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Who Was . . . ? Series
Who Was Thomas Jefferson?
Did you know that John Adams had to coax Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence? It's true. The shy Virginia statesman refused at first, but then went on to author one of our nation's most important and inspiring documents. The third U.S. president, Jefferson was also an architect, inventor, musician, farmer, and-what is certainly the most troubling aspect of his life-a slave owner. Finally, here's a biography for kids that unveils the many facets of this founding father's remarkable and complicated life.
112 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2003
136 people are currently reading
850 people want to read
About the author
Dennis Brindell Fradin
290 books23 followersThe award-winning author of nearly 300 non-fiction books for children and young adults, Dennis Fradin is known for his meticulous research, attention to detail and smooth, graceful writing.
Fradin attributes his success in part to years of teaching in the Chicago Public Schools. In order to hold his second graders’ attention at the end of the day, he would spin stories about crayons in distress and birds with broken wings. One such story caught the attention of an editor who asked him to write a series of books about the United States. The Sea to Shining Sea series (Children's Press), launched Dennis's career as a full-time author.
Dennis Fradin has written children's books on topics as varied as astronomy, colonial history, the Underground Railroad, slave escapes and scientific discoveries. He has written biographies of Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Jane Addams and Louis Braille, among others. Bound for the North Star is his riveting collection of true slave escape stories. The Power of One: Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine, co-authored with his wife Judy, was a Golden Kite Honor Book.
Dennis has collaborated with Larry Day on two picture books, Let It Begin Here! and Duel! with Walker Books. He's completed two dozen Turning Points books for Marshall Cavendish. Along with his wife Judy, Dennis wrote Five Thousand Miles to Freedom for National Geographic Children's Books, followed by their Witness to Disaster series.
Fradin attributes his success in part to years of teaching in the Chicago Public Schools. In order to hold his second graders’ attention at the end of the day, he would spin stories about crayons in distress and birds with broken wings. One such story caught the attention of an editor who asked him to write a series of books about the United States. The Sea to Shining Sea series (Children's Press), launched Dennis's career as a full-time author.
Dennis Fradin has written children's books on topics as varied as astronomy, colonial history, the Underground Railroad, slave escapes and scientific discoveries. He has written biographies of Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Jane Addams and Louis Braille, among others. Bound for the North Star is his riveting collection of true slave escape stories. The Power of One: Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine, co-authored with his wife Judy, was a Golden Kite Honor Book.
Dennis has collaborated with Larry Day on two picture books, Let It Begin Here! and Duel! with Walker Books. He's completed two dozen Turning Points books for Marshall Cavendish. Along with his wife Judy, Dennis wrote Five Thousand Miles to Freedom for National Geographic Children's Books, followed by their Witness to Disaster series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
July 21, 2022
Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 on his family’s plantation in central Virginia. From young age he liked reading and playing violin.
He loved his college years in Williamsburg. Afterwards, he studied law. He was a good lawyer, but he was bad at collecting fees.
He became interested in politics and won a seat in the House of Burgesses – Virginia’s legislature.
When his family house burned, he built a new estate and called it Monticello.
Jefferson was a poor speaker, but could he write! He wrote pamphlet on politics. After the Boston Tea Party, he rallied his colleagues to support their fellow Americans in Massachusetts and to revolt against Brits.
The First Continental Congress in Philadelphia was to deal with Britain mistreating America. With time, more and more delegates favored independence.
His journey took him from becoming the Secretary of State, Vice President, and the third President of the US.
The act of 1808 forbidding slave trade didn’t end slavery as he hoped. It was his greatest failure as President, who wrote, “all men are created equal.”
This illustrated biography for young readers, ages 8-12, is presented in a relatable way. With short simple sentences the biography has a crisp flow. The biography is filled with interesting facts and inserts.
It brings a story of an interesting man, who wasn’t the best speaker, and yet made a remarkable mark with his writing. Among many important documents, he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Besides being a lawyer and politician, he had his hobbies, which included fossil collecting and inventing new gadgets. But there is one thing that stains him name, it’s the slavery. He never freed his slaves.
He loved his college years in Williamsburg. Afterwards, he studied law. He was a good lawyer, but he was bad at collecting fees.
He became interested in politics and won a seat in the House of Burgesses – Virginia’s legislature.
When his family house burned, he built a new estate and called it Monticello.
Jefferson was a poor speaker, but could he write! He wrote pamphlet on politics. After the Boston Tea Party, he rallied his colleagues to support their fellow Americans in Massachusetts and to revolt against Brits.
