Mr. President Goes to School

The President’s problems are piling up! First, there’s the matter of allowing gophers in the Rose Garden. Then, there’s the issue of the missing Ping-Pong table. And to top it off, the leaders of Bulrovia and Snortburg are threatening to go to war again! Mr. President wishes the world were a little simpler—like when he was a kid… So Mr. President puts on a disguise and shows up at the door of Mrs. Appletree’s class, where he learns that sometimes all it takes to solve big problems is a little fun, a bit of creativity, and, of course, some milk and cookies!

Booklist- The President in question has the hair of Ronald Reagan, the smile of Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton’s nose. Like his predecessors, he can have some pretty bad days. On one of them, he decides to leave the White House and go back to a happier time and place. Putting on a fake mustache and glasss, he heads to his old school, and soon his old teacher, Mrs. Appletree, has him finger painting, making castles out of blocks, and doing the hokey pokey. What might have turned into just a day off becomes more when Mr. President takes the lessons he’s learned about friendship, fun, and doing the hokey pokey back to the White House. Savvy kids will get the message that amicability and appreciation of others can overcome the most acrimonious situation. Adults may wish it was that easy but will certainly understand the rejuvenation a break can give. The art, which looks a bit like that of Patricia Polacco, scoops all the inherent silliness out of the story but has a tender side, too. —Ilene Cooper