Rutherford B Who Was HE? Poems about our Presidents

Module 4- Social Studies Poetry

Bibliography:

Singer, Marilyn, and John Hendrix. Rutherford B., Who Was He?: Poems about Our Presidents. Disney*Hyperion Books, 2013.

Summary:

Rutherford B who was He? is a 2015-2016 Texas Bluebonnet book. It is written by the brilliant Marilyn Singer. Her poems always capture the attention of her audience in a fun and inviting way. This book is a collection of poems that brings each president to life in a fun and educational way. The illustrations by John Hendrix add a perfect companion to each poem. This book covering 44 presidents offers something to readers of all ages.

Analysis:

The book is eye catching at first glance. The cover illustration has so many fun details, the reader will be pulled in just staring at the cover art. The book contains a poem for each president. The poems vary from size and style. Some presidents are interacting with each other with speech bubbles. The words combined make one poem about Jackson and Van Buren. In contract, Nixon and Ford have their own individual poem but share a picture since their story overlaps. Reagan’s poem in told in three parts. One with a red background in a Republican point of view, another in blue from the Democrats. The last part is a reflection in grey from historians. Small details like this make this book relevant to readers of all ages. The poems are very educational and most refer to what each man was dealing with during his term. Readers can visualize the timeline for each president by historical references of war and such. At the end of the book the author provides a description of a president and his roles. There is also 11 pages of biographies that include a quote from each president. This book would be a great read alone but even more powerful in the context of an american history lesson. The poems are strong enough to be enjoyed in isolation. If a class was learning about The Great Depression, reading about three or four consecutive presidents would give you the perspective you need for the outlook of the country. Hoover’s poem is a great example of that perspective…

Activity:

This would be a fun book to start a social studies block in the weeks leading to President’s Day. Model reading and acting out a few to inspire students to volunteer and share a poem from the book with the class. A few of the poems can be done with a partner. Some poems, like Taft, would be fun to reenact while presenting. This book will expose your class to some great (and some not so great) men while also exposing them to excellent poetry.