The First Continental Congress in Philadelphia was to deal with Britain mistreating America. With time, more and more delegates favored independence.
His journey took him from becoming the Secretary of State, Vice President, and the third President of the US.
The act of 1808 forbidding slave trade didn’t end slavery as he hoped. It was his greatest failure as President, who wrote, “all men are created equal.”
This illustrated biography for young readers, ages 8-12, is presented in a relatable way. With short simple sentences the biography has a crisp flow. The biography is filled with interesting facts and inserts.
It brings a story of an interesting man, who wasn’t the best speaker, and yet made a remarkable mark with his writing. Among many important documents, he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Besides being a lawyer and politician, he had his hobbies, which included fossil collecting and inventing new gadgets. But there is one thing that stains him name, it’s the slavery. He never freed his slaves.
May 23, 2018
Thomas Jefferson was a genius, my only problem with him was that he had several children with a slave woman, but only freed the mother and his children slaves in his will. That is, he used his own children as slaves and paid no paternal attention to them.
July 25, 2019
I listened to this because my library got a couple of dozen of them & I wanted to see how well this series handled someone I know a bit about before tackling those I know little to nothing about. I can't say I was bowled over, but listening to more of them seems like a good way to explore. I detest 1000 page tomes that cover just one period of a person's life. No one is that interesting.
This is good for kids from 7 or 8 & up. Not bad for adults, either. It's short, but manages to capture a lot about TJ, which is tough since he was a complicated guy. It tells the good & bad, but doesn't really make sense out of his feelings about slavery, why he kept slaves, or why he didn't free his children by Hemmings. (A big reason was that it was illegal in VA & if he'd sent them across the border to MD, they stood a good chance of being captured & returned to slavery.) It does get into Hemmings & her relationship to him & his dead wife.
It also fails to mention how he was personally opposed to both the US expanding its territory & getting involved in foreign wars (The LA Purchase & the war against the Tripoli pirates.) yet he did both as president when the country needed it.
He was a practical man in many ways. The book does describe his issues with money towards the end of his life, but not his wine collection. It does mention him selling his book collection to start the Library of Congress & to help pay his debts.
All told, not bad.
This is good for kids from 7 or 8 & up. Not bad for adults, either. It's short, but manages to capture a lot about TJ, which is tough since he was a complicated guy. It tells the good & bad, but doesn't really make sense out of his feelings about slavery, why he kept slaves, or why he didn't free his children by Hemmings. (A big reason was that it was illegal in VA & if he'd sent them across the border to MD, they stood a good chance of being captured & returned to slavery.) It does get into Hemmings & her relationship to him & his dead wife.
It also fails to mention how he was personally opposed to both the US expanding its territory & getting involved in foreign wars (The LA Purchase & the war against the Tripoli pirates.) yet he did both as president when the country needed it.
He was a practical man in many ways. The book does describe his issues with money towards the end of his life, but not his wine collection. It does mention him selling his book collection to start the Library of Congress & to help pay his debts.
All told, not bad.
August 10, 2023
thomas jeferson is good man. where is he now??? probs dead. my mom died last week. i wonder if they are playing tennis together. my name is jimmy. did tomas do any ting or no. i. ok. wanna see my impression of a dog RAHRHHRHARAHRHRHAHRAH. uh oh! underground railroad strikes again. bye bye. 😼😼😼😼😼
January 18, 2021
I would recommend other books like harriet tubman or something but it is a good book overall
March 30, 2025
"This 'Who Was?' entry tackles Thomas Jefferson with refreshing honesty, balancing his towering achievements—like drafting the Declaration and the Louisiana Purchase—with his contradictions, particularly surrounding slavery.
January 23, 2020
Who Was Thomas Jefferson by Dennis Brindell Fradin is a biography. It talks about Thomas Jefferson’s personal life, life in politics, and how he helped free America. It also talks about how he tried to end slavery in America.
Thomas Jefferson grew up on a plantation in central Virginia. He was third in a family of ten children and his family owned dozens of slaves. Growing up, Thomas looked up to his father and wanted to be just like him when he was older. In 1752, Tom was sent to study with Reverend William Douglas. He spent five years learning many things, but Tom was bored by schoolwork and would much rather read on his own.
After his father died, Tom inherited most of the estate. When Tom turned 18, he went to college and he graduated after just two years. He began to study law and he became an attorney when he was just 24 years old. Soon after, Tom became interested in politics. He ran for and won a seat in the House of Burgesses in 1769, where he served until the American Revolution ended the colonial government.
