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Celebrating special days throughout the year can be a lot of fun! Recently, I had a post published on Hands On As We Grow about a fun activity to celebrate President’s Day that involved coins.
You can check out the fun President’s Day activity that promotes counting money and floating/sinking science on Hands On As We Grow here.
Below you will find a list of books (not listed in any particular order) that I compiled to go along with the easy tin foil boat money float or sink experiment (as it was called on Hands On As We Grow). These are all books I was able to check out from my library. I have included links along with the recommended ages (according to their descriptions on Amazon) for your convenience.
Books About Presidents
The President’s Day activity I did focused only on the presidents that were found on the penny, nickel, dime, and quarters. These books provide a little more explanation for presidents as a whole instead of focusing on specific ones.
President: A Presidential Primer by Joan Holub
Short rhyming poems and an additional sentence describe George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama in this board book about presidents.
Recommended ages: 3-5 years
What is the President’s Job by Allison Singer
Brief explanation about presidents, voting, campaigning, elections, requirements to be a president, monuments built to honor presidents, the White House, Washington D.C., Congress, and presidential traditions are given throughout this level 2 reader book. It ends with asking if the reader would like to be a president and a quiz on things discussed in the book.
Recommended ages: 5-7 years
If I Were the President by Thomas Kingsley Troupe
Following the point of view of a young boy, this book talks about what he would do as a president, where he would live, what else he would be known as, and how the Secret Service agents would help him. It ends with a page explaining what the requirements of becoming a president are.
Recommended ages: 5-8 years
White House Winners: What You Don’t Know About the Presidents by L.J. Tracosas
A lot of words throughout this book explain the responsibilities of a president, three branches of the federal government, requirements to be president, and interesting facts about each of the 45 presidents. Did you know Abraham Lincoln is listed in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame?
Recommended ages: 6-8 years
Books About Abraham Lincoln (President on the Penny)
Look at a penny and a five-dollar bill. Whose face do you see? Abraham Lincoln’s face. Here are some books that focus on President Abraham Lincoln’s life and accomplishments.
I am Kind: A Little Book About Abraham Lincoln by Brad Meltzer
This board book starts off by asking the reader: “What kind of voice will you have?” It then mentions different voices a person may have, being kind, and speaking up for what is right.
Recommended ages: 2-5 years
I am Abraham Lincoln by Brad Meltzer
This book talks about how Abraham Lincoln loved to read, stood up for what was right, and knew how to write as a young child. As he grew older, he got in a fight against bullies, saw slaves, ran for president four times before being elected as president, and spoke against slavery.
Recommended ages: 5-8 years
What Lincoln Said by Sarah L. Thomson
This book follows the life of Abraham Lincoln as he earned his first dollar, studied law, became a lawyer, considered becoming president, won the presidential election, worked to keep the states together, and signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Recommended ages: 6-9 years
My Itty Bitty Bio: Abraham Lincoln by Emma E. Haldy
Simple text discusses where Abraham Lincoln was born, how he learned, whom he married, his presidency, freeing slaves, and who killed him. Questions are provided throughout the book for the reader to answer.
Recommended ages: 4-6 years
My First Biography: Abraham Lincoln by Marion Dane Bauer
This book discusses where Abraham Lincoln was born, what his childhood was like, how he learned, running for president, the Civil War, Gettysburg Address, and slavery.
Recommended ages: 3-5 years
Meet Abraham Lincoln by Patricia A. Pingry
This book talks about Abraham Lincoln’s childhood, growing up, getting married, being elected as president, having children, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, the Civil War, and being shot and killed. It ends with discussing Abraham Lincoln being remembered by having his face on the five-dollar bill and penny and having the Lincoln Memorial built.
Recommended ages: 4+ years
Books about Thomas Jefferson (President on the Nickel)
Whose face will you find on a nickel? President Thomas Jefferson. These books focus on President Thomas Jefferson’s life and accomplishments.
Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library by Barb Rosenstock
Thomas Jefferson read, read, and then read some more as soon as he learned to read. His love of books and reading continued as he grew older. He even “bought two thousand books in five years, more than a book a day.” The books at the Library of Congress were destroyed in a fire during a war, so Thomas Jefferson donated over 6,500 books to start a new Library of Congress. Additional information and quotes are added throughout the pages.
Recommended ages: 8-12 years
First Peas to the Table by Susan Grigsby
This is the story of “how Thomas Jefferson inspired a school garden”. A class holds a garden contest and one girl really wants to win. She has a nickel (which has Thomas Jefferson on the front and his home, Monticello, on the back) as a good luck charm. The kids learn about the plant life cycle, growing plants, composting, taking notes, and a little bit about Thomas Jefferson throughout the story.
