CHECK IT OUT:

Today is George Washington’s birthday. Loads of biographies have been written for children about our first president. At the Newport Beach Public Library, many fact-filled, well-researched books are available, as are books that stretch the limit of the terms “biography” and “nonfiction.”

We learn about the first president in school, but there are lots of quirky facts that never make it into traditional history textbooks. Enrich your knowledge of American history, and have fun at the same time! Try a picture book or a nonfiction title that tells Washington’s story (or parts of it) in a different way.

For the kid in all of us, “John, Paul, George & Ben” by Lane Smith is an amusing and clever picture book. Meet John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, Ben Franklin and Tom Jefferson. The author takes “liberties” with the stories of not just four, but five patriots. The illustrations are richly detailed with charming characters and an old-fashioned look. A short epilogue “sets the record straight.” It’s not much of a history lesson, but it is a lot of fun.

Did our first president really have wooden teeth? Read “George Washington’s Teeth” by Deborah Chandra and Madeline Comora and find out! Presented in a picture book format, the book contains a sense of fun and fancy along with historical facts. Learn more than you probably need to know about 18th century dentistry and about the president’s dentures.

“Dolley Madison Saves George Washington” by Don Brown depicts events during the War of 1812 when First Lady Dolley Madison saved Gilbert Stuart’s famous portrait of George Washington from certain destruction by the British. This is a picture book biography of Dolley Madison which highlights her saving of an important national treasure, a painting that, thanks to her, hangs to this day in the East Room of the White House.

“George Washington: Young Leader” by Augusta Stevenson, part of the “Childhood of Famous Americans” series, presents the life of the young Washington in a narrative fashion with fictionalized dialogue while staying true to historical facts. This popular series is a great way to introduce children to historical figures. Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings, most of the book covers Washington’s life until about age 20. Only the last chapter talks briefly about his presidency.

Photographs of Mount Vernon, Valley Forge and other places where Washington lived and worked, as well as art depicting some of the people and events from his life, fill the pages of the biography “Where Washington Walked” by Raymond Bial. It’s interesting to see photos of what those places look like now, as so many of them are historical sites.

For a different point of view on Washington’s role in the Revolution, read “George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War” by Thomas B. Allen. Set in an old-fashioned typeface and illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Cheryl Harness as well as black and white reproductions of paintings, this is an interesting look at espionage during the Revolutionary War. The book contains messages written in code with a key in the appendix, a timeline and other neat stuff. It’s great for young spy fans and history buffs. Kids of all ages can beef up their knowledge of Washington and American history at the library, where history doesn’t have to be boring.

CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. For more information on the Central Library or any of the branches, please contact the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.