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Kids' Letters to President Obama
Barack Obama has inspired millions of people around the world–and an unwavering chorus of those admirers are children. This delightfully charming collection includes more than two hundred letters that kids have written to President Obama. Some of these messages are humorous, some are heartwarming, all of them are sincere–making this volume the perfect gift for any occasion.
The children ask “Why did you want to be president?” “Do you think you could pass a law making chocolate a vegetable in our country?” They give “I think you should fix things in the world to be more fair.” They offer “You should bring a yo-yo to the White House.” They share “I want you to care about schools. I am in kindergarten.” They even volunteer “I will help you learn to bowl because you don’t know how to bowl.”
Whether discussing such weighty issues as the “econimical” crisis, the environment, and alternative energy or simply giving shout-outs to First Daughters Sasha and Malia, these kid correspondents express, as only children can, pure optimism, avid curiosity, and unadulterated elation about this historic moment. Complete with original illustrations by the letter writers themselves, and wonderful reproductions of some of the kids’ handwritten messages, this marvelous book–a true message of hope for our time–is a keepsake for the whole family to enjoy.
The children ask “Why did you want to be president?” “Do you think you could pass a law making chocolate a vegetable in our country?” They give “I think you should fix things in the world to be more fair.” They offer “You should bring a yo-yo to the White House.” They share “I want you to care about schools. I am in kindergarten.” They even volunteer “I will help you learn to bowl because you don’t know how to bowl.”
Whether discussing such weighty issues as the “econimical” crisis, the environment, and alternative energy or simply giving shout-outs to First Daughters Sasha and Malia, these kid correspondents express, as only children can, pure optimism, avid curiosity, and unadulterated elation about this historic moment. Complete with original illustrations by the letter writers themselves, and wonderful reproductions of some of the kids’ handwritten messages, this marvelous book–a true message of hope for our time–is a keepsake for the whole family to enjoy.
- GenresNonfictionPolitics
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Bill Adler
335 books15 followersBill Adler pursued his goal of being the P.T. Barnum of books by conceptualizing, writing, editing, compiling and hustling hundreds of them — prompting one magazine to anoint him “the most fevered mind” in publishing.
Mr. Adler achieved early success by collecting and publishing letters children had written to President John F. Kennedy. He followed up with children’s letters to Smokey Bear, Santa Claus, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew and President Barack Obama, among many others.
He helped popularize novels written by political, entertainment and sports celebrities, supplying ghostwriters and even plots. He signed up beauty queens to write diet and exercise books.
As an agent, his clients included Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Howard Cosell, Mike Wallace and Ralph Nader.
Mr. Adler was best known for his own titles. He wrote “What to Name Your Jewish Baby” (1966) with Arnie Kogen and “What Is a Cat? For Everyone Who Has Ever Loved a Cat” (1987). In 1969, he compiled “The Wit & Humor of Richard Nixon.” In 1995, he published “Cats’ Letters to Santa.”
One of his more famous tricks — a word he preferred to gimmicks — was the 1983 mystery novel “Who Killed the Robins Family?” by Bill Adler and Thomas Chastain. On the cover was an offer of a $10,000 reward for solving a series of fictional murders.
A team of four married couples from Denver won by coming up with the answers to 39 of 40 questions posed in the book. The book reached No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list in January 1984 and remained there for the better part of a year, selling about a million copies.
“Ideas are my mistress,” Mr. Adler told United Press International in 1986, saying he used his “given abilities to conceptualize books.”
It was People magazine that commented on Mr. Adler’s “fevered mind” in 1983, adding that publishing traditionalists regarded book packagers like Mr. Adler as “money-crazed barbarians with the sensibilities of turnips.”
Referring to Mr. Adler’s books, Roger W. Straus Jr., president of the publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux, told People: “They’re pretty chintzy, as a rule. It’s like throwing a quarter in the street. If you listen attentively, you find out it ain’t silver when it hits the ground.”
Others disagreed. “I consider Bill Adler unparalleled in the publishing industry — terribly, terribly original,” Mr. Cosell said.
One of Mr. Adler’s best-selling books was a collection called “The Kennedy Wit.” The president’s aides approved the project early in the administration, but Kennedy was said to have been angry about it, causing Random House to drop the idea. Mr. Adler suspected that the president had not wanted his humor emphasized so soon after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961.
After 35 more publishers turned the book down, Mr. Adler finally obtained a $2,500 advance from Citadel Press, a small publisher. The book, released in 1964, after the president’s assassination, was on the New York Times best-seller list for more than six months and sold more than 1.4 million copies.
William Jay Adler was born in Brooklyn on May 14, 1929. His parents died when he was a child, and he was raised by relatives. He attended Brooklyn College for three years and was drafted into the Army, then trained as a flamethrower for the Korean War.
After finding out that flamethrowers led infantry into battle, he applied for Armed Forces Radio, saying he had experience in broadcasting, though he did not. He was a disc jockey in Tokyo until his discharge in 1953. He then worked in broadcasting, as humor editor at McCall’s magazine and as a book editor for Playboy, where he first came up with book ideas.
One brainstorm was to ask the Kennedy White House if he could read mail sent to the president. In a time of much looser security, he was allowed to spend the day copying letters in the White House pos
Mr. Adler achieved early success by collecting and publishing letters children had written to President John F. Kennedy. He followed up with children’s letters to Smokey Bear, Santa Claus, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew and President Barack Obama, among many others.
He helped popularize novels written by political, entertainment and sports celebrities, supplying ghostwriters and even plots. He signed up beauty queens to write diet and exercise books.
As an agent, his clients included Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Howard Cosell, Mike Wallace and Ralph Nader.
