Caldecott Award Medal Book

I. BIBLIOGRAPHY

St. George, Judith. 2000. SO YOU WANT TO BE PRESIDENT. Ill. By David Small. Philomel Books. ISBN 0399234071

II. PLOT SUMMARY

In this very humorous picture book about the presidents of the United States, Judith St. George reveals interesting, unique facts about the presidents throughout history. From Washington to Clinton, the book reveals many details about the lives of the presidents. The book describes both the good and bad things about being president. Finally, the book concludes with the message that anyone can be president, no matter his or her background or what he or she look like.

III. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

St. George’s writing style is both factual and humorous. She presents the historical facts about the presidents with a fun, witty style. The anecdotes about the presidents include a horse in the White House and John Quincy Adams skinny-dipping. The history of the presidents is not told chronologically like other books might, making this a unique and interesting study of the presidents.

David Small’s illustrations are in the style of political cartoon caricatures. The illustrations humorously depict the descriptions in the book. Small pays particular attention to the expressions on the faces of his characters.

IV. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

“Curious tidbits of personal information and national history combine with humorously drawn caricatures to give this tongue-in-cheek picture book a quirky appeal.”—School Library Journal

“Portraits of the presidents can be generally described as staid, stodgy, and dull. Throw these adjectives out the window when describing this book's group portrayal of American presidents.”--Booklist

V. CONNECTIONS

**Create a caricature of a president in the style of David Small’s illustrations.
**Gather fact books about the presidents to look up further information.