Help Our Nation's Young People Dig Into This Year's Presidential Election and
Learn More About Civic Engagement
Using Our White House
Exciting stories, informative essays, humorous poetry, and extraordinary art can really help kids understand the past and make connections with our present and future. A perfect resource for learning more about American and presidential history that provides all of this and MORE is the NCBLA's award-winning anthology Our White
House: Looking In, Looking Out.
With Our White House, kids can learn about the building of the White House--and why it once burned. They can engage with intimate stories of those who have resided in the White House over the years, including presidential pets and ghosts! And kids can also discover the joys and sorrows that have faced our nation and the often gut-wrenching decisions needed to be made by our presidents.
Our White House was created by the National
Children's Book and Literacy Alliance as a collaborative effort by over one hundred
award-winning authors and illustrators to encourage young people to read more about America’s rich history and culture;
to think more about America’s future; to talk more about our nation’s
leadership; and to act on their own beliefs and convictions, ensuring this great
democratic experiment will survive and thrive.
Our White House is available in both hardcover and paperback from Candlewick Press.
Ask for Our White House at a library or bookstore near
you!
Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review!
“Eight
years in the making, this anthology of White House history convenes an
all-star roster of 108 children's authors and illustrators, as well as a
few scholars and former White House employees and residents and it is a
blue-ribbon choice for family sharing during an election year.
Chronologically ordered, the entries range from poems to presidential
speeches, satirical cartoons to stately portraits. . . . The
volume makes the invaluable point that history does not have to be
remote or abstract, but a personal and ongoing engagement.”
The Horn Book Starred Review!
“With something for adults and children alike is the sumptuous new anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out. . . . The
contributors are all luminaries of the children’s book field. A
fascinating, eminently browsable, and accessible entrance into the
People’s House.”
School Library Journal Starred Review!
“This
handsome compendium is rich with excerpts, poems, and other writings
about the historic residence, many of them personal in tone and subject.
With artwork as
eclectic as the text, the book offers glimpses into the presidents,
their concerns, their families, and the mansion itself.”
Featured on the “Martha Stewart Show” as One of The New York Times “Eight Great Books for the Holidays”
On
the December 15, 2008 “Martha Stewart Show,” Martha advised
procrastinating audience members and viewers to “Think books! I do!” as
ideal holiday gifts. With that in mind New York Times book review editor Sam Tanenhaus shared recommendations of eight great books. Our White House was one of those books—the only children’s book on his list!
L.A. Parent Recommendation!
“This
is the definitive White House book for history buffs young and old.
Whether you seek ghost stories, architectural details, or personal
accounts . . . you will not be disappointed. With amazing artwork and entries spanning more than 200 years from literary luminaries
ranging from Charles Dickens to Walt Whitman, Gregory Maguire to David
McCullough, there is material enough to keep you coming back for more.”
Awards
- 2009-2010 National Endowment for the Humanities We the People “Picturing America” Bookshelf Award
- 2009 American Library Association Notable Children’s Book for All Ages
- 2009 National Council for Social Studies and the Children’s Book Council Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
- 2009 International Reading Association Teachers’ Choices Booklist Selection
- Amazon.com Best Books of 2008 Top 10 Editors’ Pick for Middle Readers
- Parents’ Choice Foundation Recommended Book Award, Fall 2008
- School Library Journal Best Books of the Year 2008
- The Horn Book Fanfare, Best Books of 2008
- Publisher’s Weekly 2008 Best Books of the Year, Children’s Nonfiction
- Publishers Weekly 2008 Cuffie Award, Best Nonfiction Treatment of a Subject, Honorable Mention
- Scripps-Howard News Service Favorite Children's Book of 2008
- www.ourwhitehouse.org named a 2009 American Library Association “Great Websites for Kids”
About The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance
The
NCBLA is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization founded by
award-winning young people’s authors and illustrators. Acting as an
independent creative agent or in partnership with interested parties,
the NCBLA develops original projects, programs, and educational outreach
that advocate for and educate about literacy, literature, libraries,
and the arts.
We believe that literacy is essential to the
development of responsible citizens in a democracy. And we believe that
citizens, both young and old, must have equal access to stimulating
books and information sources that invite them to dream and give them
the tools to achieve their dreams. As writers and illustrators, teachers
and mentors, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles—as citizens and
neighbors—our ultimate question is always how can we best serve all of
our nation’s children?
For more information about the NCBLA, please visit our website at www.thencbla.org.
The 12th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held
on the National Mall between 9th and 14th Streets on Saturday, September 22,
2012, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Sept. 23 from noon to
5:30 p.m., rain or shine. The event is free and open to the public. 