Mr. Adler was best known for his own titles. He wrote “What to Name Your Jewish Baby” (1966) with Arnie Kogen and “What Is a Cat? For Everyone Who Has Ever Loved a Cat” (1987). In 1969, he compiled “The Wit & Humor of Richard Nixon.” In 1995, he published “Cats’ Letters to Santa.”
One of his more famous tricks — a word he preferred to gimmicks — was the 1983 mystery novel “Who Killed the Robins Family?” by Bill Adler and Thomas Chastain. On the cover was an offer of a $10,000 reward for solving a series of fictional murders.
A team of four married couples from Denver won by coming up with the answers to 39 of 40 questions posed in the book. The book reached No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list in January 1984 and remained there for the better part of a year, selling about a million copies.
“Ideas are my mistress,” Mr. Adler told United Press International in 1986, saying he used his “given abilities to conceptualize books.”
It was People magazine that commented on Mr. Adler’s “fevered mind” in 1983, adding that publishing traditionalists regarded book packagers like Mr. Adler as “money-crazed barbarians with the sensibilities of turnips.”
Referring to Mr. Adler’s books, Roger W. Straus Jr., president of the publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux, told People: “They’re pretty chintzy, as a rule. It’s like throwing a quarter in the street. If you listen attentively, you find out it ain’t silver when it hits the ground.”
Others disagreed. “I consider Bill Adler unparalleled in the publishing industry — terribly, terribly original,” Mr. Cosell said.
One of Mr. Adler’s best-selling books was a collection called “The Kennedy Wit.” The president’s aides approved the project early in the administration, but Kennedy was said to have been angry about it, causing Random House to drop the idea. Mr. Adler suspected that the president had not wanted his humor emphasized so soon after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961.
After 35 more publishers turned the book down, Mr. Adler finally obtained a $2,500 advance from Citadel Press, a small publisher. The book, released in 1964, after the president’s assassination, was on the New York Times best-seller list for more than six months and sold more than 1.4 million copies.
William Jay Adler was born in Brooklyn on May 14, 1929. His parents died when he was a child, and he was raised by relatives. He attended Brooklyn College for three years and was drafted into the Army, then trained as a flamethrower for the Korean War.
After finding out that flamethrowers led infantry into battle, he applied for Armed Forces Radio, saying he had experience in broadcasting, though he did not. He was a disc jockey in Tokyo until his discharge in 1953. He then worked in broadcasting, as humor editor at McCall’s magazine and as a book editor for Playboy, where he first came up with book ideas.
One brainstorm was to ask the Kennedy White House if he could read mail sent to the president. In a time of much looser security, he was allowed to spend the day copying letters in the White House pos
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 6, 2018
I saw this at the book store when I was picking up some books for my friends' new baby. I was feeling nostalgic for the days when you could hear the latest update from the White House without wanting to scream or flee the country. Unfortunately, this book just made me sad for the hopefulness that these young people had for changes the President Obama could make -- and in many instances did make, until we elected a racist narcissist hellbent on erasing everything our first minority president had accomplished.
December 8, 2019
I read this book when it first came out. I recently came across it again, and was drawn to re-read these letters, now that we are in a time when so many of us search in vain for a sense of hope about our country's leaders. I also have a personal connection to the book: My son, now a high-school senior, submitted a letter to this contest when he was six, and was one of the winners, so his letter appears in the book. He's the boy who offered to teach the Leader of the Free World how to bowl!
Some of the letters are funny; some are thought-provoking or heartbreaking. Some manage to be all three. Children ask the president for jobs for their parents, money for the rent, looser immigration laws so a deported mother can come back home, a cure for cancer, and lower tuition prices for an older sister who has been accepted to top-notch schools but can't afford to attend. Others ask for chocolate cake, playdates with Malia and Sasha, or Guitar Hero! All are a good reminder that the decisions presidents make affect many people who have no voice in government.
Some of the letters are funny; some are thought-provoking or heartbreaking. Some manage to be all three. Children ask the president for jobs for their parents, money for the rent, looser immigration laws so a deported mother can come back home, a cure for cancer, and lower tuition prices for an older sister who has been accepted to top-notch schools but can't afford to attend. Others ask for chocolate cake, playdates with Malia and Sasha, or Guitar Hero! All are a good reminder that the decisions presidents make affect many people who have no voice in government.
December 16, 2016
Features letters to the President by children from the United States and some from around the world. They are excited about the historic moment and some claim he will be the beset ever!
some hope to do a White House meet and greet.
some hope to do a White House meet and greet.
October 17, 2018
Cute, but after awhile the kids’ letters to the President seem random and less entertaining. Interesting idea for a book.
November 28, 2018
Charming, funny letters children wrote to Obama shortly after he became President.
October 20, 2019
These kids were feeling the same exhilaration as I was the day Barack Obama became President.
April 16, 2014
Reading this was such an experience, looking at how amazingly creative kids can be with their ideas, how they believe in their leader and trust him to make America better, how they believe the President would be interested in knowing about their life, family, interests and concerns. The book contains letters that little kids have written to President Obama, in various formats, kreativ spelings, about different topics that form an important aspect of their little lives.
It's a delightful read, making you look at things that are important and worth sharing with the President, from a kid's perspective. A bedside-table book that you can pick up any time and read and get a big smile on your face! ^_^
The complete review is available on my blog
It's a delightful read, making you look at things that are important and worth sharing with the President, from a kid's perspective. A bedside-table book that you can pick up any time and read and get a big smile on your face! ^_^
The complete review is available on my blog
June 14, 2009
Hilarious and heartwarming! I sincerely hope that Mr. President gets to read some of these when he needs a pick-me-up.
January 7, 2013
A lighthearted fun read! Kids always view the world differently and this book just proves that
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews