Joey: The Story of Joe Biden

by Jill Biden

Joey is the first ever picture book about the young life of Joe Biden, the 47th Vice President of the United States, and includes never before told family stories about the presidential candidate and former vice president’s childhood—written by Jill Biden, his spouse.

Joe Biden grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the oldest of four children. His parents always encouraged him and his siblings to be independent and strong. The family moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where at twenty-nine, Biden was elected one the youngest United States Senators ever elected. This is his story.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Politics, Presidents, History

1 pages, Audio CD

First published June 30, 2020

About the author

Jill Biden is the current First Lady of the United States. She is a community college professor and served as Second Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. During the Obama-Biden administration, she advocated for military families, community colleges, the fight against cancer, and the education of women and girls around the world. She continues this work today through the Biden Foundation, the Biden Cancer Initiative, and the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Live your life in such a way that if you're a presidential candidate who eventually becomes president, people can actually write a picture book biography of you. (I said what I said).

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice first biography of President Biden. I think it is very important to get young children interested in politics - it is not going to get any easier trying to get balanced information on candidates in the future. I also believe that the next generation of voters is going to make some of the most important decisions any generation has ever been asked to make. Books like this will get them thinking.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This easy reader written by Jill Biden will give young children a glimpse into the early life of Joe Biden. Children will be able to relate to the antics of a young boy. Readers will learn about an outgoing, adventurous, athletic, and determined young person who overcame his speech disability. The illustrations by Amy June Bates greatly enhance the enjoyment of the book.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. In the 1940s and early 1950s in Scranton, Pennsylvania and then from 1953 in Delaware, Joey’s childhood of fun, competition, dares, empathy, hard work, sports and political discussions, and church and Catholic school attendance helped shaped him into the man he is today. When bullied as a kid because he stuttered, he fought back and recited poetry to improve his speech. He was a natural leader from being the oldest child of four, class president, and a high school football and basketball star. Honesty, communication, fair play, and helping others shaped his pursuit of a career in public service. This illustrated child’s book simply and anecdotally recounts his life as written by his wife and drawings reminiscent of an unrefined Norman Rockwell. A good read for a young child to learn of or a parent to introduce them to Joseph Biden.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an imaginative short fiction story for fans about the saintly Joey and his wild adventures. The illustrations are colorful, the language is simple, and the tale is a barrel of laughs.

And this is my sarcastic review for this fiction accounting of the subject's so-called "biography." Jill has quite a wild imagination.

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[Roelof · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pure and utter fiction.

What a bizarre and poorly written book.
I would never read this to my kids.
It venerates a person, portraying him as near saintlike with ridiculous hyperbole.

Clearly a shamelessly shallow campaign propaganda tool, fit to be read by tools.
Because in order to enjoy this, you have to be stupid or American. Although you may be forgiven for considering that a pleonasm.

[Ron Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

More for parents than kids. Too wordy and the story is obviously fawning. I giggled when it bragged about Joe working at the integrated pool. I guess they didn't want to go with him hugging segregationists, opposing school busing and throwing Anita Hill under the bus.

[BlueDuck · Rating 1 out of 5]

BS Propaganda. F the elites, I ain’t gonna pick up what they put down

[Nick Iuppa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, short, heroic portrait of the new president as he was growing up. The book was written for kids by his wife, Dr. Jill, with insightful illustrations by Amy June Bates. Joey is heroic, a real leader all through school. He did suffer from a speech impediment, though, which sometimes led to his being bullied. Joey overcame the bullies, stuck up for other victims, and became a star athlete, class president, and all the rest. I wish that Dr. Jill had added a little of her own story with Joe; it would have brought even more insight with it, I think because these guys clearly love and respect each other. Still an inspiring read for middle school and an excellent testament to the man's character for adults as well.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joey: The Story of Joe Biden is a children's picture book written by the team of Jill Biden and Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Amy June Bates. It warmly tells a story of the future vice president and forty-sixth president growing up in the 1950s in a happy family, riding his bike, delivering papers on his paper route, and playing football.

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Biden previously served as the 47th vice president from 2009–2017 and United States Senator for Delaware from 1973–2009. He is currently the President-elect of the United States and will be inaugurated as the 46th president in January 2021.

The text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Biden's tone is expectedly laudatory, considering she is writing about her husband, which should be a foregone conclusion, as the anecdotal portrait depicts his early years rather well. However, the line about the figure being not privileged strikes an odd note. Back matter includes family photos and a biographical timeline. Bates' illustrations contribute softly focused, Rockwellian mixed-media illustrations that effectively chart time's passage.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It shows Joe Biden's idyllic early life and his early leadership skills in high school and his family's move from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Delaware so that his dad could get a better job. Throughout, it shows his character, the strong values he learned from his parents, and his struggle to overcome stuttering and financial challenges. His achievements as an adult are briefly touched on in the later pages, including President Barack Obama giving him a medal and calling him the best vice president America's ever had.