A year after his family home burned down, Jefferson began building a new home four miles away from the old one. Also at this time, Tom fell in love with Rebecca Burwell, but after his failed attempt at a proposal, Rebecca married another man. Soon after, he met Martha Wayles. They fell in love and married on New Year’s Day of 1772. The couple had five daughters and a son, but only two of them grew to adulthood.
Despite being a poor public speaker, Jefferson was an amazing writer. He wrote an article convincing the people in the colonies to separate from Britain. By 1775, Jefferson had a seat in Congress and he began to try to create a new independent nation away from the British rule. During the war, a committee was asked to prepare a Declaration Of Independence. The committee voted that Jefferson should write the declaration finally after a few months, he did. The states voted on Independence and the vote was unanimous.
America finally won the war, but before he could celebrate, his wife Martha died four months after having her sixth and final child. He was overcome with grief and to take his mind off of it, Jefferson turned to politics. He was elected onto the Continental Congress in 1783. After he was sent to Paris for a job for the Congress, his youngest daughter Lucy died. A slave named Sally Hemings, only fourteen years old, brought his other daughter to live with him.
Sally and Jefferson had begun to have a relationship while Paris. Although Sally had little choice in the matter, because Jefferson was her master, they maintained their relationship for forty years. After a while, though, Sally seemed to have grown very fond of Jefferson and in 1769, Sally became pregnant with Jefferson’s child. Jefferson returned to the U.S. with Sally only because he made her a promise to set her and their children free. Over the next nineteen years, Sally and Jefferson had nine more children and he didn’t set them free for years.
Jefferson became President George Washington’s Secretary of State, and he served for almost four years. Jefferson got in many arguments with Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton eventually causing him to resign. He stayed at his home for fifteen more years until he went back into politics. He began serving as Vice President in 1797 under John Adams. Soon after, Jefferson became the third President of the United States. During his time as president he helped make the Louisiana Purchase which doubled the country’s size.
Jefferson had a close relationship with his family and he kept in touch using letters. He also had many failed attempts to end slavery. Jefferson spent the last seventeen years of his life at his home with his family. He loved to spend time with his grandchildren and even taught them how to write. Finally, Jefferson began to write letters to John Adams resolving the conflict they had in the past and becoming great friends.
In his last years, He designed buildings with his granddaughter and sold his collection of books to prevent going into debt. He was happy for the last few years of his life living a healthy life into his eighties. On July 2, Jefferson gathered his loved ones in his room and died the same day as John Adams. Coincidentally, they both died on July 4, 1826, the fifteenth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. After his death, he was carved into Mount Rushmore to honor him and the country he helped to create.
My favorite part was when Thomas Jefferson tried to end slavery. The story states, “Jefferson considered ways to end slavery. Should all slaves be freed at once? Should they be freed gradually? Or was it best just to prevent new slaves from entering the country?” This shows that his plan was really thought out and that he really believed in freeing the slaves. This also shows how he has changed from when he owned many slaves to wanting to free them after he freed his family. In doing this, he made a big step in the history of the United States by beginning to make people see that all people are equal.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Thomas Jefferson’s role in building the country. It covers what Thomas Jefferson did to free the country and write the Declaration of Independence. It also talks about his time as the President and the steps he took to make the country what it is today.
Thomas Jefferson grew up on a plantation in central Virginia. He was third in a family of ten children and his family owned dozens of slaves. Growing up, Thomas looked up to his father and wanted to be just like him when he was older. In 1752, Tom was sent to study with Reverend William Douglas. He spent five years learning many things, but Tom was bored by schoolwork and would much rather read on his own.
After his father died, Tom inherited most of the estate. When Tom turned 18, he went to college and he graduated after just two years. He began to study law and he became an attorney when he was just 24 years old. Soon after, Tom became interested in politics. He ran for and won a seat in the House of Burgesses in 1769, where he served until the American Revolution ended the colonial government.
A year after his family home burned down, Jefferson began building a new home four miles away from the old one. Also at this time, Tom fell in love with Rebecca Burwell, but after his failed attempt at a proposal, Rebecca married another man. Soon after, he met Martha Wayles. They fell in love and married on New Year’s Day of 1772. The couple had five daughters and a son, but only two of them grew to adulthood.
