Mr. President Goes to School

by Rick Walton, Brad Sneed (Illustrator)

When the president of the United States has a frustrating day, he decides to go back to where he learned the most important lessons of all.
When his day starts off badly, Mr. President decides he needs a time-out from running the country. Sneaking out of the White House, he hurries to the local school and enrolls in Mrs. Appletree’s class. There, Mr. President spins on the merry-go-round, and practices saying “please” and taking turns. But when he returns to the White House, he is greeted by panic and two angry world leaders. Fortunately, Mr. President recalls what he learned in Mrs. Appletree’s class, and he comes up with just the right approach to avoid an international crisis.
Children will delight in Rick Walton’s laugh-out-loud story and its over-the-top take on conflict resolution. Brad Sneed’s watercolor illustrations capture the humor of the story with their exaggerated, outsized characters and playfully distorted compositions.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, School, Childrens, Fiction, Presidents

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2010

About the author

Born and raised in Utah, Walton is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church. He served as a missionary to Brazil from 1976 to 1978, soon after he graduated from high school. Later, at Brigham Young University, he became president of the Brazil Club. In 1980, he graduated from Brigham Young with a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a minor in Portuguese, the language spoken in Brazil.

Walton's education continued after he obtained his degree. In 1980, he went back to Brigham Young for one semester of graduate work in business, but chose not to follow that career path. Deciding to become a teacher, he earned certification in elementary education from Brigham Young in 1987, as well as certification to teach gifted and talented students. Up to that point, he had held a number of jobs, including a year with the parks and recreation department of Provo, Utah. In 1987, he began teaching sixth grade at a local public school, then switched to a private school.

Also interested in computers, Walton would later publish several items of software. He left teaching to accept a position as software designer for IBM in 1989. In 1994, he turned to freelance software design and writing. He also returned to Brigham Young University once again, this time to earn his master's degree in English, with an emphasis on creative writing.

Walton's wife, Ann, with whom he has written many of his books, is a computer programmer. They were married in 1983, and have five children. With Dumb Clucks! and Something's Fishy! in 1987, the Waltons began writing books.

Reviews

[Donalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything the PoTUS needs to know he learned in kindergarten. A silly book about manners, conflict resolution and the value of naps and the hokey-pokey.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It illustrates how all of us sometimes need to get away from the complexities of our lives to simpler places and times. It also shows how kindness and food and changing things up a bit can bring solutions to problems previously thought unsolvable.

Talking Points - Where do you link to get away to or what do you like to do when you need a break. What are some of the hard problems you are trying to solve in your life? Who have been some people in your life who have created environments of love, compassion and peace?

** Essential Oil Pairing Tip - I think doTERRA's Adaptive essential oil blend is one of the best essential oils to diffuse when reading this book. Like it's name, you are going the love the way it helps us to roll with the punches life can give us.

[D'Etta · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story to share when teaching cooperation with young children! I love how this supports Robert Fulghum's poem, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." Sometimes we need to take a break, play, sing, have a snack and all be friends.

[Anna Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute book about slowing down in life and going where life is simpler.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this one!

[Miranda Domiano · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the President's day gets off to a bad start, he decides he wants to take a break from being the president. He puts on his undercover clothes and visits a nearby school, where he enrolls in one of the classrooms. Mr. President enjoys his time at the school fingerprinting, playing hokey pokey, playing at recess, taking a nap, etc. Unfortunately, he returnts to the White House to some very angry workers, yet he is able to use a lesson he learned at school to solve the problem. This book is wonderful for young readers. Everything about this book from the wordplay to the illustrations is fun and playful. This book stresses the issue of getting through a bad day. Sometimes doing the most simple activities can make one's day so much better. Some of the pages are heavy with text, and may not be suitable to keep a young child's attention, but working through the story with the reader will be helpful. Furthermore, the humurous depiction of war, and government issues may not be the best way to introduce children to that concept. Overall, though, the illustrations, which make the book fun to look through, and the lightheartedness of the wordplay make this a fun story to read.

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. President is stressed out. There were gophers in the Rose Garden, a soon-to-be-demolished Ping-Pong table, and the threat of a war between Bulrovia and Snortburg. To get away from all the stresses of being President, he decides to go back to kindergarten, where life was much simpler. He finger paints, goes to recess and makes friends, chases a squirrel, makes a castle out of blocks, and naps. In class, Mr. President reviews his manners by raising his hand and saying “please”, and being friends with everybody. When he returns to the White House, the leaders of Snortburg and Bulrovia are waiting for him. To ease the tension, he brings milk and cookies into the oval office, play the hokey pokey together, build a castle, finger paint, and before long, the two leaders forget why they were arguing because they were having too much fun.
This book would be appealing to children from kindergarten through second grade because it is silly, simple, and the president goes back to a class of students around their age, which would be a great connection for the students. It can also teach a lesson about the duties of the president in a way in which they would understand. I would use this story as a way to teach kids about what they can do if they feel stressed or overwhelmed, by just removing themselves from the situation, take a break, and have to not forget to have fun.

Walton, R., & Sneed, B. (2010). Mr. President goes to school. Atlanta: Peachtree.

