Dear Mr. Washington

November 17, 2014
Imagined letters from the daughter of portrait painter Gilbert Stuart transport readers to the creation of one of the most famous paintings of the first U.S. president. Young Charlotte Stuart begins her first missive to George Washington apologizing for the chaos that she and her brothers instigated trying to get him to smile. “I’m so Sorry for what happened to your hair Ribbon,” Charlotte writes. “James and I did not mean for our Cat to race up your Shoulder.” Lively mixed-media illustrations show the siblings hanging from curtains, tripping over rugs, and hiding under a stern Washington’s coattails (the mayhem echoes similarly rambunctious scenes that Carpenter painted for Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine). Interrupting Cullen’s (Moi and Marie Antoinette) epistolary jaunt are several spreads explaining how not to behave, taken from a book the President reportedly had to copy as a child; humorous vignettes show Washington demonstrating each prohibition, e.g., “Do not Wiggle in the Sight of Others nor Gnaw your nails.” An author’s note includes a copy of the resultant painting and a more factual account of its rendering. Ages 5–8. Author’s agent: Emma Sweeney, Emma Sweeney Agency.

Starred review from November 15, 2014
Gilbert Stuart, George Washington's portraitist, had 12 children and fretted about his famous subject's unsmiling mien. These details inspire Cullen's story of three rambunctious siblings: Charlotte, James and Baby John Stuart.Charlotte, a budding artist herself, writes three letters to "Mr. Washington" in April 1796. Her polite, guileless accounts belie the household mayhem that Carpenter's lively ink-and-wash illustrations depict. Charlotte's first missive thanks Washington for sending an etiquette book; she pledges to copy it out, just as Washington had done as a boy. Indeed, Cullen adapts the historical book Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation for the 10 proscriptions that Charlotte lists out. Covering both the usual (eating) and the quaint (the polite way to dispatch fleas, lice and ticks on oneself and others), the rules are comically illustrated as paintings on canvas, presumably done by Charlotte herself. She confides, "In no time I am sure James and I will have learned all these Rules. I hope so, for Mother says until then we get no Pudding after dinner." Subsequent letters recount both good behavior (which induces sleep in both the children and Washington, scuttling one sitting) and chaos, with an overturned punch bowl engendering a cascade of events culminating in a smile from George-and the completion of Stuart's portrait. This collaboration's clever epistolary narrative and playful pictures present a fresh, remarkably humanizing view of our first president. (author's note) (Picture book. 5-8)

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December 1, 2014

K-Gr 4-When President George Washington visits the home of the prominent painter Gilbert Stuart to have his portrait painted, Stuart's children, Charlotte, James, and baby John, try really hard to be good. But, try as they will, it's one disaster after another. President Washington is none too pleased and sends the children the Rules of Good Behavior for Boys and Girls. Young Charlotte feels badly about their misbehavior and writes a letter of apology to the president, imploring him to return to allow father to complete the portrait. She also urges him to smile, as it will greatly enhance the picture. Washington does indeed return, and the children are so good that they all fall asleep-including the president. Thanks to the rowdy children, this commission is difficult to complete, so their father tries to sneak future visits past them. However, the precocious youngsters always show up, full of shenanigans and good intentions. The work must be completed one way or another, but will the president ever smile? Crafted as a series of letters from Charlotte Stuart to George Washington, this picture book is funny, colorful, and full of calamitous situations. Children of all ages will find it a hoot. The artwork, created using a combination of pen on paper, acrylic paint on canvas, and digital media, is hilarious and bright, with clever attention to detail. A fabulous addition to picture book collections.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2014
Grades K-3 When people picture George Washington, it is usually the Gilbert Stuart portrait that comes to mind (one version of which appears on the one-dollar bill). This story is loosely based on the painting of that picture and is told from the point of view of Stuart's daughter, Charlotte, who keeps up an amusing (one-way) correspondence with the president. Although Washington shows up dutifully for his portrait appointments, he clearly doesn't enjoy them, and he refuses to smile. One reason for his discomfiture is the unruly goings-on created by Charlotte and her brothers. Even Washington's hair ribbon isn't safe, so he sends the children Rules of Good Behavior for Boys and Girls. Alas, following rules isn't easy: it's hard not to show great delight in your food, or to refrain from removing fleas from yourself or a companion in public. Most of the story is imagined (the book, however, is based on a real volume, Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation), and this gives Carpenter the opportunity to have as much fun as possible with her ink-and-watercolor art. Her remarkably Stuart-like Washington beset by high jinks is classic. A different take on GW.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)