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Lives
Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame
Rather than focusing solely on the historical achievements of former presidents, a collection of presidential portraits emphasizes their bad habits, silly nicknames, and strange pets, and focuses on those who had the most impact on history.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
September 2, 2019
Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull gives a relatively short biographical summary of each US President from Washington through Clinton. What this author did differently was to mostly avoid their major policy initiatives and accomplishments and focused instead on personal traits such as likes, dislikes, good and bad habits, what they liked to eat, and family details. This gives us a chance to see a completely different side to many of them; I actually found myself liking some because of these personal traits who's policies I disagree with. It was well written and made what could be a boring subject rather interesting. I think everyone could find something they didn't know even if they have been reading other books about our Presidents.
March 13, 2012
Interesting texture of Presidents' lives from food to faith. Surprised how many read the Bible daily and how many actually seemed to enjoy such a tough job.
September 20, 2012
I gave this two stars, because I thought the author could have written more. For instance, Herbert Hoover, only received one paragraph. Also, the book was very short in length. I realize the author was trying to find different qualities of each man, but several of the presidents only had a few sentences.
June 11, 2018
This book was a fun and fast read with many interesting details about our presidents from Washington to Obama. While I learn some details that I had not heard about before I was disappointed that the author did not have much to say about some of the presidents. Hoover and Harding to name just two who the author did not have much to say about.
August 31, 2012
Kathleen Krull is a master at nonfiction for kids and her Lives of... series is not to be missed.
December 20, 2017
An irreverent but delightful romp through U.S. history, this book provided glimpses into the lives of every American president except Bush II, Obama, and Trump. Even the folks forgotten by schoolroom history get a mention here--all those guys that sort of blend together between the end of the Civil War and the start of the 20th century (Tyler, Taylor, Harrison, Filmore, Polk, et al).
This is the kind of book that can send an inquisitive reader on a quest to learn more about someone who captivates the attention. It's also a repository of terrific fuel for conversation. For instance: I didn't know Truman was such a fine classical pianist. I wonder if there are any recordings of his playing floating around on YouTube. It was also a treat to read about presidents who had watermelon-seed-spitting wars with family members in the White House, or to find out that at least two presidents had goats.
All in all, a nice collection, as well written and enjoyable as the author's "Lives of the Musicians," which dusts off all those "dead German dudes" who composed the bulk of classical music.
This is the kind of book that can send an inquisitive reader on a quest to learn more about someone who captivates the attention. It's also a repository of terrific fuel for conversation. For instance: I didn't know Truman was such a fine classical pianist. I wonder if there are any recordings of his playing floating around on YouTube. It was also a treat to read about presidents who had watermelon-seed-spitting wars with family members in the White House, or to find out that at least two presidents had goats.
All in all, a nice collection, as well written and enjoyable as the author's "Lives of the Musicians," which dusts off all those "dead German dudes" who composed the bulk of classical music.
May 22, 2020
"Just the fun facts, please!" You won't find the presidents here (only up to Clinton) judged by our modern values. Sure, there's some mention of early presidents being anti-slavery though they still owned slaves, but modern villains like Andrew Jackson receive fairly glowing entries. So, venture in with that in mind.
If you're looking for fun facts, though, Lives of the Presidents shines. The book is just plain enjoyable, a breezy look at the weird quirks of these leaders of free world. I do wish Kathleen Krull had spent more time examining the largely forgotten presidents instead of focusing on the modern ones. Give me the deets on Polk please!
If you're looking for fun facts, though, Lives of the Presidents shines. The book is just plain enjoyable, a breezy look at the weird quirks of these leaders of free world. I do wish Kathleen Krull had spent more time examining the largely forgotten presidents instead of focusing on the modern ones. Give me the deets on Polk please!
August 4, 2020
If you have read other books about presidents, this is not worth the read. The author did a good job of keeping politics out of the content for the most part (although, without any outside knowledge of the author, I would say she is a fan of Clinton). The information shared is mostly surface level and anecdotes that are commonly used and shared in books and discussions about the presidents.
If you are newer to the subject, check it out. If it is a topic you frequent, I would pass.
If you are newer to the subject, check it out. If it is a topic you frequent, I would pass.
April 21, 2022
Although short chapters and humorous- many parts of the book seemed to be trying to show the scandelous only sode of the Presidents. Although I don't think we should hide from these things, I don't want to use this book as a main resource overview of the Presidents and their accomplishments for my children.
November 9, 2017
It was informative. There were some interesting anecdotes about some of the earlier Presidents that I had not read before, and a few of the more recent ones. The books ends with Bill Clinton, so there is nothing with Presidents after that, which shows how dated this one is.
November 15, 2021
It has been an interesting year in review about our presidents. We studied one president a week and learned the good, the bad and the ugly....plus some interesting facts. This copy only went until Bill Clinton, so we haven't studied the others who have followed him. But, it was very informative.
June 27, 2017
The audio version has many mispronunciations.
August 27, 2018
simple yet informative while being fun.
November 10, 2019
Super quick easy read. One of the best books I have read this year.