All in all, Joey: The Story of Joe Biden is a laudable portrait of the current President-elect of the United States.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featured in a grandma reads session.

An introductory book written by Jill Biden to children about her husband, Joe Biden. The topics are ones children care about. Where, how, and when he grew up. What filled his play time hours. What was his family time like. How were his school days passed. Did he have any rough spots in his days - he did. Bullies. Stuttering. Work was a worry for his dad, and so was for his family, resulting in moves that were hard on the family. Still, with a stick-together spirit, all made it through.

The book ends with his decision to go to law school, and afterwards live a life devoted to public service. No horn tooting, no bids for sympathy. There are pictures of him serving in various capacities. The artwork is lovely, nostalgic, rather Norman Rockwell-ish. All in all, to my thinking, a humble book.

My crew was very interested and were leaning in the entire read.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and insightful biography about Joe Biden, and his life as told by his wife Jill Biden.

[James Biser · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun, short biography of Joe Biden. It tells of his struggles as a child and his life as he grew into a great leader and President of the United States,

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books about the childhoods of American presidents are fairly common. The illustrations in this one are very nice and nicely capture the atmosphere of a particular time and place. Obviously, Biden's life is idealized but that's to be expected in a picture book biography. Parents are likely to cringe at the dangerous misadventures the Biden kids got up to in a long bygone era before helmets and supervision.

[Sobia A Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by Biden's wife, this book gives the reader a look into the early life of the new President of the US. She aims to give young readers a perspective that Biden was just like every other young boy growing up - having fun, being mischievous, delivering the paper on his bike, buying candy with his friends, and how he overcame his stutter. The book shows his love for his family and siblings (especially his sister), taking care of disputes without getting the parents involve, and his strong family values.

As the book was published before the election in 2020, the narrative ends with Biden's announcement to run for the Presidency in 2019. The book has several black/white family photos of a young Biden, sources for the quotes in the book, a timeline of key events in Biden's life, bibliography, and "Bidenisms" (quotes and mottos from the family Biden grew up on).

This is a great brief intro into the life of Joe Biden and a great story to read to young kids for inspiration.

[Carol Goldstein Geller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for two reasons. I love Joe Biden, and my seven-year-old grandson stutters

I can’t wait to sit down with him and read the book together. To show him how someone who stutters overcame it and has risen to be our next president.

I admire him tremendously and when people make fun of him or talk about how he makes mistakes and Gaffs when l know that it has to do with his his past stuttering. He use his “tricks and one of them is taking time to speak.

I suggest this book for anyone who has a child of any age with any kind of speech impediment.

Go Joe! I am really really excited.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I hadn't read this book in such a heated political election year because I think it tainted the lens through which I read this. I loved the illustrations but the text felt a little "heavy-handed", a little like reading a political ad. I did love learning more about who Joe Biden is and his history though.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read about Joe Biden's life written by his wife, Jill. I was expecting (hoping) the book to center on his stuttering. It was brought up, but wasn't central to the book.

[Sunday · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always leery of books authored by public figures or celebrities. When I saw that Kathleen Krull (a "go-to" bio author for me) had written this with Jill Biden, I thought I'd give it a go. Not disappointed. I don't expect this book to win awards, but the writing and illustrations make it worthy of reading aloud to our k-2 students.

1) There are lots of kid-friendly anecdotes about Joe as a child - pooling pennies with friends to buy candy, taunting a group of older boys playing football and outrunning them (so much so that they invited him to play), being the only one to climb (successfully) to the top of the flagpole.

2) There is a reoccurring line "Give me the ball!" that becomes a metaphor for challenges Joe Biden has accepted throughout his life.

3) Details about his family easily reveal the value of his family to him - his younger sister was his best friend (and still is), he and his siblings "made a deal with their parents" to solve their problems behind a closed door without their parents' help, talking about the news with family at the dinner table, etc. "His father worked several jobs to keep the family going. He too always encouraged Joey. Everyone stumbles, he said, but the most important thing is that whatever happens, "Get up! Get up!"

GREAT BACK MATTER - photos of the Joe Biden as a child; a timeline; a list of "Bidenisms" - from Biden as well as his mom ("Bravery resides in every heart, and yours is fierce and clear.") and his dad ("Joey, when you get knocked down: Get up, get up.").

Lots of room for STUDENT-LED CONVERSATIONS.

[Jenene Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Bravery resides in every heart, and yours is fierce and clear.”

