A juvenile biography of John Adams for younger students
Rating:
5 / 5
Ann Graham Gaines's juvenile biography of "John Adams: Our Second President" is an excellent book for young students to find out about the patriot whose accomplishments were overshadowed by the men who were elected before and after him: George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. This book has only four chapters: American Patriot, A Weak Vice President, The Presidency, and Saving the Nation from War. So even though Adams only served one four-year term as President, his time in the office is the focus on half of Gaines's book. No doubt Adams himself would be grateful that the final chapter emphasizes what he considered to be his major accomplishment in office, which was avoiding going to war with France.This book focuses on providing basic information about Adams, with "Interesting Facts" about his life and times added to the margins. Each chapter has a page devoted to details about a related topic: The Boston Massacre, Abigail Adams, the White House and the friendship between Adams and Jefferson. There are a couple dozen illustrations in the book, all of which are in color. The back of this volume includes a time line of John Adams's life, a glossary of three dozen words, information on all of the Presidents form Washington to Bush, Presidential facts, and internet sites and books for finding further information. Older students or those looking for more detailed information about Adams in a juvenile biography should turn next to Marlene Targ Brill's biography in the Encyclopedia of Presidents series and eventually David McCullough's best-selling biography. The "Our Presidents" books are part of the "Spirit of America" series, which focuses on the American experience in terms of history, culture, and politics.
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