Despite being a poor public speaker, Jefferson was an amazing writer. He wrote an article convincing the people in the colonies to separate from Britain. By 1775, Jefferson had a seat in Congress and he began to try to create a new independent nation away from the British rule. During the war, a committee was asked to prepare a Declaration Of Independence. The committee voted that Jefferson should write the declaration finally after a few months, he did. The states voted on Independence and the vote was unanimous.
America finally won the war, but before he could celebrate, his wife Martha died four months after having her sixth and final child. He was overcome with grief and to take his mind off of it, Jefferson turned to politics. He was elected onto the Continental Congress in 1783. After he was sent to Paris for a job for the Congress, his youngest daughter Lucy died. A slave named Sally Hemings, only fourteen years old, brought his other daughter to live with him.
Sally and Jefferson had begun to have a relationship while Paris. Although Sally had little choice in the matter, because Jefferson was her master, they maintained their relationship for forty years. After a while, though, Sally seemed to have grown very fond of Jefferson and in 1769, Sally became pregnant with Jefferson’s child. Jefferson returned to the U.S. with Sally only because he made her a promise to set her and their children free. Over the next nineteen years, Sally and Jefferson had nine more children and he didn’t set them free for years.
Jefferson became President George Washington’s Secretary of State, and he served for almost four years. Jefferson got in many arguments with Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton eventually causing him to resign. He stayed at his home for fifteen more years until he went back into politics. He began serving as Vice President in 1797 under John Adams. Soon after, Jefferson became the third President of the United States. During his time as president he helped make the Louisiana Purchase which doubled the country’s size.
Jefferson had a close relationship with his family and he kept in touch using letters. He also had many failed attempts to end slavery. Jefferson spent the last seventeen years of his life at his home with his family. He loved to spend time with his grandchildren and even taught them how to write. Finally, Jefferson began to write letters to John Adams resolving the conflict they had in the past and becoming great friends.
In his last years, He designed buildings with his granddaughter and sold his collection of books to prevent going into debt. He was happy for the last few years of his life living a healthy life into his eighties. On July 2, Jefferson gathered his loved ones in his room and died the same day as John Adams. Coincidentally, they both died on July 4, 1826, the fifteenth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. After his death, he was carved into Mount Rushmore to honor him and the country he helped to create.
My favorite part was when Thomas Jefferson tried to end slavery. The story states, “Jefferson considered ways to end slavery. Should all slaves be freed at once? Should they be freed gradually? Or was it best just to prevent new slaves from entering the country?” This shows that his plan was really thought out and that he really believed in freeing the slaves. This also shows how he has changed from when he owned many slaves to wanting to free them after he freed his family. In doing this, he made a big step in the history of the United States by beginning to make people see that all people are equal.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Thomas Jefferson’s role in building the country. It covers what Thomas Jefferson did to free the country and write the Declaration of Independence. It also talks about his time as the President and the steps he took to make the country what it is today.
December 9, 2017
I knew hardly anything about Thomas Jefferson. This was a nice introduction. I appreciated the fact that it did not omit the relationship he had with Sally Hemmings. It mentioned that he had difficulties with John Adams and Alexander Hamilton but didn't go into much more. I'd like to learn more about Jefferson.
October 28, 2022
This gives a decent overview of Jefferson's life. Easy for children and adults to understand. I learned things about him I didn't know before.
March 13, 2025
This was so good. It gave me some cool, interesting facts that I did not know before. For example, Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams both died on the same day, the birthday of the United States of America.
This book is, of course, about Thomas Jefferson's life. It talks about what he did before he graduated college and what he did afterward.
This really, somehow, tickled my love for history and how important it is. This book met exactly what my expectations were for a history book. It was cool when I found out that Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams both died on the same day, and that day happened to be the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Talk about love for something!
This book is, of course, about Thomas Jefferson's life. It talks about what he did before he graduated college and what he did afterward.
This really, somehow, tickled my love for history and how important it is. This book met exactly what my expectations were for a history book. It was cool when I found out that Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams both died on the same day, and that day happened to be the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Talk about love for something!
Read
August 19, 2019I appreciated that the history wasn’t white-washed and painted him as a perfect type hero. There were some definite ugly decision and life choices brought to light. Lots of conversations with my son while reading together.
January 10, 2021
It told a good story and I like how it was about history.
May 1, 2021
It had really good facts about him I read all 100 pages of the book straight but it was also kinda sad
December 19, 2020
Very informative!
