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Camping with the President
In 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt visited some of the western states in the company of notable outdoorsman John Muir. The description of the four days they spent together in Yosemite will appeal to readers of all ages.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 15, 2017
A picture book retelling of Teddy Roosevelt's visit to the West, especially his time in Yosemite with John Muir.
I've kinda always liked stories of Teddy Roosevelt and how he probably gave his social planners and secret service ulcers. This fulfills all those desires. It also relates how Teddy helped campaign for more National Parks. A delightful read for nature enthusiasts or history fans. Definitely read this to kids before visiting the park to spark their interest. There's more info on both Yosemite, Teddy Roosevelt, and John Muir in the back of the book
I've kinda always liked stories of Teddy Roosevelt and how he probably gave his social planners and secret service ulcers. This fulfills all those desires. It also relates how Teddy helped campaign for more National Parks. A delightful read for nature enthusiasts or history fans. Definitely read this to kids before visiting the park to spark their interest. There's more info on both Yosemite, Teddy Roosevelt, and John Muir in the back of the book
October 12, 2017
Changes subjects quickly without warning. Seems difficult read for a picture book. One page has the president talking about where he'll camp that night, then his horse rears back and the crowd (in town) of people have to move back, then another crowd are asked to leave his campsite...? I had to read it a few times to get the story.
Overall, it explains how passionate Roosevelt was about preserving natural areas for future generations.
Overall, it explains how passionate Roosevelt was about preserving natural areas for future generations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2017
I loved this book.
September 14, 2018
I was awesome
December 23, 2019
A well researched story.
September 11, 2020
It is very interesting. Fun to read
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March 5, 2017
Camping with the President is a wonderful memoir about President Theodore Roosevelt. It focuses on his time in the White House and his love of physical outdoor pursuits. It also discusses the time that he and John Muir went camping as Muir was trying to convince him to create more national parks so that nature would be around for their descendants to enjoy and treasure. Personally, I also love that it talks about his love to read and inform himself about places he had never been. It's great to show kids that you can be as devoted to sports and outside activities as much as reading. Unusually, the president did not take a whole party with him. For 4 days, he and Muir went camping with only a few men to carry extra equipment on horses - just one of the differences between what the president could do then and what he can do now.
October 25, 2009
I don’t think I would have ever run across this book if I had not been a Cybil judge and it had not been nominated for best nonfiction picture book. The publisher is a small one and the topic is a small story.
I’m glad I did. It’s a lovely book, with a well-told story and engaging pictures. Camping with the President is the story of a camping trip taken by President Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir to Yosemite in 1903. They slept on the ground and ate from food prepared over an open fire. They hiked through the mountains and stood next to sequoias and looked at waterfalls.
The book strikes me as exceptionally authoritative. In an author’s note, Wadsworth spends two pages telling how she obtained the information for the book. She has an additional page of source notes. In addition to the story of the camping expedition, she also provides additional information about Roosevelt, Muir, and Yosemite at the end of the book.
My husband and I visited Yosemite two summers ago. It gives me a happy feeling to think that we walked where Roosevelt and Muir once walked, that we saw sites these two men saw. And I am thankful that because of these two men and others like them we had the privilege of doing so.
From the book:
‘While the President chewed his way through a platter of steak and fried potatoes, Muir spoke of the need to provide “government protection…around every wild grove and forest on the mountains.” He urged Roosevelt to set aside land, including the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees and the state-run Yosemite Valley, which they would visit the next day.
The President had never met anyone who talked as much, or as fast, about the importance of nature. In fact, Muir seemed to live on words, not food! As Roosevelt listened, he heard a noise in the trees above him. Was it a dreaded Secret Service man, guarding him in a tree? He listened again. Then he chuckled. In his notebook, the President wrote “owl.”’
I’m glad I did. It’s a lovely book, with a well-told story and engaging pictures. Camping with the President is the story of a camping trip taken by President Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir to Yosemite in 1903. They slept on the ground and ate from food prepared over an open fire. They hiked through the mountains and stood next to sequoias and looked at waterfalls.
The book strikes me as exceptionally authoritative. In an author’s note, Wadsworth spends two pages telling how she obtained the information for the book. She has an additional page of source notes. In addition to the story of the camping expedition, she also provides additional information about Roosevelt, Muir, and Yosemite at the end of the book.
My husband and I visited Yosemite two summers ago. It gives me a happy feeling to think that we walked where Roosevelt and Muir once walked, that we saw sites these two men saw. And I am thankful that because of these two men and others like them we had the privilege of doing so.
From the book:
‘While the President chewed his way through a platter of steak and fried potatoes, Muir spoke of the need to provide “government protection…around every wild grove and forest on the mountains.” He urged Roosevelt to set aside land, including the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees and the state-run Yosemite Valley, which they would visit the next day.
