Presidents Day Picture Books


  • McNamara, Margaret.
    George Washington’s birthday : a mostly true tale
    Summary:On George Washington’s seventh birthday, he does chores, misbehaves, and dreams of a day when his birthday will be celebrated by all.


  • Meltzer, Brad
    I am Abraham Lincoln
    Summary:Follows Abraham Lincoln from his childhood to the presidency, showing how he spoke up about fairness and eventually led the country to abolish slavery.


  • Rockwell, Anne F.
    Big George : how a shy boy became President Washington
    Summary:Portrays George Washington as a shy boy who wasn’t afraid of anything except talking to people, but who grew up to lead an army against the British and serve as president of the new nation.


  • Hopkinson, Deborah
    Abe Lincoln crosses a creek : a tall, thin tale (introducing his forgotten frontier friend)
    Summary:In Knob Creek, Kentucky, in 1816, seven-year-old Abe Lincoln falls into a creek and is rescued by his best friend, Austin Gollaher.


  • Thomson, Sarah L.
    What Lincoln said
    Summary:The author integrates Lincoln’s famous words into the narrative, revealing the inspiration and determination that led to his greatest achievements.


  • Cullen, Lynn
    Dear Mr. Washington
    Summary:In April, 1796, young Charlotte Stuart writes a series of letters to George Washington, whose portrait’s being painted by her father, reporting on her efforts and those of her brothers to follow the rules of good behavior in the book Mr. Washington gave them. Includes historical notes.


  • Slade, Suzanne.
    The house that George built
    Summary:Shares the story of how George Washington had a home built for the future presidents.


  • Daugherty, James Henry
    Lincoln’s Gettysburg address : a pictorial interpretation
    Summary:A pictorial interpretation of the sixteenth president’s famous speech introduces a new generation of readers to its enduring legacy while placing the speech against the backdrop of a crucial period in Lincoln’s presidency.


  • Small, David
    George Washington’s cows
    Summary:Humorous rhymes about George Washington’s farm where the cows wear dresses, the pigs wear wigs, and the sheep are scholars.


  • Burleigh, Robert.
    Abraham Lincoln comes home
    Summary:Told through the eyes of a young boy, the sober mood of the country after the Lincoln assassination is presented as he and many other mourners await to pay their respects to their fallen president as Lincoln’s funeral train travels from Washington, D.C. to Springfield, IL in 1865.


  • Meltzer, Brad
    I am George Washington
    Summary:George Washington was one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known. He was never afraid to be the first to try something, from exploring the woods around his childhood home to founding a brand new nation, the United States of America.

  • Smith, Lane
    Abe Lincoln’s dream
    Summary:When a schoolgirl gets separated from her tour of the White House and finds herself in the Lincoln bedroom, she also discovers the ghost of the great man himself.

  • Engle, Margarita
    Dancing hands : how Teresa Carreno played the piano for President Lincoln
    Summary:In soaring words and stunning illustrations, Margarita Engle and Rafael López tell the story of Teresa Carreño, a child prodigy who played piano for Abraham Lincoln. As a little girl, Teresa Carreño loved to let her hands dance across the beautiful keys of the piano. If she felt sad, music cheered her up, and when she was happy, the piano helped her share that joy. Soon she was writing her own songs and performing in grand cathedrals. Then a revolution in Venezuela forced her family to flee to the United States. Teresa felt lonely in this unfamiliar place, where few of the people she met spoke Spanish. Worst of all, there was fighting in her new home, too—the Civil War. Still, Teresa kept playing, and soon she grew famous as the talented Piano Girl who could play anything from a folk song to a sonata. So famous, in fact, that President Abraham Lincoln wanted her to play at the White House! Yet with the country torn apart by war, could Teresa’s music bring comfort to those who needed it most?


  • McCully, Emily Arnold.
    The escape of Oney Judge
    Summary:Young Oney Judge risks everything to escape a life of slavery in the household of George and Martha Washington and to make her own way as a free black woman.


  • Swanson, Shari
    Honey, the dog who saved Abe Lincoln
    Summary:"Based on a little-known tale from Abraham Lincoln’s childhood, this deeply researched book tells the true story Abraham Lincoln being rescued from a cave by a dog named Honey. Based on primary sources."


  • Adler, David A.
    A parade for George Washington
    Summary:"Follows George Washington’s journey from Virginia to New York in anticipation of his inauguration at Federal Hall in New York City on April 30, 1789."