Read
March 21, 2022Listened to this with kids on our way to Mt. Rushmore
September 8, 2022
Young readers eager to learn American history will really enjoy this book, which presents a vivid picture of a complex, likeable, and very human Thomas Jefferson. There were definitely some sticky-points in the story, but I think that only made the portrait more accurate. I really enjoyed reading this (and was so excited to see the illustrations were done by one of my favorite artists--John O'Brien!)
January 13, 2009
I love reading biographies. Jefferson was a very interesting man, and I enjoyed reading about him in this children's book. I'd definitely recommend reading it to your kids (probably 9 or 10 and older).
April 25, 2016
I took my kids to see T Jeff's house, Monticello. I think they enjoyed their visit. I think that maybe they would like to live there themselves, or sit in his box and stare at his vast estate. Impressive house, impressive man.
September 26, 2014
I thought it was a great book and had a lot of information about Thomas Jefferson. I think you should read it. Lots of interesting topics.
May 13, 2024
Who was Tomas Jefferson
By Dennis Drindell Fardin
And cover Art by Nancy Harrison
Tomas Jefferson is pictured on U.S nickels. He is also portrayed on the giant Mount Rushmore sculpture in South Dakota. The Jefferson Memorial is a popular landmark in Washington D.C. Jefferson City, Missouri, and Mount Jefferson in Organ are among the many places named for him. Why is Tomas Jefferson honored in all of these ways?
He wrote a Declaration of independence. This paper announced the birth of the United States in 1776. Its stirring words, such as “all men are created equal, “ have inspired people for more than 225 years.
Jefferson was a giant in many fields. University of Virginia campus people called in Mr Man moth because he collected Prehistoric bones and his book collection became the core of the library . Congress Despite his many public triumphs Jefferson's private life loads often sound his wife Martha died at the age of only 33 only two of Thomas and Martha six children live to adorable Jefferson also felt guilty that he didn't live by his own words the man who wrote all men are created equal owned hundreds of slaves and toward the end of his life the former president landed deeply in death this is a true story of a man with many sides Thomas Jefferson.
Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 on his family's Plantation Chevron and Central Virginia Virginia was one of the 13 Colonies belonging to Great Barton by the calendar use them his birth date was April 2nd by today's calendar his birthday was April 13th Tom came third in the family of 10 children two of the children didn't survive in fantasy sometime grew up with two older sisters and four younger sisters and younger brother the babies of the family and Anna and Randolph were twins little is about Tom's mother James Randolph Jefferson heart more is known about his father Peter Jefferson was a prosperous farmer who owned dozens of slaves. Young Tom saw his father was the smartest and the strongest man on Earth it was said that Peter Jefferson wants race two barrels of tobacco that had been lying on their side to an upright position each Barrel was said to wait nearly 1,000 pounds he also loved books and read Shakespeare and other authors in his spare time Tom had cousin's named Randolph who lived in Eastern Virginia Mr and Mrs Randolph died Within a few years of each other after that Tom's parents helped raise the three round of children Thomas first memory of living to his cousins hurt about 15 miles away when he was two. If you want to here what happens then you will have to read the book this is a non-fiction book and the book is 103 pages long i can't tell you if i would like to change the end cuz it was a wonderful end and my favorite character is Tomas Jefferson.
July 9, 2017
I'm currently about 1/5 of the way through an adult biography about Thomas Jefferson so it was fun to see a lot of the same information reiterated in a children's book. It proved to me even more what a valuable resource these books are for children.
*Thomas's father died when he was only 14. His mother died when he was an adult and it was very tragic for him.
*Thomas was a lot better at writing than speaking. He learned by listening to others.
*John Adams wanted him to write the Declaration because he knew Thomas was a better writer and that Virginia needed to take the lead for other colonies to fall in line.
*When Thomas's wife died it was very painful for him and it took him a long time to recover from the loss. He never married again but had a relationship with a slave, Sally Hemings, who was less than half his age. They had six children. All slaves. (Boo!!! When I review my adult bio about Thomas Jefferson I will talk more on my feelings about this. I don't like it at all.)
*In his older age he started a University in Virginia. It's still running.
*He did try a couple times to end slavery, but it never passed. It taught him to only fight political battles he knew he could win. He also never went so far as to free his own slaves.
*He was always devoted to his family, even though lots of his family life was filled with tragedy, which actually seems pretty par for the course in those days.
*He suffered from debilitating headaches his entire life. (I can definitely relate. Poor man didn't even have heating pads or Excedrin.)