The President had never met anyone who talked as much, or as fast, about the importance of nature. In fact, Muir seemed to live on words, not food! As Roosevelt listened, he heard a noise in the trees above him. Was it a dreaded Secret Service man, guarding him in a tree? He listened again. Then he chuckled. In his notebook, the President wrote “owl.”’
July 22, 2010
I’m rather surprised that I liked this book. Maybe it’s because I have visited the Muir Woods and have seen the majesty of these trees. Wadsworth captures Roosevelt’s personality beautifully and his passion for nature is well documented. The illustrations are characterized by fine lines and muted colors. They are beautifully realistic and Karen Dugan’s manipulation of light in some of those scenes is majestic (pg. 12-13 & pg. 25). Kirkus points out that the narrative is rather wordy, which is true, but still I enjoyed it and I was not bothered by Wadsworth’s addition of some quotes that she imagined. She documents everything in Source Notes in the back and also includes an Author’s Note complete with primary sources and suggested reading. Plus there are “About the Players” section that gives more info on Roosevelt and Muir and an “About the Stage” section that gives more info on the landscape explored in the story. So while there may be too much info it is far superior to not enough.
November 3, 2011
Camping with the President is a historical fiction book written for Primary and Intermediate readers. This book won the 2010 National Outdoor Book Award for Children's Literature.
The simple telling of President Theordore Roosevelt's 4-day camping trip to Yosemite in 1903 is an interesting and fun look into the life of both Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir. Today's Secret Service would never allow the President to camp in Yosemite!
The book is well written and includes notes from the author at the end of the book which help with background and history for both the main characters, Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir. The illustrations are slightly cartoonish, but do add quite a bit to the story. The historical aspect of the book allow for the story to be used in a classroom setting as a supplement to a history textbook. If teachers still assign each student a president to research and present to classmates, this book is great research tool for younger children.
The simple telling of President Theordore Roosevelt's 4-day camping trip to Yosemite in 1903 is an interesting and fun look into the life of both Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir. Today's Secret Service would never allow the President to camp in Yosemite!
The book is well written and includes notes from the author at the end of the book which help with background and history for both the main characters, Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir. The illustrations are slightly cartoonish, but do add quite a bit to the story. The historical aspect of the book allow for the story to be used in a classroom setting as a supplement to a history textbook. If teachers still assign each student a president to research and present to classmates, this book is great research tool for younger children.
October 6, 2009
Fascinating story about two extraordinary men and a beautiful place. The detail in the illustrations is nice, especially for the setting. I appreciate the additional info about Muir, Roosevelt and Yosemite, and the fact that the author explains how and where he gathered his research. Specific citations are given for many of the quotes, but there are also several very specific (and not terribly relevant) details, including spoken and thought words that are not supported with documentation. This really takes away from the accuracy and authority of the work. And on a personal note, I'm guessing it was a much-used phrase of President Roosevelt's, but I thought that "bully" was overused.
January 4, 2010
In 1903, President Teddy Roosevelt headed out west to see Yosemite National Park. On this trip, he visited and camped with John Muir, the man responsible for petitioning Congress to protect Yosemite as a national park. Without the Secret Service, the President and John Muir explored Yosemite without the press following them. It was a trip that obviously changed President Roosevelt.
The storybook format of this book doesn't make it appropriate for a biography report but it will the author's note and other source notes in the back will guide kids and librarians to other materials.
The storybook format of this book doesn't make it appropriate for a biography report but it will the author's note and other source notes in the back will guide kids and librarians to other materials.
December 1, 2009
Kind of slow for younger elementary schoolers -- kind of young for older ones. I didn't love this book, although it did make me interested in learning more about Teddy Roosevelt and his role in nature preservation. Interesting facts and pretty pictures, but just could have been more well written.
October 20, 2013
This delightfully depicts President Teddy Roosevelt's childlike desire to escape to the California woods, with John Muir as guide and companion, to avoid politics, the Secret Service, and his life's constant publicity. Following his four-day getaway, he acted to preserve the Seqouia trees and established multiple national parks, monuments, and nature preserves.
June 26, 2010
This book would make a good introductory read when studying the National Parks. I couldn't help but think about how different things would be today had it not been for the vision of Roosevelt and Muir. and their recognition of the importance of preserving our countries "wild areas."
June 7, 2014
Imagine the US president sneaking away for a short camping trip without the watchful eye of the Secret Service. Or maybe they were quietly following in the rear. Lovely illustrations show the beauty of nature and John Muir's influence on the development of the National Park System.
January 1, 2010
Interesting story. (reread)
February 10, 2014
Bully example of a well-written non-fiction picture book, with a plethora of resources listed creatively at the end. What an adventurous man Theodore Roosevelt was!
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October 5, 2015Very good book
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews