The book explores the mostly unknown history about Obama. You learn his real name (Berry) his family life. How he got to Hawaii, his hobbies as a child, Fun facts like him owning a pet monkey, and finally his movement up the political chain to becoming president and meeting his family.
This was a very good informational book that shows enjoyment through the numerous tidbits of facts about the president. Facts that humanize the president making him more connected than just some general in office. Relating to the characters and key figures are important and should not be looked aside in any biography. Some things are memorable in this story but only have a few bits of information that has retained in my mind like him owning a pet monkey. Maybe if the book was a little longer and elaborated on these more interesting bits, we get more memorability. But if you personally connect with this story you can remember this more vividly. Art was masterfully done with beautiful works all around. However, there is a lack of depth to the art with no real details to pick out besides what is in front of you. Word difficulty was average, and I see this working well for a 2-5 level classroom. Only avoiding 1st and kindergarten due to references of drugs and alcohol and divorce. It’s Not abundant but this does seem a little more directed at a slightly older crowd who can handle and talk about these topics. Ad as for interesting info I think it nailed it entirely keeping a lot of kid’s attention for the duration.
Memorability 3/5
Art 4.5/5
Enjoyment 3/5
Word Difficulty 4/5
Interesting info 5/5
Overall: 3/5
Best Use: Told to the class for special topics. Including black history month. ( )

This biography follows the life of Barack Obama and the positive and negative challenges he faced throughout his life. A truly motivational and inspirational story with snippets of quotes from Barack Obama that directly relate to the text. This is definitely a biography for upper elementary because of the brief topic of alcohol and drug use and the questions it may spark. I would like to make clear that I am not completely opposed to the discussion, however I am opposed to it with younger age groups. Overall, this biography portrays a man’s dream to have a country come together and recognize the value of every individual which is a powerful message! ( )

A simple but informational book about the 44th President of the United States, Obama: Only in America is a mediocre biography that allows readers to learn about the childhood of President Barack Obama. Barack was born in Hawaii to a white mother and Kenyan father. He also briefly lived in Jakarta, Indonesia before being sent to live with his maternal grandparents in Hawaii. With an absent father, Barack struggled with raising himself as a black man, he was one of few black students in his school and often encountered racism from white schoolmates. Later, he attended the Occidental College in Los Angeles to study politics; slowly gaining a voice that resonated with his community. The book goes on to discuss many of his trials and tribulations leading up to his inauguration in 2008. Overall, this biography allows the reader to better relate to Barack Obama as a person with dreams who fought and continued to fight to make his dreams come true. ( )

The life of Obama depicted by Weatherford was one of overcoming challenges and forging his own path to success. Obama wanted went from a community organizer, to a lawyer, became a U.S. Senator, and then finally moved towards becoming President of the United States. His overall goal was to fight injustices and better the world around him which he did at each position he held from the local level to the national level. Barack Obama is a very inspiring person especially to the African-American community, and I loved how on each page of this book there was an inspirational Obama quote. This book was a very interesting read about Obama's life and gives insight on how he worked his way to becoming president. I recommend students read this book about the 44th President of the United States. ( )

Biography of Obama from his childhood in Indonesia to his teenage years in Hawaii, from his father’s homeland of Kenya to the halls of Harvard Law School and, later, the South Side of Chicago, Barack Obama searched for a place where he belonged. His search led him to the White House, where, as president, he would fight for "the god-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." ( )