*He died on July 4 when he was 83 years old. John Adams died the same day, a few hours later. One of the most quirky coincidences in all of US history.
There are several illustrators that draw for this series. This illustrator, John O'Brien, does an excellent job with the diagrams.
*Thomas's father died when he was only 14. His mother died when he was an adult and it was very tragic for him.
*Thomas was a lot better at writing than speaking. He learned by listening to others.
*John Adams wanted him to write the Declaration because he knew Thomas was a better writer and that Virginia needed to take the lead for other colonies to fall in line.
*When Thomas's wife died it was very painful for him and it took him a long time to recover from the loss. He never married again but had a relationship with a slave, Sally Hemings, who was less than half his age. They had six children. All slaves. (Boo!!! When I review my adult bio about Thomas Jefferson I will talk more on my feelings about this. I don't like it at all.)
*In his older age he started a University in Virginia. It's still running.
*He did try a couple times to end slavery, but it never passed. It taught him to only fight political battles he knew he could win. He also never went so far as to free his own slaves.
*He was always devoted to his family, even though lots of his family life was filled with tragedy, which actually seems pretty par for the course in those days.
*He suffered from debilitating headaches his entire life. (I can definitely relate. Poor man didn't even have heating pads or Excedrin.)
*He died on July 4 when he was 83 years old. John Adams died the same day, a few hours later. One of the most quirky coincidences in all of US history.
There are several illustrators that draw for this series. This illustrator, John O'Brien, does an excellent job with the diagrams.
June 29, 2018
I was starting to wonder if these books ever delved into the shady parts of famous people and with Jefferson, it seems there was no way to avoid it. (I wonder if it has to do in part with if the person is still living, or how long they have been dead for). It's hard for me to look past the statutory rape of his deceased wife's stepsister, and the four children he fathered and kept as slaves until they reached adulthood. poor sally hemings and all the other sally hemings out there. i can't even imagine. she remained a slave until a little after jefferson's death.
jefferson is a good example of how complex humans are. we tend to want to label people as good or bad, and the truth is no one is entirely good or entirely bad (unless of course you believe in JC). the declaration of independence jefferson penned was incredible. it seems he did a great job of keeping us out of additional wars with great britain while serving as the third president of the US and was an attentive grandfather, at least to his white grandchildren. The author says "Jefferson's failure to act boldly to end slavery was perhaps his greatest failure as President" (79). He did ask congress to end the slave trade but more than that needed to happen. It's hard to put that all on Jefferson but, as evidenced by his personal life and owning over 400 slaves, he definitely was complicit.
It was interesting to learn how much he loved reading and the legal profession, seeing how he didn't even collect fees from a third of his clients in his first 6 years as an attorney (although maybe that was a normal part in starting a legal career). Also, interesting about him and Madison falling out and then coming back together later in life and both dying on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
jefferson is a good example of how complex humans are. we tend to want to label people as good or bad, and the truth is no one is entirely good or entirely bad (unless of course you believe in JC). the declaration of independence jefferson penned was incredible. it seems he did a great job of keeping us out of additional wars with great britain while serving as the third president of the US and was an attentive grandfather, at least to his white grandchildren. The author says "Jefferson's failure to act boldly to end slavery was perhaps his greatest failure as President" (79). He did ask congress to end the slave trade but more than that needed to happen. It's hard to put that all on Jefferson but, as evidenced by his personal life and owning over 400 slaves, he definitely was complicit.
It was interesting to learn how much he loved reading and the legal profession, seeing how he didn't even collect fees from a third of his clients in his first 6 years as an attorney (although maybe that was a normal part in starting a legal career). Also, interesting about him and Madison falling out and then coming back together later in life and both dying on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
December 2, 2018
Book Title: Who Was Thomas Jefferson?
Author: Dennis Brindell Fradin
Illustrator: John O'Brien
Reading Level: 5.3
Lextile: 770L
Fontas & Pinnell: O
Book Summary: This illustrated biography jumps into who Thomas Jefferson was from childhood to death. It provides engaging facts and accomplishments like Thomas Jefferson being the author of the Declaration of Independence and how he is a self taught architect who designed his own home.
Organization: The book organized in an understanding way as it follows the major life events of Thomas Jefferson. It hit the major points of each of his accomplishments without going into too much detail. The end of the book had a great timeline of Thomas Jefferson's life side by side with a timeline of world events happening during that time period. It was a great reference that created a better understanding of the accomplishments and the happenings of that time.
