White House, Washington D.C., poetry, art, history, John Adams, Abigail Adams, Padraig Tomas O'Deorain, 1800s, slaves, Thomas Jefferson, kitchen gardens, War of 1812, Dolley Madison, dresses, first ladies, Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, Civil War, Frances Cleveland, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, William Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, pets, Robert Kennedy, Watergate, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, secret service, Dick Cheney, 9-11, Laura Bush, fossils, Easter Egg roll, William Clark, Meriwether Lewis, Lewis and Clark, James Madison, fire, James Monroe, portraits, Native Americans, John Quincy Adams, Adams Field, Davy Crocket, cows, annexation, Charles Dickens, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Warren G. Harding, press, suffragists, national parks, Jane Rogers, Alice Paul, depression, drought, rain, speeches, freedom of speech, freedom, Harry Truman, 1940s, 1930s, ghosts, space race, doctors, Jackie Bouvier Kennedy, Cold War, Cuban Missile Crisis, dogs, Martin Luther King, Christmas, Bill Clinton, baseball,

1. Summary - This book is composed of short stories and small tributes from 108 Authors and Illustrators. This book includes facts such as how the White House was built, the different types of presidents and their backgrounds as well as stories of events while they lived in the house. This book also contains some of the struggles the White House went through such as it catching fire in 1813 during Madison's term. And so much more fun little facts that are included that there are to many to describe in such short frame of time.

2. Personal Reaction - I thought this book was great! I loved all the fun facts I leaned and relearned! I thought that this was well put together considering all the authors in such a short book. Basically each author had 2-3 pages. It flowed through the eras and the presidents and happy times and struggles.

3. Extension Ideas -
1. I could use this book to tie into a history lesson and give fun facts about presidents when I go over them.
2. I could use this book to expand vocabulary and knowledge on White House terminology such as the Oval Office.

This is a collection of several stories, both real and imagined of the white house. Some are held within its walls, some are biographies, and some are short blurbs like the dresses the "First ladies of the white house" wore. There were "eye witness" accounts of events, some were funny or strange accounts like that of Mrs. Cleavland who married a president who stepped in as her father figure once her own father had passed. There were even some cartoons, like the one of President Hoover. There are so many stories and events all written by different authors. It is an amazing and interesting collection that keeps you interested until the last page.

Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com

On March 14, 1792, building commissioners in charge of the newly planned capitol city of the infant United States government issued a call for designs on a presidential mansion. The person who submitted the winning design would win five hundred dollars or a medal of the same value for their plans.

Over the next few years, with the combined efforts of world renowned builders, immigrant workers, and even slaves, the most famous house in the country rose from the ground, and admitted its first official residents--John and Abigail Adams--in the year 1800.

Today, that same house serves as much more than just the living quarters of the presidential family. Historic events that have shaped the course of the United States have taken place within its walls. On the flipside, some of the most insignificant things that have happened there have kept not only the nation, but the entire world, intrigued for generations.

From devastating fires to the antics of the president's children, from whacky pets to the ghosts of former residents, from the press corps to the secret service, and from weddings to some really tough decisions...these are only a few small slices of what this house has seen.

To the hundreds of beings who stay, visit, and work in this house every day, and to the millions of people affected by what happens in it, the White House serves as a symbol of hope, peace, and togetherness, making it not just a presidential house, but a house that belongs to all.

This impressive collection of stories, anecdotes, essays, and illustrations has been assembled by the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance to offer a wide range of insight into how this historic house has shaped and changed so many lives. They've also put together a comprehensive website at www.ourwhitehouse.org which expands on the information and stories featured in the book. You can even download a Barack Obama sticker to add to the line of presidents found in the book's timetable. ( )

You can help nurture political junkies with this terrific book!

I have shared this book with several groups from pre-schoolers to adults and all have found aspects to gravitate to. The book is broken down into units that cluster similar themes together as well as providing chronological sections. I loved the variety of authors included and vivid artwork. ( )