Barack Obama

April 1, 2013

Gr 1-2-These books are a wonderful way to introduce young readers to nonfiction and biographical research. Each one begins with the subject's childhood, with stories that will have appeal to children. The narratives progress through adolescence and adulthood, highlighting personal and professional accomplishments as well as various setbacks. The texts are accurate and aptly touch on the social issues of the period in ways that are appropriate for curious young minds. On each spread, a full-color, full-page, captioned illustration faces one to three paragraphs of simple text. Fact boxes appear throughout the books. The illustrations are colorful but the covers make the books look old-fashioned. These titles will appeal to beginning readers with little background knowledge of the featured luminaries.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2013
Grades 1-3 The Beginner Biography series supplies overviews of some of history's most familiar names. The compact books do hit the high points, but vary somewhat in quality due to the different authors and illustrators. Barack Obama surveys the forty-fourth president's life but makes too many generalities. For instance, the book says Obama did not see his father much growing up, when in truth, he only saw him once after he left the U.S. The pictures are stiff, and Obama's mother seems almost as dark-skinned as her husband and son. Very short notes throughout each book add welcome facts to these light treatments.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)