Presentation: The book featured detailed artwork with each page the portrayed a kingdom full of living numerals. The pictures were clearly numbers and the setting was clearly a kingdom. The pictures were fitting with the text that was being read and was able to show expression of the numeral characters. I like that it showed visuals of numbers and symbols that are used to actually do math.
Classroom Integration/Mini-Lessons/Content Connections:
This style of illustrated biography has many different prominent people featured in other similar books. I would look to create a US history lesson where students choose who to read about people of that time, such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Abe Lincoln. The students will read the book and present an overview of the main person they read about.
Author: Dennis Brindell Fradin
Illustrator: John O'Brien
Reading Level: 5.3
Lextile: 770L
Fontas & Pinnell: O
Book Summary: This illustrated biography jumps into who Thomas Jefferson was from childhood to death. It provides engaging facts and accomplishments like Thomas Jefferson being the author of the Declaration of Independence and how he is a self taught architect who designed his own home.
Organization: The book organized in an understanding way as it follows the major life events of Thomas Jefferson. It hit the major points of each of his accomplishments without going into too much detail. The end of the book had a great timeline of Thomas Jefferson's life side by side with a timeline of world events happening during that time period. It was a great reference that created a better understanding of the accomplishments and the happenings of that time.
Presentation: The book featured detailed artwork with each page the portrayed a kingdom full of living numerals. The pictures were clearly numbers and the setting was clearly a kingdom. The pictures were fitting with the text that was being read and was able to show expression of the numeral characters. I like that it showed visuals of numbers and symbols that are used to actually do math.
Classroom Integration/Mini-Lessons/Content Connections:
This style of illustrated biography has many different prominent people featured in other similar books. I would look to create a US history lesson where students choose who to read about people of that time, such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Abe Lincoln. The students will read the book and present an overview of the main person they read about.
April 8, 2020
Thomas Jefferson was interested in politics from a young age. As he got older he had a seat in the House of Burgesses, Congress, and he became the second Vice President of the United States and the third President of the United States. He also wrote the Declaration of Independence and made attempts to free slaves after having a relationship with one of his own slaves. He, coincidentally, died the same day as his friend John Adams on July 4, 1826 on the fifteenth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson did a lot to help make the country better and he is one of the main reasons the country is what it is today.
I found Thomas Jefferson trying to end slavery surprising because he had slaves before. Jefferson even had a relationship with one of his slaves named Sally Hemings. He ended up having ten children with her. I was surprised when he wanted to free the slaves because for a while he didn't even want to free his family.
I learned about Thomas Jefferson's personal life. I also learned about Thomas Jefferson's role in shaping the country to be what it is today, and what the country would be like without Thomas Jefferson's help.
I found Thomas Jefferson trying to end slavery surprising because he had slaves before. Jefferson even had a relationship with one of his slaves named Sally Hemings. He ended up having ten children with her. I was surprised when he wanted to free the slaves because for a while he didn't even want to free his family.
I learned about Thomas Jefferson's personal life. I also learned about Thomas Jefferson's role in shaping the country to be what it is today, and what the country would be like without Thomas Jefferson's help.
August 23, 2025
Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. Except that wasn’t his greatest achievement. He was prouder of writing the Declaration of Independence, as well as founding the University of Virginia.
Thomas Jefferson was a farm kid and a lawyer. He worked on his farm young and started studying law young. This child labor didn’t bother me as a child myself reading this biography, but now it does.
Thomas Jefferson was a slave-owner. I am glad this biography acknowledges that, although I remember it treating Jefferson’s children with Sally Hemings lightly. This biography may have used them as an example of Jefferson’s magnanimity and lack of racism, because he was willing to have children with a black woman. Even though it was obviously an abuse of power.
Thomas Jefferson was one of America’s Founding Fathers, for better or worse. I admire him for writing the Declaration of Independence and being the architect of Monticello, and despise him for owning slaves and believing that stones can’t fall from the sky. This biography is less important in my mind than Hamilton’s portrayal of Jefferson, anyway.
Thomas Jefferson was a farm kid and a lawyer. He worked on his farm young and started studying law young. This child labor didn’t bother me as a child myself reading this biography, but now it does.
Thomas Jefferson was a slave-owner. I am glad this biography acknowledges that, although I remember it treating Jefferson’s children with Sally Hemings lightly. This biography may have used them as an example of Jefferson’s magnanimity and lack of racism, because he was willing to have children with a black woman. Even though it was obviously an abuse of power.
