Mr President Goes to School

Mr. President Goes to School by Rick Walton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Silly book about the President. He runs away from his problems back to his kindergarten teacher. While visiting he is reminded that the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about. He goes back to Oval office to use his kindergarten solutions.

This is just a fun read aloud story without a lesson or moral. It does trivialize the ominous job of the President and the tasks and problems he must face.

Booklist (September 1, 2010 (Vol. 107, No. 1))
Grades K-2. The president in question has the hair of Ronald Reagan, the smile of Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton’s nose. Like his predecessors, he can have some pretty bad days. On one of them, he decides to leave the White House and go back to a happier time and place. Putting on a fake mustache and glasses, he heads to his old school, and soon his old teacher, Mrs. Appletree, has him finger painting, making castles out of blocks, and doing the hokey pokey. What might have turned into just a day off becomes more when Mr. President takes the lessons he’s learned about friendship, fun, and doing the hokey pokey back to the White House. Savvy kids will get the message that amicability and appreciation of others can overcome the most acrimonious situation. Adults may wish it was that easy but will certainly understand the rejuvenation a break can give. The art, which looks a bit like that of Patricia Polacco, scoops all the inherent silliness out of the story but has a tender side, too.







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