[babyhippoface · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you're the President of the United States, an endless stream of problems become yours, even if you're not personally involved. There are gophers in the White House Rose Garden, and the gardener wants them out, but the gopher-lovers of America want them in! Two world leaders (one's from Snortburg) are going at it tooth-and-nail, and on top of that, the Vice-President told some Boy Scouts they could chop up his ping-pong table for firewood. It's just too much. So the President puts on his trench coat and fake nose-and-glasses, and heads off down the street to a place where things are simpler: elementary school.

There, he greets his old teacher (love her response to his presence at her door), finger paints (one of my favorite pages), plays on the playground, builds a castle with blocks, and even does the Hokey Pokey (after all, that is what it's all about). When he heads back to the White House, he realizes that all the things he enjoyed at school could be useful to him in the Oval Office. (Yes, even the Hokey Pokey.)

There were several things about this spirited little book that made me laugh out loud, and that always earns extra points from me. This would be perfect for sharing with elementary kids in units on our government, or community helpers, or during a Presidential election year.

My favorite line: "A ping-pong table." Loved it.

[Charlotte Muñoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. It shows how the president supposedly deals with stress. It also hints at being able to do something great when kids grow up. Also, it works on solving problems.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being the President of the United States is too much for Mr. President so he sneaks off to return to Kindergarten. There he learns "what it's all about." He returns to apply his new knowledge on such world problems as war (imagine Prime Minister's doing the Hokey Pokey). A cute idea, and surely there's something of value here, but it's also incredibly simple and silly. One can't sneak off to return to Kindergarten just because life is stressful! Geez. Still, a fun read that preschoolers will most likey enjoy.

[Judy Desetti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly book about the President. He runs away from his problems back to his kindergarten teacher. While visiting he is reminded that the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about. He goes back to Oval office to use his kindergarten solutions.

This is just a fun read aloud story without a lesson or moral.

It does trivialize the ominous job of the President and the tasks and problems he must face.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the middle of a political campaign when presidential candidates do things that would never be allowed on a school playground, maybe everybody should read this book about what a president could learn from a day back in his old kindergarten. And when you are done, maybe you should send a copy to your favorite presidential candidate.
For more great picture books for little guys, see: http://talestoldtall.com/blog1/pictur...

[Amanda Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really cute story. I love Brad Sneed's artwork.**I am revising my rating from four stars to five now that I have actually read it to my kids. Even my 13 year old sat and listened to it. It was great. I haven't had so many little boys piled on my lap in quite a while. This Murphy family moment brought to you by Walton and Sneed.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is kind of silly, but I loved it. I wish our world leaders WOULD eat milk and cookies and remember what, exactly, it's all about. (You put your left foot in, you put your left foot out...) I also loved the image of a world leader "really shaking it all about". They should do that, too.

[Juliej · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Mr. President just wants to head back to a simpler time - so he goes down the road from the White House to his old school and takes what he learns back to help with conflict resolution between two countries who want to go to war. A little bit silly (two prime ministers doing the hokey pokey) but what a lesson that some humor might just be what's needed to break the ice.

[Marcy Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminds me of the poem "Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." It is the story of a U.S. President who gets fed up with the daily problems of the White House so sneaks off to his old kindergarten class. He later returns and uses what he learned to solve world problems. Great lessons for all!

[Peggy Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Kids will relate very easily to Mr. President, who goes back (in disguise) to his old grade school, a place where the world is a little simpler. By the end of the day he skips back to the white house, where he finds a more simple way to deal with the problems that a president must face. Great writing with fun language and equally enjoyable illustrations.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good! A little old for Rachel, but I think she'll love it in a year. A fun plot, great pictures,and a cute lesson about how much fun it is to be a kid. Thanks Sarah, this is one of the better children books that I've read.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. President takes a break from his hectic work by spending the day in Kindergarten. Then he takes what he learned that day back to his job-- not just the parts about sharing and getting along, but also the parts about building forts and dancing the hokey-pokey. Charming.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was completely surprised and charmed by this sweet story about a world leader who figures out what it is REALLY all about. Loved the premise of the story and the reminder to slow down and remember what really matters. Great book!

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obviously I am in the minority who were not bowled over by this book about the President becoming so fed up with politics that he walks down the street to his elementary school and tries to fit in as a kid. My audience of early elementary schoolers enjoyed it so who am I to judge?

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Rick Walton's books. This is one I just barely purchased today at my local University Bookstore. Wouldn't it be great if all of the world's problems could be solved this way? Actually, there is so much truth to this philosophy and it really is the key to world peace.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book. It is so fun to read and the kids like it, especially if you add different voice for the characters. It always makes the teacher giggle as she listens to us read!

2/24/2023. LOVE this book. Goes perfectly after talking about President's Day and Washington and Lincoln.

[Cherie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun picture book for adults and children.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had an advanced copy of this, and I read it to my niece who was probably too young, but she enjoyed it still.

[Stefani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious! Sometimes, the simplest solutions are best. And the hokey pokey IS what it's all about.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely hilarious. I love the president sneaking off to the elementary school and the world leaders having milk and cookies and doing the hokey-pokey. Very clever.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightfully silly, a good message.

[Rshogren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that I think students will enjoy.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great SA read aloud.