Thomas Jefferson was one of America’s Founding Fathers, for better or worse. I admire him for writing the Declaration of Independence and being the architect of Monticello, and despise him for owning slaves and believing that stones can’t fall from the sky. This biography is less important in my mind than Hamilton’s portrayal of Jefferson, anyway.
May 15, 2017
I read "Who was Thomas Jefferson" by Dennis Brindell Fradin. This book is the story of Mr. Jefferson and how he became one of our founding fathers. Thomas went through a lot in his life, such as his mother dying and only two of his children living to adulthood. He also had many good moments and became very important in the future of America.
I liked this book. I thought it had a nice structure to the way all the information was presented to me. The author made it a story while still telling all the information. I would not change anything about this book. I don't think it needs any fixing or changing.
I would recommend this book to anyone between the ages of eleven and fifteen. I would recommend it to those age groups because it is very informative, but also an easy read. If you like learning about someone, the this is the book for you. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 starts if I had to.
October 13, 2017
This is a great children's book about a really questionable man. I think Fradin does a really good job of exposing the questionable in a kid-friendly way. We listened to the audio version on our way to visit Monticello. My kids definitely picked up on the fact that Jefferson fathered slave children...and then KEPT THEM AS HIS SLAVES. He technically kept his promise to Martha to never remarry, but he violated the spirit of that promise pretty intensely. He seduced (or did he take advantage of?) a 14-year-old slave who was his dead wife's half sister. Yeah, my kids caught all of that. And they should. They should know the truth about someone who is held up as a pristine pillar of goodness and democracy. And then they walked the grounds of this slave owner who was allegedly opposed to slavery...and they couldn't reconcile that, because it's irreconcilable.
But thanks for the Declaration and the library, Thomas.
But thanks for the Declaration and the library, Thomas.
October 13, 2020
Continuing to read these with my kids. Helpful, in that they are relatively neutral. They do not lionize their subjects, nor are they unfairly critical. With Jefferson, people tend either to admire him, or loathe him by pointing out his flaws and maybe taking them beyond the evidence. In this book, on the one hand, it points out that he did more to combat slavery than any of his peers, and on the other hand, he still owned slaves and did far less to end slavery than he could have. With most things, Jefferson was a mixed bag, but for his time he was an exceptional thinker and leader, and the book balances these difficult truths. If there was one place the book could have been improved; it did not delve into Jefferson's famous contradictory nature. He was known for taking whatever side was advantageous in the moment, but the book ignores his sphinx-like disposition. On the whole, a decent child-friendly introduction.
February 17, 2021
Even with a sudden voice shift that was discovered on page 61 and for which I'm confident was unintended, Dennis Brindell Fradin's Who Was Thomas Jefferson? deserves five stars as it is full of personal details about America's third president and the main drafter of the Declaration of Independence. For example, Jefferson, like Lincoln, loved another before marrying their wives. He also had a grandson who was named James Madison after Jefferson's friend President Madison, he was a terrible speaker but a gifted author, he faithfully wrote to his grandchildren encouraging their use of punctuation and capitalization, that his attempt to abolish slavery during his second term was very ineffective but did make it illegal to bring new slaves into the United States, and that he suffered from migraines. This book is a quick read and is highly recommended for students as well as adults--especially on President's Day.
December 8, 2018
Fradin did excellent work communicating Thomas Jefferson's governmental work in Virginia; his excellent writing skills; his witty inventions; his farming; his correspondence with others; his governmental work with the Continental Congress and the United States of America.
Fradin did fail on communicating Thomas Jefferson's heritage by continuing the lie of him having children by a slave. This was his only flaw, but a huge one. It was very disappointing! DNA has proven Sally's children were that of Thomas Jefferson's uncle and it is so disappointing that he would include such wrong data in an otherwise excellent work. I recommend just stapling these pages together if you have the hard copy as the rest of the book is outstanding.
Kevin Pariseau did an excellent job narrating this book. It was a joy to listen to his voice.
Fradin did fail on communicating Thomas Jefferson's heritage by continuing the lie of him having children by a slave. This was his only flaw, but a huge one. It was very disappointing! DNA has proven Sally's children were that of Thomas Jefferson's uncle and it is so disappointing that he would include such wrong data in an otherwise excellent work. I recommend just stapling these pages together if you have the hard copy as the rest of the book is outstanding.
Kevin Pariseau did an excellent job narrating this book. It was a joy to listen to his voice.
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