January 13, 2020
It’s interesting but it doesn’t go into much depth at all. Just a couple pages per president, but it does share some stuff you don’t generally hear about.
June 13, 2020
It’s interesting that some presidents have have so little written about them and others have a lot.
July 12, 2020
Too many inaccuracies and hiding of truth. I would not recommend this to my students.
January 21, 2022
Easy way to review American history and refresh my memory of recent presidents and events that occurred during their terms in office.
March 23, 2022
A quick read, great for school kids. A little bit of trivia about each president up to Clinton.
July 9, 2022
This is really fun book. I wish they would update it to include the more recent presidents (the books ends with Bill Clinton in office, but before anything had come forth about Monick Lewinsky).
August 9, 2022
A little insight regarding most of the presidents of the United States, from George to Obama... I found it interesting
April 19, 2023
The authors should update it with the additions of George W Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden along with the deaths of Reagan, Ford, and George Bush.
Want to read
August 28, 2024A
October 7, 2025
Minimally interesting. I wonder how much of the information is actually true.
January 5, 2026
I loved learning about their families. especially the wives!
March 13, 2017
It was a great book it shows you funny and weird facts about each president.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2017
A fun quick overview of the presidents through Bill Clinton. Nothing amazingly ground breaking but a good brush up and some fun facts. I especially liked the commentary on their relationships with the First Ladies.
October 22, 2011
Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame, and What the Neighbors Thought is a biography of different presidents intended for the intermediate aged children. This book takes an intimate look into the lives of the presidents beginning with President George Washington and ending with President Bill Clinton. The purpose of the novel is to show a side of each president you haven't seen before including health and how they had come to meet their wives. The characters are real and the plot is factual as far as I know. The illustrations are bright colored caricatures of the presidents and their wives. In the background of these illustrations are details that are relevant to the president or the term or terms the president served. The use of language is informative, simple, and easy to understand. Young intermediate aged readers would find Lives of the Presidents appealing because of the title as well as the caricature drawings of the presidents. As a teaching professional, in a classroom setting I would have my students select a president and do a report on them using what they learned in the book along with another source. I would also have the students draw caricatures of the two most recent presidents not included in the book.
June 30, 2012
What were the presidents really like? Kathleen Krull explores their character traits and unusual characteristics. The most popular presidents have stories that cover several pages and describe both common and less well known information about our nation's leaders. Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler, and Polk all share a single page. The information is, to my knowledge, accurate and clearly written. Students who enjoy knowing more about the personalities of our leaders will be interested in learning about Andrew Jackson's wild side and Kennedy's wealthy lifestyle. While the presidents are described in a positive light, they are also presented as real people, some of whom made poor or off-beat choices.
Recommended for the middle school audience. Though the pictures are exaggerated caricatures that seem appealing to elementary students, the reading level and information presented are much more appropriate for older students. This is a great selection for U.S. history teachers and can be used as a quick read aloud throughout a course.
I also must confess that I didn't read this entire book. I chose a sampling to read about -- newer and older, famous and more obscure.
Recommended for the middle school audience. Though the pictures are exaggerated caricatures that seem appealing to elementary students, the reading level and information presented are much more appropriate for older students. This is a great selection for U.S. history teachers and can be used as a quick read aloud throughout a course.
I also must confess that I didn't read this entire book. I chose a sampling to read about -- newer and older, famous and more obscure.
November 20, 2012
Grade/interest level: 3-7th grade
Lexile level: 1240L
Genre: Biography, nonfiction
Main Characters: The United States Presidents
Setting: The United States
POV: 3rd person
This biographical book about our nation’s presidents goes beyond the politics and fame. It looks at presidents as they really were, human. The book goes through each president one at a time, giving a biography that includes things you would usually hear. It discusses things like how Garfield would greet guests by barking or how Coolidge had a pet raccoon. It also dispels common myths about the presidents, like how Washington’s teeth were not made of wood. The book is incredibly fun to read and makes a usually boring topic into a fun and exciting adventure through our nation’s history. I also enjoyed the illustrations, which are fun portraits reminiscent of old political cartoons.
This book should be read in a unit about presidents. All kids should read this book when learning about our nation’s leaders because it’ll keep them engaged and entertained. If we want kids to enjoy history, we need to make it fun. This book does.
Lexile level: 1240L
Genre: Biography, nonfiction
Main Characters: The United States Presidents
Setting: The United States
POV: 3rd person
This biographical book about our nation’s presidents goes beyond the politics and fame. It looks at presidents as they really were, human. The book goes through each president one at a time, giving a biography that includes things you would usually hear. It discusses things like how Garfield would greet guests by barking or how Coolidge had a pet raccoon. It also dispels common myths about the presidents, like how Washington’s teeth were not made of wood. The book is incredibly fun to read and makes a usually boring topic into a fun and exciting adventure through our nation’s history. I also enjoyed the illustrations, which are fun portraits reminiscent of old political cartoons.
This book should be read in a unit about presidents. All kids should read this book when learning about our nation’s leaders because it’ll keep them engaged and entertained. If we want kids to enjoy history, we need to make it fun. This book does.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews