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Basher History: US Presidents, Oval Office All-Stars created and illustrated by Simon Basher, written by Dan Green Basher's US Presidents shows you the nation's leaders as you've never seen them before. Every president, from George Washington to the winner of the 2012 election, has his own entry and speaks directly to the reader. In Basher's humorous fashion, these lively and enlightening articles bring history to life. Meet James Monroe, known as the "Last Cocked Hat" because he pranced around in an outdated wig, hat, and breeches! Learn more about "Uncle Jumbo" (better known as Grover Cleveland): the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms. Find out how Ronald Reagan helped end the Cold War. Quirky facts add interest. Did you know that John Quincy Adams had a pet alligator? That Teddy Roosevelt (and his whole family) could walk on stilts? Or that Lyndon B. Johnson had worked as an elevator operator? Reading this book will put you on first-name terms with every single one of America's Head Honchoes!
Lexile Measure: 970 (What's this?)
Series: Basher History
Paperback: 112 pages
Publisher: Kingfisher; Pap/Pstr edition (January 8, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0753469243
ISBN-13: 978-0753469248
Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.4 x 7.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #52,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #31 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > U. S. Presidents & First Ladies #188 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > History > United States
Age Range: 10 - 14 years
Grade Level: 5 - 9
The introduction states, "The decisions the president makes affect how much spare change people have in their pockets and whether there is help for those who are sick or out of work." Not only is that a bit flippant, it's completely wrong. Legislating is the job of the legislative branch, not the executive. After reading that, I found it very difficult to read the rest of the book without criticizing it. It is a good introduction to the Presidents but some of the details the authors chose to focus on seem a bit trivial.
This is a great template for introducing kids to our country's presidents and the tone/voice is good (each summary is written in the first person, but in and informal and approachable style). Given the limited content...each president gets a page with 6 summary points/facts and a couple of paragraphs, it would have been relatively easy to keep the commentary objective and non-partisan. It isn't blatant, but most of the Presidents' profiles from the 20-21st century appear to be written in a way that reflects a modern progressive/liberal bias and even many from earlier times show this as well. For Reagan's profile, 3 of his six sentences detailing his presidency address the debt consequences of the arms race and the Iran Contra affair. For Johnson's profile, it says no one since FDR did more for poor people in the US...while some would argue that many of his well-intended programs have been abject failures and have done more to institutionalize poverty than any president in history (reflecting my personal biases), it would have been better to have just highlight his undeniable interest in helping the poor vs. commenting on the result. Overall, this is an ok book for kids, but given the ages for which it was written (probably 8-11), it should have been written without the political slant.
Given that we already have the Disney Presidents app, the Presidents v. Aliens app, and the TIME for Kids Presidents book, my kid probably knows a little more than the average eight-year-old about U.S. Presidents. But he still found this book engaging enough that he read it twice the day it arrived. He says he especially liked that it included presidential firsts (for example: John Quincy Adams was the first president to be photographed).
we found our 1st Basher book in Ho Chi Minh City airport 2 years ago & bought it for our son to take on holiday. Boy, he loved it so much we have bought almost every other book ever written in the series because not only does he love them, but also his little sister! They are now 8 & 10 years old and have so much fun while they learn...we thoroughly recommend all of these great little books.This book is up to date (ending with Obama!) and I'll be using it to brush up on American presidents if/when I apply for US citizenship. Basher knows how to make learning fun!
It gets two stars for stating the correct age group (10+). However, this book is so unbelievably one sided... Huge Liberal agenda. I'm not a conservative by any means, but the opinionated spin would leave uneducated people and children wondering we someone would ever vote Republican. That's not good for our youth AT ALL! After reading about all of Reagan's flaws and how he added so much to the debt by making a bad choice for increasing military spending, I immediately flipped to Obama because clearly the author would have addressed how Obama increased our debt significantly. And NOPE! Not mentioned Hahahah. It makes Obama out to be an All American hero and even implies that Obama has made our economy so much better.... I almost fell out of my chair when it applauds the new healthcare system... EEK! I would like to present my child with little fun facts that help them remember the presidents without a political agenda. Thanks but no thanks for the brain-washing! Again, I am not conservative and would not appreciates book that spun this to the right either.
I bought this when my son (4th grade) didn't know who Barack Obama was in Cub Scouts.A lot of presidential biographies for 4th-6th are long and dry. However, some of the books for younger children focus on memorable biographical details (like Jackson's wheel of cheese, Lincoln's top hat, Washington's false teeth) but not anything about their Presidency.The Basher history is easy to read and memorable, but still covers the historical significance of each President. Each section is a first person statement from the President, but in modern casual speech (think Hamilton—real history in a hip-hop vernacular). There are bullet points for memorable firsts, and each president has a picture with mnemonic clues (birthday cake, teddy bear, musical instruments). Also, there's a poster to help with memorization. There's formal portraits in the back with dates and demographics.The book just has one page per president, but doesn't shy away from difficult issues like forced relocation of Native Americans, slavery and civil rights, and bribery scandals. It doesn't dwell either. It covers Clinton without going into inappropriate detail:"I ruined my image with my . . . ahem . . . way with the ladies. Seedy scandals surfaced and I was accused of lying about one of them under oath. I was impeached and, although the I was acquited, my reputation payed a price."Bill O'Rielly has a blurb on the back cover. However, the book talks positively about FDR's social programs and how they helped the country recover from the Depression. This is the popular version of US history taught in American public schools, but some conservative parents may have a problem with it.I'm impressed with all the Basher books I've read. They appeal to reluctant readers but don't dumb their material down in the slightest. Their coverage is impressive, and there's enough meat in the book to go back to over and over again.
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