President's Day Books for Kids

This humorous day-in-the-life story follows a little girl who imagines she's president and explains the commander-in-chief's "duties," like choosing candidates for the cabinet positions "Secretary of Pizza" and "Secretary of Naps." She also takes advantage of presidential privileges; for instance, the ability to veto the tuna casserole in the school cafeteria.—Ages 4 to 8

$12, Amazon.com.

Quirky portraits of 18 presidents (created with objects like hot dogs, flippers, and lightbulbs) accompany lighthearted stories about them "in moments that don't usually make it into the history books." Moments like William Howard Taft getting stuck in the White House bathtub and Calvin Coolidge riding a mechanical horse for exercise each morning.—Ages 4 to 8

$14, Amazon.com.

A boy named Sam must adjust to life in Washington, D.C., when his mom is elected president (his dad is "First Guy") in this story penned by Helen Thomas, dean of the White House press corps. Sam hatches a breakout plan with his pet sidekicks and goes on a romp around Washington attractions like the Spy Museum, the Tidal Basin, and the Museum of Natural History.—Ages 4 to 8

$7, Amazon.com.

President Barack Obama wrote the foreword to this detailed, comprehensive guide to each of the nation's 44 presidents. Packed with photos, illustrations, and art, there are also sections on kids in the White House, executive-branch duties, and the two-party system.—Ages 9 to 12

$17, Amazon.com.

A young Abraham Lincoln is shaped by a chance meeting with a weary soldier in this book of beautiful watercolor illustrations—and the tale is based on a real encounter from the 14th president's childhood. The author's note at the back of the book includes an interesting Q&A about Lincoln's family and his early childhood in Kentucky.—Ages 4 to 8

$12, Amazon.com.

In this illustrated story, a fictional single African-American mother tells her son, David, about Barack Obama—also the son of a single mother. David's comments are interspersed as he relates Obama's life to his own experiences. For example, when the mother talks about young Barack, or "Barry," missing his father, David says, "I miss my dad, too." The stunning watercolor and collage illustrations are meant to be a metaphor for combining different parts to make something new and complete, a nod to Obama's life. Hope is another central theme in the story, and in the author's note Grimes writes, "As an African American born before the Voting Rights Act was signed in 1965, I honestly didn't know if I would live to see this day [when there would be a black candidate for president]." —Ages 5 to 10

$17, Amazon.com.

Obama's biography details his upbringing around the world—from Hawaii to Indonesia to Chicago—and how he "did not feel completely whole" as a multiracial child of a single mother. The book follows his journey from troubled youth who coped with his feelings through destructive behavior to becoming senator for Illinois and running for president. It includes a family tree, a world map of all the places he and his family have lived, and full-page photos and quotes by Obama, like "Change is never easy, but always possible."—Ages 9 to 12

$7, Amazon.com.