The Story Of The White House

by Kate Waters

A photographic essay captures the history of the White House--from its humble beginnings to today--and offers portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies who have lived in it

Genres: History, Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Author Kate Waters went on to earn a B.A. from Newtown College of the Sacred Heart (Boston College) and a M.L.S. from Simmons' Graduate School of Library and Information Science. She grew up in a big family in which storytelling was very important. She worked as a librarian for ten years at the Boston Public Library. There she became very interested in telling stories to young people and finding out what they enjoyed reading. She moved to New York where she worked on a children's magazine. While working at the magazine, she started to think about new ways to present history and traditions to children. Her books include pictures of actors depicting the stories Kate writes. In addition, her books have been praised for their content and have won many awards. Kate currently lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book about the White House and perfect for younger readers. It is a bit dated, but still had some great info and pictures.

This quote was at the beginning and I found it hella depressing after the last four years. Here's to better times coming!

I pray Heaven to Bestow
The Best of Blessings on
THIS HOUSE and on ALL that shall hereafter
Inhabit it. May none but Honest
And Wise Men ever Rule under This Roof.

-John Adams

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, interesting facts about the White House's history. But since it was published in 1991, it ends with the first Bush administration, so a bit out of date now.

[Bryce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today I will be talking about the White House.The White House is a penthouse that all the presidents live in and have lived in. The is a Green Room, The Blue Room, The Red Room. The president’s office in is the West Wing, and it’s shaped like a oval because it’s called the oven room. There is one picture that was saved after the British lit the white house on fire. Each president buys one thing for the white house whether it’s a piece of furniture. There are 2 kitchens and one pantry in the white house. There are eleven bedrooms and thirty-two bathrooms. There has been a barbershop, a beauty salon, and a clinic once in the white house.


Over all the book was great I liked that it included some fun facts. I did not like that they only include one picture of the kitchen when there is two of them. I did not like that there was not picture and information on which room the president sleeps in. I think this gives a good timeline of the history. I wish they would talk about who designed the white house and why they designed it the way it is today. I liked how they showed us pictures of the garden. I also liked how they make the White House look good in any season.

The author writes this book like he is writing for a kid. There are a lot of pictures to make the book interesting. He uses a lot of exclamation points to show excitement for interesting facts. There is one picture that was saved after the British lit the white house on fire. I wish she was a little bit more formal and not so literate. But overall it was a fattening story and one of the best books I have ever red in a long time because books aren't my thing so reading one that i like was a big deal.

[Isaac Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Story of the White House is an informational book about the history of the White House. It discusses everything that has happened from the War of 1812 to where the Oval Office is located.

This book is very informational and presents the information in an easy-to-read format. I believe that this book is a great book to read when the class is learning about the US government and is talking about the Executive Branch.

[Fritz42 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for class. Interesting tidbits that I enjoyed.

[Adrianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great intro book to learning about the White House and Washington DC. The fun facts at the end were super good!

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: The White House is an important historical building, and this book talks about the rooms, peole who live there, and what events take place. It is filled with tons of important, need to know information in a organized way.

Reflections: Great informational book with fun facts. It is more indepth and for an older reader.

Connections/Themes: US History, White House, Presidents, First Ladies

[Rory · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dignified introduction to the White House, written like a middle schooler's research project, which is the right approach. This could get students interested in finding other sources about the White House.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting information about the white house in easy to understand language. Good for second grade and up.

[Deborah Harris]

AR Quiz No. 18894 EN Nonfiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: MG - BL: 4.6 - AR Pts: 0.5
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP, VP

[Katharine Ott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Story of the White House" - written by Kate Waters and published in 1991 by Scholastic. An interesting middle-grade book.