"There are good things about being president and there are bad things about being president." Thus starts the 2001 Caldecott Medal winner, a riotously funny, trivia and anecdote-loaded picture book tribute to the number one job I the U.S., illustrated with grandly humorous but affectionate watercolor caricatures of our presidents in action. There's Nixon bowling, Taft bathing, and Andrew Jackson brawling. Throughout, we learn about what made the presidents tick, their sizes, ages, personalities, quirks, talents, interests, looks, and political achievements.

Can you name the tallest, the shortest, the fattest, the oldest; and the youngest? (Answers: Abe Lincoln, at 6'4"; James Madison at 5'4"; William Howard Taft at 300+ pounds; Ronald Reagan at 69 years; and Teddy Roosevelt at 42 years)

Certainly, readers will be fired up to read biographies about the presidents who fascinate them, and, in election years, to take a more discerning look at all the candidates, comparing their foibles and fancies. In school, students can create a Presidents Gallery: a bulletin board or wall dedicated to portraits and biographical sketches of each president, listing such facts as birth and death dates, home town, education, marriages, children, interests and talents, and, of course, political accomplishments. As future presidential material, students can then draw up a list of their own qualifications for the office, formulate a platform of ideas and causes, and make their own presidential posters.

Consider holding a mock debate and election, inspired by Kelly DiPucchio's picture book, Grace for President. In Dan Gutman's witty satire, The Kid Who Ran for President, sixth grader Judson Moon, runs for the national office and wins, as does Duck in or Doreen Cronin's hilarious picture book, Duck for President. What's it like being Commander in Chief? A dynamical brown pony-tailed narrator explores and expounds on her many presidential-like duties as she breezes through a school day in Lane Smith's zany picture book, Madam President.

In response to these books, Lisa Romeo's second grade students at James Monroe School in Edison, New Jersey, wrote and illustrated an insightful Top Ten list of advice for our new president, Barack Obama. Their list includes, Letterman style:

10. Make the world a better place because he could give cash to schools.
9. Treat other people the way you want to be treated.
8. Be patriotic.
7. Don't give up. Persevere.
6. Stop the war! And be nice to each other!
5. Make friends.
4. Keep your room clean.
3. Recycle.
2. Be fair. Be helpful.

And their number 1 tip for our new president?

1. Take your vitamins.


THEMES: BIOGRAPHY. CALDECOTT MEDAL. PRESIDENTS. U.S.-HISTORY.