So You Want To Be President?
Judith St. George and David Small
I read this book when I was younger and loved it but never knew it was a Caldecott winner, so to see it on the list and to know that so many other people appreciate it was really a good feeling.
"So You Want To Be President?" doesn't have a plot so much as it is a fun and informational book. The point is to teach children (and adults) all about the presidents and their fun and not so fun facts and quirks.
The reason that I think this book is so popular is that it really makes all the presidents up until William Clinton very personable and reachable, which isn't always easy to do. They say things like "The President doesn't have to eat yucky vegetables." and "Do you have pesky brothers and sisters? Every one of our Presidents did."
But, besides just random facts like which presidents are tall and which didn't like broccoli, it also covers things like honesty in the presidency, and brings up Clinton and Nixon.
This book can be used for any age. Because there is no chronological story, if you read it to a younger crowd you can pick and choose which pages to read if they get bored easily. You could also use this for higher elementary school and I would say even middle school for history lessons, or certain parts like maybe a lesson on Presidents Day.
