U.S. Presidents (Ken Jennings' Junior Genius Guides, #3) by Ken Jennings

U.S. Presidents (Ken Jennings' Junior Genius Guides, #3) Reviews

• 
  Josiah

  Focusing as it does on U.S. presidents, this book's main appeal is to American kids. However, as a humorous, reliable fact book, it isn't a bad option. First published in 2014, the book covers the forty-three U.S. presidents from George Washington (elected 1788) to Barack Obama (2008), and our "class" is taught by "Professor" Ken Jennings, a guy with a mind for trivia. The presidency was instituted after the fledgling U.S. won the Revolutionary War. Conquering hero George Washington could have ruled in any form he chose, but he declined the royal treatment and opted for a republic, which he presided over for eight years before stepping down in 1797. This precedent firmly established legitimate governance by the people. Washington never resided in the White House—John Adams was the first president to live there, starting in 1800—but it soon became a symbol of the highest office in the land. Featuring hundreds of rooms and state-of-the-art technology that constantly changes to keep up with the times, the house at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue rarely leaves its tenants wanting for material comfort...though they are responsible for paying the bills. Holidays and special occasions have long been important on the president's schedule: the Easter egg roll, traditional pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey, and lighting of the White House Christmas tree have created warm memories for countless American families.
  
  In second period of our class, Ken introduces all forty-three presidents, using brief profiles that list career highlights. At recess he suggests a few variants of well-known games to help learn the U.S. presidents in order. Third period emphasizes the lives of the presidents prior to election. Was George Washington a scrupulously honest child as legend claims? What were Woodrow Wilson, Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, or Bill Clinton like when they were young? Professor Jennings shares some choice stories from their days before public office. Some presidents grew up wealthy, others in deprivation, and this influenced their policy perspectives. The second half of the chapter looks at odd or controversial elections, such as Rutherford B. Hayes's 1876 "win" over Samuel J. Tilden, and Harry S. Truman cruising to victory in 1948 against Thomas Dewey despite being a massive underdog. Millions of citizens voting on who should run the country can lead to strange outcomes. Next is art class, where Ken shows how to construct a miniature log cabin, the type of home Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and James Garfield were born in.
  
  Fourth period delves into the history of inaugurations. Some were uneventful, but who could forget that William Henry Harrison fell ill at his inauguration and died thirty-one days later? A detailed look at the iconic Oval Office is next, from the general schematic of the room to a list of historical artifacts it contains. Some presidents were mousy, while others behaved fearlessly even after swearing the oath of office; George Washington and Teddy Roosevelt physically confronted ne'er-do-wells, considering it part of their job. We move on to a selection of bungled quotes from presidents. These gaffs are understandable; when you spend years regularly addressing the public, not every word will be golden. We review a few lesser-known presidents—James K. Polk, Chester A. Arthur—and then it's lunchtime, where Ken discusses the culinary preferences of the men who occupied the White House, and adds a president-themed recipe for waffles with bacon and eggs. We then study the physical appearance of the presidents, including the tallest, shortest, and heaviest, as well as the intellectual feats of our smartest commanders-in-chief. You probably knew Washington and Lincoln were exceptionally intelligent, but are you familiar with the freakish mental aptitude of John Quincy Adams, Franklin Pierce, or James Garfield? We shift to presidential sartorial style over the years, and then to the serious diseases (polio, hypothyroidism, cancer of the jaw) that have affected the men in the White House. In music class we learn the history of the song "Hail to the Chief", and sixth period introduces presidential families, in particular the First Ladies. Sometimes the president's wife was as colorful a character as he. Kids and pets have also called 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue home; some presidents—notably Teddy Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge—owned a large array of exotic animals, including a wallaby and a bobcat. Seventh period brings us to the post-presidential lives of our commanders-in-chief, ranging from those who died shortly after leaving office to ones who lived several more decades, either in seclusion or continued public service. Famous or obscure, every president leaves a legacy.
  
  Normally an outspoken advocate of leftist politics, Ken maintains neutrality in this book. Still, U.S. Presidents is one of the less impressive Junior Genius Guides. Perhaps that's in part because the subject matter quickly becomes outdated, but there is also little philosophical or emotional substance to this book. At least the information is presented with dollops of humor, a strength of Ken's. In 2004, when asked during his seventy-four-day run as champion of the television quiz show Jeopardy! what kids who aspire to compete on the program should study, Ken emphasized U.S. presidents, so this book was a natural one for him to write. If you want accurate information about the nation's presidents—although the myth of William Howard Taft getting stuck in the bathtub does find its way into these pages as undisputed fact—consider trying this book. It's an entertaining read.
• 
  Peter Derk

  I picked this up exclusively because I thought it would be a palatable way to learn some shit that might score me some points at bar trivia. I don't know if anyone will ever ask about the stuff in here, but by the time I finished, I didn't care. It's awesome.
  
  I've never enjoyed a story about a President more than I did when I read about Poll, Andrew Jackson's pet parrot.
  
  Here's an excerpt from a reverend's memoir, regarding the parrot and Jackson's funeral:
  
  "Before the sermon and while the crowd was gathering, a wicked parrot that was a household pet, got excited and commenced swearing so loud and long as to disturb the people and had to be carried from the house."
  
  Why was a parrot at a funeral?
  
  How foul-mouthed, exactly, does a parrot have to be ejected from a funeral that it was attending?
  
  How does a parrot become that into swearing?
  
  How loud does a swearing parrot swear?
  
