Michelle Obama: First Mom

by Carole Boston Weatherford, Robert Barrett (Illustrator)

Written in free verse, this book tells the life of Michelle Obama from her birth and early years in Chicago through her career and early marriage to Barack Obama and ends with his inauguration.

Genres: Biography

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Carole Boston Weatherford is a children's book author and poet who mines the past for family stories, traditions, and struggles. A number of CAROLE's books tell the stories of African-American historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens, and Billie Holiday. Other books recount historical events such as the Greensboro Sit-ins and the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. CAROLE's books have received a wide variety of awards, including a Caldecott Honour for “Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People To Freedom”.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michelle Obama is a pretty amazing person and I enjoyed this picture book for children. Michelle born to a family that was very interested in her education and her brother Craig's education. Her family lived on the South Side of Chicago which was pretty segregated with African-American families. She didn't know about her heritage but her father worked as a pump operator for the city and the mother stayed home. It mentions that their home was strict. The father became sick with multiple sclerosis and was unable to work but the book doesn't tell us how that affected the family. We do learn that she was considered gifted as a young girl and sent to a boarding school in another city at age 13. She went to Princeton and then Harvard where she met her husband Barack Obama. The narrative in the book is clear and easy to understand but some mentions don't get coverage such as multiple sclerosis, what it meant to live in South Side Chicago is not described. While some of this is understandable for young children, some things might be confusing. Still I liked the book. The illustrations are not the most attractive I've seen in a book but they are Ok.

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Lady Michelle Obama is a mom-model. This book describes her persistence, life-long dedication to family, and commitment to education. The illustrations are colorful and extremely detailed. Perfect picture book for young children. We all need to be motivated and inspired.

[Chanae Wills · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book describes the life of First Lady Michelle Obama. It is a very inspirational book for all children. I would use this book to teach my students about the First Lady and the impact that she has had on this country. She is a role model and I think that my students could learn a lot from her.

[Jeimy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a good introduction to Michelle Obama's life. However, I did not love the illustrations and there is a disconnect between the title and the content as the book does not focus on motherhood.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. Some of the pictures seemed a bit off.

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summaries are so boring. Michelle did this and then Michelle did that.
Here is another book that does not have a conflict or a villain.
Children don't check this book out too often.