Review:
In this informational text, the author describes some of the most outlandish pets that presidents have had throughout history. Additionally, the author includes elements of each president's term in office.
Critique
Overall, this book is a pretty good example of an informational text because it provided accurate information about the presidents in a fun, creative way. Additionally, the author has done a good job of tacking the concept of presidents and presented them to children in a way that would interest them.
Use:
1. One way to use this text would be to read it aloud during a unit on pets as a way to give an example of crazy pets. The teacher can ask the students whether the animals these presidents had would be good pets for everyone and why.
2. Another way to use this text would be to have it available around presidents day. If the class is learning about one president in particular that is features in this text, the teacher can read that page aloud in order to spark some interest and make the historical figures more relatable.
Age Appropriateness: Intermediate
Media: watercolor and colored paper ( )

Gibbs Davis has chosen an interesting approach in his book, Wackiest White House Pets. From the drawing on the front cover, showing a spry John Quincy Adams fleeing a visiting alligator, with the White House in the background, to the section in the back of the book titled “More Wacky Pet Facts”, this book provides a glimpse into a lesser known aspect of the lives of the U.S. Presidents. Davis presents the book with an introduction called, “Welcome to the White House Menagerie”, in which he discusses the changes that took place in terms of Presidential pets, from practical farm animals like cows and goats to the wallaby and elephant given as gifts over the years. Davis has a two page spread for each entry, with soft-colored illustrations by David A. Johnson accompanying the text. For George Washington, Davis writes about the President’s teeth, and that of his horses, which he insisted were polished before Washington would ride them. The illustration shows Washington brushing the horse’s teeth. This is actually an inaccurate picture, however, with Washington using what is essentially a modern toothbrush on the horse. Other Presidents and pets include Thomas Jefferson and his two grizzly bears, Franklin Pearce and his teacup dogs, Andrew Johnson and his mice, and Calvin Coolidge and his pet raccoon, Rebecca. Some of the other illustrations are also not realistic, such as Rebecca the raccoon wearing her own fur coat (she did actually ride in a limousine, however; no wonder Coolidge was unpopular!), Johnson’s mice sitting in chairs at a table to eat dinner, and Woodrow Wilson’s sheep pushing lawnmowers across the grass on two legs. Overall, though, the amount of information balances out the somewhat fanciful illustrations. This book is entertaining and provides a lot of information about each President and the time period in which he lived. I would recommend this to anyone interested in Presidential history, especially young readers. ( )

could be used as a fun read aloud when teaching about the presidents, have them point out something that learned - have them rate book ( )