Presidential Pets: The Weird, Wacky, Little, Big, Scary, Strange Animals That Have Lived In The White House

by Julia Moberg, Jeff Albrecht Studios (Illustrator)

It's been said that if you want a friend at the White House, get a dog. Or, we might add, perhaps a cat, bird, bear, or maybe an alligator! Throughout America's history, the presidential menagerie has included an array of creatures both big and small, ordinary and absurd.

This inside look at the White House's animal residents features a rollicking, rhyming verse for each commander-in-chief's pets, accompnied by cool facts, presidential stats, and laugh-out-loud cartoon art. John Quincy Adams kept an alligator in the bathtub, while Thomas Jefferson's pride and joy was his pair of bear cubs. Andrew Jackson had a potty-mouthed parrot, and Martin Van Buren got into a fight with Congress over his tow baby tigers. First daughter Caroline Kennedy's pony Macaroni had free riegn over the White House. But the pet-owningwinner of all the presidents was Theodore Roosevelt, who had a hyena, lion, zebra, badger, snake, rats, a nippy dog that bit the French ambassador, and more!

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Animals, Childrens, Picture Books, Presidents, American History

95 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Julia Lynn Moberg grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Southlake, Texas. She attended New York University where she received both her B.F.A. and M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing at Tisch School of the Arts. Skies over Sweetwater originally started out as an idea for a screenplay, but as Julia began researching the WASP, she felt compelled to tell these women's stories to a much younger audience in hopes that young girls might adopt them as role models in life. So, she decided to write a middle grade novel instead.

The writing experience was an incredible journey. Julia read books, watched documentaries, communicated with several WASP who are still alive, and immersed herself in the 1940's American home-front culture. Whenever she tells others about the WASP, she is amazed how many people don't even know that women flew for the Air Force during WWII. She hopes that this book might change that and give these women much needed recognition.

She currently lives in New York City, where she works as an editor in children's publishing.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The White House pets get a lot of attention in these days of omnipresent social media. Most presidents have brought pets into the White and House -- the Teddy Roosevelt family had more than 40. This book not only dishes the dirt on the pets that each president owned and/or acquired during office; but also includes Presidential Stats, Accomplishments & Events, and a Tell Me More! section to elaborate on pet facts and accomplishments. Two of my favorite pets were Andrew Jackson's cussing parrot (ejected from his funeral for language) and Pushinka, the mongrel pup whose mother went into space for the Russians. And did you know that Herbert Clark Hoover's vice president, Charles Curtis, was the first nonwhite vice president as he was part Kaw Indian? Kids will enjoy the quirky, colorful illustrations and learning about all the animals that have lived in the White House. Adults may find the rhymes to be on somewhat eye-roll worthy.

[Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Presidential Pets” is an excellent introduction to the history of the American presidents for children. The hook is obviously the pet facts, but each president also has brief and easy-to-digest facts about their presidency on their pages. The illustrations are wonderful, as well. Highly recommended to animal and history lovers of all ages.

This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think middle-grade readers who are learning about the U.S presidents for the first time would enjoy this. I expected it to contain a lot more information about pets belonging to the presidential families.

[Madissen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good because it taught you the president pet how they got them.When you read it to some on you can make them guess the pet and why the might have got mad at them and sent them away so some one can come and pick them up and rake care of them at all times.When I read that book it made me realize a lot of thing about those pet and that just made me really like.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little book.

[William Bahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A big WOW for this bow-wow book!

Julia Moberg’s wonderful book is advertised for grade levels 3-7, but I believe it’s really for ages 3-70+, especially because it offers a good opportunity for the adult reader to pick and choose the best fun ways to explain its content to any child listening.

The book covers all American presidents from Washington to Obama: Each president gets a Poem (most of them pretty good rhymes, but, ok, a few are a bit of a stretch); Stats (term of office; first lady; vice president; political party; years lived; jobs before presidency; nickname); Tell Me More (oftentimes juicy tidbits); and Accomplishments and Events.

If the author ever updates her book, I’d like to recommend she modify her George Washington entry to remove his Federalist party designation. Washington studiously avoided being labeled a Federalist, strongly preferring no party affiliation in an effort to unify and heal America after its long war with England and to avoid the opportunities to get entangled in ongoing wars between England and France.

Overall, the book is a charming, delightful read for the child at heart who’d like to find a fun way to instill a sense of national history in children beginning their journey through life.

As a fellow author, I highly recommend it!

[Bookdragonqueenljs22 · Rating 5 out of 5]

thanks lucy I thought it was funny and full of humar.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Presidential Pets: The Weird, Wacky, Little, Big, Scary, Strange Animals That Have Lived in the White House by Julia Moberg is such a delightful, informational book you just have to pick up! On each page there are many incredible fact tidbits that are about that certain president, weird oddities pertaining to him, and accomplishments and other facts you may not know. The book goes through all the presidents. I am a big history buff but I learned so much fun trivia from this book. It was a fun, and informative with lots of creative and imaginative drawings that make you smile. Just a real joy. I needed this! Knowledge, a snicker, and cartoons... and good fun read!!! Loved it, need more of these books. The way it is written, with funny poems mixed with silly facts and true facts, it is good for everyone. Pet lovers would love this book. The perfect gift for that person who has everything. I received this book from NetGalley for a honest review and it in no way effected my rating or review and boy am I glad I got it! Thanks NetGalley!!!

