The White House for Kids

Book excerpt: The White House for Kids provides an intriguing, in-depth history of the White House and its role as a home, an office, and a powerful symbol of the United States, making it a unique resource for kids visiting Washington D.C. with their family or class and those studying American history, presidential history, and American government. Through numerous primary sources and kid-friendly anecdotes, the history of the building is detailed including the many renovations and redecorations made over the years, and the daily lives of the White House’s inhabitants are illuminated including presidents and their families as well as the enormous staff that makes the White House run smoothly. Kids will learn that George Washington never slept in the White House and Abraham Lincoln never slept in the Lincoln Bedroom; why the Trumans had to move out of the White House for three years during Harry Truman’s presidency; which president’s daughter held her high school prom in the White House; the evolving layout of floors and rooms including today’s, and much more. Crosscurricular activities allow readers to walk in the footsteps of presidents and those around them. Readers can play key passages of “Hail to the Chief” and practice signing a bill the way presidents do, as well as make White House Punch and re-create an aerobic game designed for President Hoover. Katherine House was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in nearby Arlington, Virginia. She is the author of Lighthouses for Kids and has written articles about US and Iowa history for children’s magazines including AppleSeeds, Cobblestone, and the Goldfinch.