First Kids
Grade 4–8—Largely a list of interesting facts organized chronologically by president from George Washington to George W. Bush, this book chronicles the lives of their children. It is chock-full of interesting tidbits. All births are listed and therefore some entries covering the early years of our nation's history read more like a list of unfortunate deaths. For example, only four out of Thomas Jefferson's six children survived past early childhood. Readers will be intrigued to know that Thomas "Tad" Lincoln was so named because he looked like a tadpole at birth, and Archibald "Archie" Roosevelt used to drop water balloons from the roof of the White House. Many black-and-white photographs add visual interest. Not particularly useful for reports, this title will, however, appeal to young readers.—Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.