[A.C.E. Bauer]

A fun way to introduce kids to all the presidents.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: This super fun and engaging stories provides students information on our presidents from a different point of view, their pets. Digging into specifics about the presidential families and giving insight into their strange and exotic pets they cared for while in office.

Characteristics: This books is full of great illustrations, bullet point specifics and funny antidotes that keep kids reading!

Mentor Writing Traits:
Presentation: The illustrations bring so much to the story and give students hilarious images of presidents and the real life of being a pet owner.
Organization: This is a great story to introduce key points and details because it is written in a bulleted sense, it is easy to follow and understand. It provides real information and provides a quick twist with interesting facts that are often not known.

Classroom Integration: Learning about all of the presidents can often being a dry topic but this book lends a little light to the subject. Giving students real information but also providing a fun twist, allows for more engagement and great facts that they will remember a long time. Writing presidential biographies just became that much more fun!

Reading Level: 6.8

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each of the US Presidents has 2 pages devoted to them. One is a full colored cartoon. On the other page is: first is a poem about the pet or pets, second is a list of presidential stats, third is listed more facts about the pet/president & fourth is a list of accomplishments during the president's time in office. This book is highly recommended for children & adults. It is a fun read & the illustrations are the topping on the cake!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This nonfiction book is so entertaining! I read it to a class of 6th graders and they were very engaged and couldn't wait to check out the book. I love that each president has a poem to introduce them and the specific information is so interesting. It's short, looks like a graphic novel, or cartoon book, and full of fascinating facts. Pictures are like caricatures and even though I am not an animal lover, I still really enjoyed this book.

[Sandy Sopko · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than just presidential stats and facts, this book is so entertaining! A poem for each president's pet together with notes about each first family's favorite furry White House roommates -- no wonder this is so popular with students!

[Christina Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

February is learning about the city. This book is full of facts and comic illustrations, that makes this a fun, interesting read. Can be read to different age groups with the simple story rhymes to further facts, President bio, accomplishments and events.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.7

[Heidi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Strange, sloppy, and sometimes scary, illustrations. There are other president books out there we enjoy much more.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book to read with a child as there are poems that just have to be said out loud, the illustrations are adorable, and there are interesting facts adult nerds like me enjoy.

[Michell Karnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic facts about the pet of the US presidents.

[Jennifer Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! I learned little things about animals in the white house and a few fun facts about the presidents. Needs a little updating but I'd still recommend it!

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are lots of interesting details about presidents and their wives and families and their pets or other animals. They range from lots of dogs, plus cats, to a couple of goats, also parrots and alligators.
Each president is introduced by an awful sort-of-poem with bad rhyme choices. These are all bad, in my opinion.
For each one they give Presidential Stats: dates in office, party, First Lady, vice president(s), birth & death dates & places, nicknames and what they did before becoming president. It covers all the presidents from Washington to Obama. It even includes William Henry Harrison who died one month after taking office; on a cold rainy day in Washington, he gave the longest inaugural address in U.S. history, speaking for almost 2 hours. He died of pneumonia, the first president to die in office. It also includes Millard Fillmore, who had no pets. He did, however, found the Buffalo, NY, chapter of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He also has the shortest poem in the book: "Millard Fillmore Married his teacher, But didn't own Any furry-haired creatures."
There are also Events & Accomplishments which include states admitted to the Union, and bills or Constitutional Amendments passed. Some of these are positive, some are negative: Franklin Pierce (in office 1853-1857) enforced the Fugitive Slave Act to help return fugitive slaves to their owners.
Also included are other odd or interesting things that happened during that time, or to the families.
According to School Library Journal's review: "Albrecht's digital cartoons have an exaggerated, frenetic energy that keeps the mood light." In my opinion, they're terrible and ugly. Most of the dogs are indistinguishable from one another, and certainly aren't identifiable by breed.
If you ignore the "poem" and the illustrations, it's a good presidential trivia book. Even for adults.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this title from the publisher through Net-galley in exchange for an honest review.
Most people have dogs and cats, but when you’re the President of the United States what kind of pet would you have. This is what Julia Moberg tells us in her book Presidential Pets.
I have read this book twice since I received my copy. Once on my own and then again with my two boys. I loved the cleverness of the rhymes and artwork. I found the facts about the Presidents interesting and well. It was easy to work a discussion about a President with the pets as jumping off point. I LOVED this book!!!
Since my copy is on my Kindle (I have a basic Paperwhite) all the pictures were black and white. I would definitely recommended this books to educators and my fellow parents. History and politics can often be hard for young kids grasp. This book broke down important things that happened during the particular Presidents term in office But let’s face it the pets are the star of show. Every kids loves animals. A book filled with everything alligators to horses is right up most kids ally.

