Book review: 'Weird But True Know It-All: U.S Presidents' is an addicting book full of fun historical facts

We had some guests over a few days ago and, despite the adult conversations we kept attempting to have, my son kept interrupting to tell our visitors all the amazing facts he'd learned about the United States' presidents. He was continually quoting, and referring to, one of the latest books that showed up at my house, "Weird But True Know It-All: U.S. Presidents." The funny thing was that our guests were pretty interested in what he had to say.

I don't blame them, because I've been caught up in this book several times. I know it was written with an 8 to 12-year-old age range in mind, but this 38-year-old mom thinks it's pretty dang interesting!

Image from National Geographic Kids

This National Geographic Kids book talks about every single president of the United States in a fun and memorable way. Interesting facts, such as where they were born, their nicknames, wives' names, and claim to fame are included. But what really makes this book fascinating are the little-known facts that are revealed.

Did you know President Ulysses S. Grant was pulled over twice for speeding? He was riding his horse and the second time he was pulled over he was arrested. I guess Gerald Ford must have been pretty handsome because he once modeled for the cover of a magazine. Martin Van Buren kept two tiger cubs in the White House; fortunately, he was talked into letting them eventually live at a zoo.
John F. Kennedy was the first president to use flamethrowers to clear away the snow at his inauguration (The first? Who else has been using flamethrowers!?). This book is packed full of fun facts like these that help humanize presidents.

Oh, don't worry, the book also has tons of historical facts and talks about what was going on in the country, and world, during the time each president served. While there does seem to be somewhat of a liberal bias in the book, there is so much fun reading in it as well.

This book is full of caricatures of each president, tons of illustrations, and many photographs. At 190 pages, it makes for hours of fun, yet productive, reading for both kids and adults.

"Weird But True Know It-All: U.S. Presidents," has nothing offensive in it and is an amazing way to introduce both biographies and U.S. history to readers of all ages.