Wackiest White House Pets

Spoiler Disclaimer

Synopsis

Over the more than two centuries that presidents have lived in the White House, most of them have owned various pets and some of them have been very unusual. They've come in all shapes, sizes, and species. When John Quincy Adams's friend came to visit, he brought an alligator that lived in the East Room and enjoyed chasing guests. William Howard Taft had a craving for fresh milk so he kept a cow in the White House kitchen. Thomas Jefferson took his grizzly bear cubs for walks on the White House lawn, and James Buchanan received a herd of elephants from the king of Siam. These are just a few of the wacky pets our past presidents kept. The humorous illustrations that accompany these brief stories are sure to delight children, while the short chapters will teach them tidbits of history along with all the animal tales.

Review

Wackiest White House Pets is a children's non-fiction picture book that details many of the more unusual pets that America's past presidents and their family members have kept at the White House. Thomas Jefferson was gifted a pair of grizzly bear cubs by the explorers, Lewis and Clark, that he often walked around the White House lawn. During John Quincy Adams's administration, his good friend, the Marquis de Lafayette, visited along with his pet alligator, which inhabited the East Room of the White House for two months. The king of Siam presented James Buchanan with a herd of elephants, but since they were too big to live at the White House, they were donated to the local zoo. Although the annual Thanksgiving turkey pardoning tradition seems to have started in more recent years, Abraham Lincoln's son, Tad, persuaded him to pardon a turkey, which then became a family pet, along with many others they owned. Teddy Roosevelt is known to have had an entire menagerie of pets that included snakes, a lion, a hyena, five bears, and a zebra, among other. These are just a few of the oddest pets who've inhabited the White House over the years that are highlighted in this book, but the author also gives a full accounting of all known pets of past presidents, too.

As a lover of both history and animals, I'm sure that's why Wackiest White House Pets caught my eye when I first saw it. The book certainly spotlights many highly unusual animals who've been kept as pets by our former presidents and their families, while also relating brief snippets of history alongside each one. The highlighted animal(s) takes up two pages and the text is accompanied by the whimsical illustrations of David A. Johnson. They compliment the stories well and will probably draw a few laughs from kids. Each of the animals is given a superlative such as "Most Pampered," "Tiniest Dog," "Most Wholesome," etc. At the end of the book, Ms. Davis includes a section titled "More Wacky Pet Facts," which runs down the presidents one by one detailing their names, years they served, nicknames, a quick highlight of their administration, and all the pets they were known to have owned, along with a challenge for kids to pick the ones they think are the most wacky. Unfortunately the book only covers presidents up through George W. Bush, and I don't think there is an updated version of it available. Still, overall, I enjoyed Wackiest White House Pets and learned things I didn't know about all the first pets. Since kids tend to love animals, I think this is a clever way to teach them a little history, and it also includes a bibliography at the end to inspire further reading.

Visit

Gibbs Davis

David A. Johnson @ Good Reads