Recommended ages: 4-8 years
Thomas Jefferson Grows a Nation by Peggy Thomas
Thomas Jefferson insisted America was worth visiting and living in. He tried hard to combat the negative remarks of another man, Count Buffon, to prove this, which led to an interesting (yet disgusting) story about a dead moose being transported for nine months. The book continues with more information about Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase. Quite a bit of text.
Recommended ages: 9-12 years
This rhyming book talks about Thomas Jefferson’s debate with Count Buffon and Jefferson’s persistence to prove that America was great leading to a mammoth hunt. An author’s note and additional back matter give more explanation.
Recommended ages: 4-8 years
Books about Franklin Roosevelt (President on the Dimes)
He may be the president found on the dime, but President Franklin Roosevelt was very challenging to find in children’s books at my local library. Unfortunately, I was only able to find one on him.
Nice Work, Franklin! by Suzanne Tripp Jurmain
There is quite a bit of text in this book, so younger kids may not be interested in sitting through the entire reading. It begins by talking about how “lucky” President Franklin D. Roosevelt was. Then it discusses his polio and being confined in a wheelchair. Some people didn’t think someone in a wheelchair could be strong enough to hold a job in the government, but he didn’t let that stop him from running for positions in government. At his presidential inauguration, he took a stand (literally) with the help of his leg braces, cane, and son. Once in office, Roosevelt had people build “dams, highways, tunnels, parks, schools, and bridges” among other things. It ends with “Nice work, Franklin!”
Recommended ages: 5-9 years
Books about George Washington (President on the Quarters)
Who is on the quarter? President George Washington, of course! We celebrate President’s Day on the third Monday of February each year because George Washington’s birthday is February 22nd. He was born 288 years ago (in 1732). You can also find states on the back of some quarters, but many of those states became states after George Washington’s time.
I am George Washington by Brad Meltzer
This book discusses George Washington’s childhood, who had a big impact in George Washington’s life, his job as a surveyor, joining the military, running for office (and losing), the American Revolutionary War, being chosen as a leader, and being a leader.
Recommended ages: 5-8 years
George Washington: The First President by Sarah Albee
This Level 2 Reader discusses George Washington’s role when independence from Britain was declared by America, George Washington’s childhood, Mount Vernon, the French and British War, meeting and marrying Martha Custis, and becoming the first president of the United States.
Recommended ages: 4-8 years
Meet George Washington by Patricia A. Pingry
This book talks about George Washington’s childhood, growing up, becoming a surveyor, becoming a plantation owner, meeting and marrying Martha Custis, the French and British War, the crossing of the Delaware River, becoming president, his time after his presidency, Washington D.C., and the Washington Monument.
Recommended ages: 4+ years
Books about Money
Money may not necessarily tie in with President’s Day, but it does tie in with the activity I did for President’s Day on Hands On As We Grow. Below are some books about money you can read as you look at coins with the presidents’ faces on them.
I did not write a description of each of these, but I did provide (affiliate) links to find more information. I was able to find all of these books at my local library.
Just Saving My Money by Mercer Mayer
Recommended ages: 4-8 years
Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos
Recommended ages: 5-6 years
I Can Count Money by Rebecca Wingard-Nelson
Recommended ages: 6-9 years
Money Madness by David A. Adler
Recommended ages: 4-8 years
M is for Money: An Economic Alphabet by Debbie and Michael Shoulders
Recommended ages: 8-11 years
Books about Floating and Sinking
Floating and sinking may not necessarily tie in with President’s Day, but it does tie in with the activity I did for President’s Day on Hands On As We Grow. Below are some books about floating and sinking you can read before or after trying the President’s Day activity I wrote about.
I did not write a description of each of these, but I did provide (affiliate) links to find more information. I was able to find all of these books at my local library.
Recommended ages: 1-3 years
Big Machines Float by Catherine Veitch
Recommended ages: 4-7 years
What Floats? What Sinks? A Look at Density by Jennifer Boothroyd
Recommended ages: 6-9 years
Curious George: The Boat Show by Raye Lankford
Recommended ages: 4-7 years
Things That Float and Things That Don’t by David A. Adler
Recommended ages: 4-8 years
What Floats in a Moat? by Lynne Berry
Recommended ages: 5-9 years
Will you read any of these books as you celebrate President’s Day?
For other themed books, check out:
14 Children’s Books About Teachers
8 Children’s Books About Community Helpers
Brigitte Brulz 