to Be President? is a book comparing and contrasting the 41 men who have become president at the time it was published. The author describes how presidents have differed in personality, size, height, jobs, family structure, interests and educational background. The author also describes which presidents have been successful and why and how just about anyone can become president if they truly put their mind to it. Themes of diversity, equality and freedom are alluded to in the book. The author also encourages women and men of different races to run for president and the importance of modeling one’s behavior after presidential role models who have succeeded in the position, explaining, “If you want to become President – a good President – pattern yourself after the best.” The book was addicting, interesting and humorous – a wonderful read!

[mdonley_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very cool, informational book about being the president and everything that is involved. Totally written on a level young readers can understand. At the end it lists the presidents, in order, along with an interesting fact about their presidency.

[akrause_22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"So You Want to be President?" gives readers a whole new look into the lives of our country's presidents. It is a very educational story in that it recalls all of our past presidents by name but is also funny as it tells some of each president's quirks and fun facts; like did you know that John Quincy Adams was a first-rate swimmer and was once caught skinny-dipping by a reporter? Students will like the book because you learn different things that aren't taught in your average history class. The political cartoons as illustrations are also an attention grabber because they show things like presidents and their hobbies such as Woodrow Wilson doing the jig step.

[dpiacun_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Small uses a style of political cartoonish art to illustrate the book bring each textual description to life on each page. Each picture brings a funny, yet humoristic view of the presidents to the reader which helps the reader sees that each of these men is human and not perfect. The most important aspect of this art work is that it also tells the reader that he or she can become president, that it is not impossible.

[bissettm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book provides little-known facts about the presidents including their little quirks and accomplishments. Cute illustrations. Informational and fun. Perfect for a social studies unit on presidents.

[kfbruck · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is such a great book to have in your classroom! It’s a fun way to learn known and little-known facts about the presidents. It’s a very easy read and extremely pleasurable for students of all ages. It makes history interesting, enjoyable, and gives the kids who read this book the message that anyone can grow up to be president.

[amandawebster_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Humorous and entertaining book filled with interesting and little-known facts about our presidents. A great way to interest kids in Social Studies and American History.

[readalouddenver · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A non-fiction book complete with references and a bibliography in the back. The jacked describes this book is a "rip-roaring celebration of forty-one Presidents shows us the foibles, the quirks, and -- most of all -- the humanity of those men who have risen to one of the most powerful positions in the world." The illustrations are humorous in the style of political commentary. A fun book about American Presidential history and a very rich vocabulary builder.

[pravs_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Take a ride down U.S. history lane in the White House with So You Want to be President, as you cover former head of states of America. The book goes into interesting details about the lives and duties of past presidents. It's pretty much a historical non fiction book that would be great for any social studies classroom for ages 6 - 10.

[misstribb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This a fun and interesting book to get kids interested in presidents and learning about presidents. This book would be great during a lesson about presidents of the past or of today's time. The way the author tells the story, it makes everything about being a president fun! The book has great illustrations that really add to the book to make it even better!! Any chid or adult would like this book.

[weeksie50_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book summarizes the way of the presidency, along with a bunch of neat facts about the U.S. Presidents themselves. It discusses presidents' childhoods, careers, habits, pets, etc. Its a lot of fun and educational. The pictures are a lot of fun they're very cartoony and look eerily like the actual presidents. There is a lot of information processed into an easy and fun read.This is a great book to have in any classroom. The pictures are fun and intersting enough to keep a pre-k students attention and the information and detail is good when older students are learning about various Presidents.

[clmattox · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book goes through each president and tells interesting facts about them. These facts are not well known and it is neat to read about some president's favorite sports or about their pets.

[caltstatt_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an awesome book of facts about the former presidents of the United States. Kids will love this book and teachers can use the book when teaching about a certain president. It gives facts from how they were educated and where they grew up to how they did things while in office.