  We could go on and on, but we don't need to. Being ejected from a funeral is always a good story. When the ejected person is a parrot, and when that parrot is ejected for swearing profusely, you may have one of the greatest stories of all time on your hands.
• 
  Samantha Li

  Filled with tons of great trivia for kids and adults.
• 
  Kristy

  This was so fun! I love trivia and sarcasm. Combine the 2 into an illustrated book about the US presidents and you've got perfection. I wish my library had more of these junior genius guides!
• 
  Tracy

  This was a kid's book, but it was just a fun book to read at a time when there are many things that aren't fun.
• 
  Cheyanna Wickman

  Jennings, K., & Lowery, M. (2014). U.S. Presidents. New York: Little Simon.
  Citation by: Cheyanna Wickman
  Type of Reference: Handbook
  Call Number: 973.09
  Content/Scope: Ken Jennings wrote a series of interactive books for students middle school aged to help them learn about topics. One of those topics is U.S. Presidents! In his interactive book we not only have trivia but we have a guide to all things Presidential. Students can look at this handbook as Mr. Jennings has implemented not only words but imagines to help students better understand some of the things that go with being president. In this handbook students can study about current and past presidents of America.
  Accuracy/ Authority/ Bias: Little Simon books is a publishing imprint of Simon and Schuster a major book publisher who is known globally. Little Simon and Simon and Schuster publishing is known for publishing all types of books and you will see many of their books on the shelves of libraries and in schools.
  Arrangement/ Presentation: This is book is arranged in a middle schooler friendly way. The book is arranged like a school day. So every chapter or section is a class period. The very last few are labeled things like homework and the final bell. The first chapter opens up to guide students through what the office of president is exactly and by the final bell students should have a much more comprehensive knowledge of not only the position but also the people who have held the job.
  Relation to other works: There are not many handbooks out there for middle school aged students that help them learn about history in a way that is student friendly and relate able to students. This handbook is those things as well as comprehensive. This would meet the requirements for a library that needs something for students to learn about history but keep their interest!
  Accessibility/ Diversity: This book has illustrations for those students who are visual learners but it also has the feel of a fictional book. It keeps students of all learning styles engaged and makes the topic of Presidents easy to read about for children in middle school.
  Cost: $ 6.78
  Professional Review: Klang, K. (2014). U.S. Presidents. School Library Journal.
  
• 
  Kermit

  3.8 stars
  
  A fun and interesting read. Every page is packed with nuggets of information.
  
  When James Garfield (20th president) was shot in 1881, the doctors could not find the 2nd bullet that entered his body. They even tried out a metal detector to find the bullet, but the metal of the bedsprings that Garfield was laying on made the detector not work well. Garfield subsequently died of infection.
  
  For a time, Thomas Jefferson had 2 grizzly bears in cages that lived on the White House lawn.
  
  There are kid-friendly illustrations on each page.
• 
  Cathy

  My 8-year-old daughter really enjoyed this book and asked me to read it. Lots of fun trivia on U. S. presidents. Briefly introduced the accomplishments of some of them, but nothing overtly political. It's hard to remember all the president's names, or keep track of them in chronological order, since there are over 40 of them, but I think I managed to learn several new presidential names. It's nice to read about presidents of opposing political parties becoming good friends after their presidential terms. Rooting and praying for you, America!
• 
  Elizabeth

  I really like these books!
  
  The tone is pithy and is meant for older children. It is primarily a trivia book, and Jennings tends to focus on the presidents with stories he likes. Some people accuse him of having a bias, but I really think he speaks to a lot of the stereotypes well.
  
  He mixes familiar stories with some really "out there" facts!
• 
  Dee Dee

  I love presidential trivia regardless of what source I read from. I enjoy more facts, and trivia. I happen to like Ken Jennings, and enjoy reading his books as much as I enjoy watching Jeopardy when he is the host.
  
  The symbol trivia questions are cute, and original. You have to work at solving the puzzles !
  
  I learned something new by reading this book.
• 
  Amanda Schleper

  I’ve enjoyed watching Jennings on Jeopardy, and I love reading presidential history, so I thought I’d give this book a try. It’s clearly geared towards kids, but I found it creative, informative and humorous. Two of my favorite stories involve President Ford and his secret service agents and President Jackson’s parrot causing a disruption at a somber time (definite middle school humor). 👍🏻
• 
  Erik

  For any adults trying to memorize the presidents in order, this gets my highest recommendation!
  
  Possibly the best feature is the ordered list on the endpapers, which makes for a great reference and study guide.
• 
  Joseph Matuch

  For someone who knew relatively little about these men who have been some of the most influential over the last 200+ years, this was a nice summary. Kids interested in our presidents, up through Obama given the publishing date, will find this fun.
• 
  C

  A funny way to learn interesting facts about the presidents. Kids would like all the different illustrations that go along with the trivia.
• 
  Abraham Ray

  Nice children’s book about the presidents! The author has written other children’s nonfiction books if your interested.
• 
  Daniel Miller

  I wanted to read this to see if I could recommend it to my teen nephews. I found nothing useful or entertaining that would warrant such a recommendation.
• 
  Kevin English

  Read it in a day, this a kid's book but has some fun trivia...
• 
  Becky

  I love Ken Jennings JuniorGenius Guides...always entertaining and informative c:
• 
  Melanie

  Good easy read of presidential facts and stories. Current to Obama or so. My 9 year old really enjoyed this one.
• 
  Katy

  Such a fun read!
• 
  Marcella Gonzales

  Fun facts, I love adding to my trivia database. Laughed at the witty comments throughout the book. "Alexa, open Jeopardy."
• 
  Alex

  I LOVE these books!
• 
  Dale

  Fun read. Lots of trivia.