Told through imagined letters of apology from young Charlotte Stuart, this humorous picture book details the possible mayhem encountered by George Washington as he posed for the famous Gilbert Stuart portrait. Author’s Note.

Dear Mr. Washington is a funny story about three children who's father painted a portrait of George Washington. When Mr. Washington comes to their house to pose for the portrait, they try to show good manners but end up getting into mischief. The story is told through letters from the oldest child to George Washington. It is based on the story behind Gilbert Stuart's famous portrait of George Washington in the National Portrait gallery in Washington, D.C. ( )

This was a very cute book!
This story was about the first president going over to Gilbert Stuart's house to get his portrait done. The book setting is Gilbert's daughter writing the president each day after he visits their home. She talks a lot on hoping to see him smile. The book shows how kids misbehave and are playful. The end result is a painting that will forever be remembered, with a great story.
I never knew that George Washington didn't smile much.

I thought "Dear Mr. Washington" was lacking direction. It's text is in the form of letters being written by a child named Charlotte Stuart. Her father was commissioned to paint a portrait of Mr. George Washington, and in the letters, Charlotte is apologizing for the children's misbehavior. She alludes to the president sending her back a list of rules which they tried to follow very carefully. Some of the letters were capitalized randomly, I am assuming to make it seem like a child wrote it but it didn't have the right effect on me. I thought the illustrations were funny and captured the chaotic scenes. I didn't realize until the end of the book that it was all about making Mr. Washington smile. I enjoyed the factual Author's Note in the back more than the book, as it explained the creative license she took. I appreciated it more knowing some background information about the portrait and the president's demeanor. ( )

Upon opening the book, the first page is depicting dishevelment. This story follows the creation of a famous painting of George Washington. It involves a series of letters to the president from Charlotte Stuart apologizing for all the ruckus her and her siblings caused on his visits. I love how sarcastic she is , maybe unintentionally about the rule book Washington sent the children. I thought this story was hilarious and the illustrations are also funny because they show George Washington acting out each rule. ( )