Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 01/01/2020 It's commonly known that Donald Trump has no pets—in fact, he's the first president in nearly 120 years not to have a dog in the White House. But what about some of those past pets? Theodore Roosevelt, for example, kept an assortment of exotic and domestic pets. Like children, he was fascinated with animals—and young readers will enjoy Singer's comical and insightful poetic tribute to the nation's first pets. She looks at George Washington, whose presidential pets never lived in the White House (because neither did he!) and notes that some First Pets were ill-behaved, like Andrew Jackson's parrot Poll (She flapped and she squawked, then began to curse). Some animals were kept solely for utilitarian purposes, like William Taft's bovine, Pauline Wayne, used for butter and milk. Singer's 31 poems, accompanied by McAmis' mixed-media artwork, showcase a lighter side of political life and offer an accessible point into presidential history. An Executive Pets section of facts and bibiliography/webography in the back matter supplements this first-rate collection. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.