[Jezire C Akin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very cute. Each president is represented and discussed. Not only is there a short but fun poem about the pets the presidents had but also a small section about what the presidents were known for, their wives, and some additional interesting facts and information.

I do feel like this would be appropriate for children in a little bit of older elementary or beginning of middle school age because some of the facts about the presidents talk about acts they passed or important events of the time which might be a little advanced for lower elementary.

Overall, this was a lot of fun. I actually read a few sections to my husband and he went on to look up additional facts that were of interest to him. Definitely worth checking out if you enjoy learning about presidential pets. Personally, we have an English Springer Spaniel and decided on him because his breed served as such a strong and wonderful family pet to G.W. Bush.

[Kathrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who lived in the white house with a garter snake named "Emily Spinach"? Presidential Pets by Julia Moberg and illustrated by Jeff Studios will answer this question and many others. This nonfiction book would be the perfect choice for readers who are animal lovers, interested in the presidents or U. S. history. Readers who are reluctant to pick up a history book will be surprised to learn how much fun history can be after reading just a page or two of this informative book. Each president is introduced with a short rhyme and then information about the kind of pets he owned while living in the White House. Also included are presidential facts such as when he was born, died, his first lady and his accomplishments. Fun information about pets includes which president owned two grizzly bear cubs, who kept an alligator in the bathtub, who was bitten by a dog and who had a parrot that wouldn't stop swearing. Who wouldn't be curious about the answers to those questions?

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Perfect read for the presidential year. Many different animals have lived in the White House, and not only dogs, cats and goldfish, but also elephants, horses, ponies, alligators, cows, bears, a foul-mouthed (or foul-beaked?) parrot, sheep, tigers, silkworm, and more. Each president is introduced with his pet or pets with a short poem, and then other interesting facts are provided about the pet, and the president's term.

I enjoyed the book, it is interesting and amusing. I would not recommend to read it from cover to cover in one seat, since it might weaken the effect, and become repetitive, but a couple of presidents a day sounds like a good approach. The illustrations are very humorous too. Great non-fiction option to get kids interested in social studies topics.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Find more children's book reviews in Reviews in Chalk

[Kizzi Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered which presidents had pets? Who had a dog or a cat? What if a president had a parrot or a snake or an elephant! Read and rhyme your way through this book chock full of presidential pets which come in all shapes and sizes.

"Presidential Pets" written by Julia Moberg and illustrated by Jeff Albrecht Studios teaches children all about every single pet that has ever lived alongside a president at the White House. Fascinating facts will entertain and surprise children and adults. This book is definitely not lacking on information. There are two pages devoted to each president and his pet(s). The amount of information may be overwhelming for beginning readers but it is presented in a fun way with lots of illustrations. Great read especially during the election year.

Thank you to Net Galley and Imagine for a reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Kelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of a collection of random facts about the presidents than a book specifically about pets. Generally entertaining and might be useful for introducing presidents, but eh. Every president has a cutesy, sometimes awful poem to introduce them, a collection of stats such as term & political party, a "Tell Me More!" that lists random fact, and an "Accomplishments & Events" category that was a bit problematic as incredibly awful things such as racist, sexist, & xenophobic laws were placed next to great advancements with no distinction. The illustrations have a cartoon-y feel which ranges from fun to ugly and frantic. While it offers a few fun things, I wouldn't recommend it and lost interest quickly.

[HeavyReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this book was rather silly, even as something written for kids.

Each U.S. president is given two pages. On the first page, some little anecdote about the president and an animal is told in verse. (I found the verses trite, but maybe a kid would love them.) Also on the page are sections for "Presidential Stats", "Accomplishments and Events", and "Tell Me More!" (which includes additional information about animals in the president's White House.)

On the facing page, there is a cartoon-y illustration of the events of the poem. The drawing is slightly better than the writing.

I am grateful that I did not have to drum up enthusiasm for reading this book aloud to a child. I'm also grateful that I will never have a child of my own request that I read this book aloud.

[Susan Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Princess Fuzzypants here:
When I saw this book, I thought it would be filled with funny and endearing stories about the various Presidential pets. That is why I was a bit disappointed in the amount of information provided.
Yes, it does list the various animals who have called The White House home, and let meow tell you, there was quite a selection. Some made me wonder what somepawdy was thinking.
Sadly, there were not many cats written up (Hrrumph) and while it did provide a laundry list of items, it just didn't seem to go into the special bond that humans have with their animals. Ah well.
When it did go into more detail, it was such fun. I did like the drawing a lot though. I wish the rest of the book was equally humourous.
I will give it one paw up and three and a half purrs.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very charming book. The book gives an overview of all of our presidents and the animals that they had at the time of their presidencies. While the poems that introduce each president are a bit uneven, they are followed by interesting tidbits brief enough to keep a child interested.

Even though the pets are the "stars" of the show, there is enough information on each president to keep reading for more. The illustrations are cute and wacky, and very charming. I would definitely read this to my grandson when he is a bit older, and I myself learned a thing or two while reading it.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.