If there’s one thing anyone who reads this book can learn, it’s the meaning of grit. Our future leaders often have humble beginnings just like so many other Americans. To read how Joe Biden grew up and worked his way to the top is inspiring.
Children playing baseball with friends and riding bikes to the convenient store can see themselves in Joey and realize they too can become a future leader. All someone has to do is throw them the ball.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always felt that respect for the Office of the President is a necessary aspect of love of country and patriotism. And yep, it’s becoming tougher and tougher to do so in today’s vitriolic and polarized political climate, but I still think that the office itself deserves respect; albeit, naturally, with a healthy scoop of American vigilance and skepticism no matter who’s in the Oval Office.

I’m saying all this because I approve of and appreciate the importance of publishing books like this one in laying that same groundwork for today’s kids.

While this one sort of lionizes Biden - always class president, always star athlete, parents who deliver the perfect aphorism at just the right moment - it does show a semi-relatable (yet very corny) childhood where presidents come from. I don’t know how many kids could recognize themselves in this portrayal of young Biden’s sublime persona, but it does deliver a nice message of participation and persistence. Give me the ball is a cool little rallying cry for kids and parents to retain.

Illustrated with throwback-type watercolors reminiscent of Henry Huggins books, but done in a soft Robin’s (or should I say Robinette’s?) egg blue palette.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Bravery resides in every heart, and yours is fierce and clear." I loved this message from Joey/Joe Biden's mother to her son and his friends while they were growing up. Her words imbued them confidence then, and her son infuses us with confidence now. What a joy to share this inspirational story with my students with pride (and without censorship) and hope for the restoration of our great nation! A perfect Veteran's Day read!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shows highlights from Joe Biden's life. I especially liked the wonderful illustrations that show Joe from a pre teen and progressing to later in life. If you want a book that shows how family values play an important part of one's upbringing this is for you. It also showed how you can work out problems that you have individually, and with others. This book would be a great start for many talking points in a family. I would purchase this book because as a parent you will want to refer to it and re read it over and over. I didn't think that I would like this book as much as I did, but it is on my favorites list now!

[Brie-Lenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text-to-World Connection: This story explores the childhood of President-Elect Joe Biden. We take a look at Joe Biden's relatable background. This story gives readers an insight into Joe and how he showed leadership skills at a young age. Joe suffered from a speech impediment which he was able to overcome by reading aloud every day. This story relates to the world by showing a different side to a presidential candidate. Joey was published during the 2020 presidential campaign and can give children an insight into who their new president is and where he came from.

[Sherika Stanford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text-to-World

I chose this book because Joe Biden was sworn in this week as the 46th President of the United States of America. The book is written by his wife, Dr. Jill Biden. She tells the story of how our new President grew up. He liked to help and care for others. He was very smart. He was a hard working and determined to make a way for himself. All these are qualities he demonstrates today. He overcame a speech problem and went on to be an eloquent public speaker. His story is very inspirational. I learned a lot about Mr. Biden by reading this book.

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting facts in this book (I didn’t know he was one of the youngest senators ever elected) and an uplifting message of perseverance but I found it to be a little long and meandering. Some parts definitely weren’t needed, like the mention of watching over his friend’s mom when her husband was away for a week (I found this a little creepy TBH) and the stupid dares he did (the book does say they are dangerous but yet they are kind of portrayed as brave and “cool”). I don’t see many kids picking this picture book on their own.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and simple picture book that primarily focuses on Joe Biden's childhood. While not informative enough for a child doing research, this book does serve as a good introduction. And my child really liked that it included information about Biden's stuttering (my child stutters as well).

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tone od admiration and love rings throughout the story of Joe biden's long life. As I read, I imagined how often his wife Jill Biden had heard those childhood stories retold among family and at political events. With the deft guidance of superb bopgrapher Kathleen Krull, the childhood, adulthood, and political life of a public servant with a long and colorful career presents a very kid-friendly look at how someone who served eight years as vice-president of USA and is now running for president reached that lofty stage in life.
Several very effective writing craft techniques could be used as mentor text for young writers, too:
A strong hook that signals the theme: "Give me the ball!"
Use of actual quotations, especially tally colorful and inspiring ones, with attribution at the back.
A timeline (and text) that offers significant and related steps from childhood through the conclusion, with careful balancing os specific incidents with the overall arc of the life story.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know about anyone else, but I found it weird that Joey wanted to check on his friend's mom while her husband was away on a fishing trip. I am going to assume that the friend was also home? Because if he wasn't that's really weird in my opinion. Otherwise if the friend is there, I guess it's like a week long sleepover they had? Overall I liked the book. I learned about his childhood and upbringing and I really liked how supportive his family was and how he got along with all of his siblings.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice storytelling - it is a bit lengthy but I feel like K kids will be able to handle. The accident that killed Joe's wife and daughter and gravely injured his boys is not mentioned, except in the notes at the end of the story. His stutter is mentioned, as well as how he worked to get past it. Recommended.

Q2020 book.