Full of Life (Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness)

picture from amazon.com

Thomas Jefferson
By Cheryl Harness
Published by National Geographic Society, D.C., 2004

Summary: “Harness combines lively narrative and vibrant illustrations to bring this extraordinary Founding Father to life.”


Strengths: This book has beautiful, detailed illustrations that provide a lot of insight into Jefferson’s life. The text has interesting information about the life and trials of Thomas Jefferson, but the illustrations really captivate the reader. The maps and illustrations of locations, such as Independence Hall, show a lot of information that is useful.


Concerns: This book is lengthy for a picture book, but the pictures make the text move along quickly. The text includes a lot of details that children may not find interesting or may not be appropriate depending on the age of the reader, such as the death of many of Jefferson’s children and wife.


Classroom Use/Other Comments: In a unit about Thomas Jefferson, teachers can read a bit of this book each day to students or select important information to read to students. Students can skim through these pages and look at the illustrations to learn more about Thomas Jefferson’s life. Older students would be able to read this book to learn about Thomas Jefferson. This book would be appropriate for ages 8 and up.