The House That George Built

The book tells the story how George Washington turned his dream into reality to build a house where future presidents would live and which would represent the new nation.
We follow the first president from the selection of the site for the house, over the contest for its design and then through the building process of the future White House. Finally the first occupants move in, which were President John Adams and his wife Abigail, on the 1st of November 1800. Geoge Washington, despite planning and overseeing the construction of what was first called the President's House, was the only president who never lived in the house as he passed away in 1799.

The book offers a very good combination of interesting facts and enjoyable rhymes on alternate pages. The poem has the familiar format of "The House That Jack Built" as such that we have an ever increasing repetitive verse, which will help children to remember the facts and it's actually very well done.
The illustrations throughout the book are pastel watercolour paintings and fit perfectly and enhance the story beautifully. I liked them a lot as they really bring the times alive. Children will see the differences of building such a big house then and now, with at the time hundreds of workers living on site and having slaves among the labourers.
More interesting facts of all the alterations and additions, that have been made to the house up until today, are provided at the end of the book together with an actual photo of the White House. Interesting to see how times have changed, whereas James K. Polk found it important to have bright gaslights installed in 1848, so the wasn't forced to read with flickering candle light, Bill Clinton had a hot tub and a jogging track added to the grounds in 1993.
Finally a list is provided with sources and resources for further learning.

I think the combination of facts and rhyme works very well and The House That George Built will make a good addition to every primary school library. Preschoolers will enjoy the rhymes and the detailed and beautiful illustrations.

What a cute way to teach a little history about the building of the White House. The House that George Built is a take on the old song/poem The House that Jack Built. It follows the steps that it took to build the White House starting with the finding the land, drawing the plans, digging the hole, etc. Along with that it gives history of exactly what building was like back then. It also tells about the fact that George Washington was finished his term as President before the house was even finished. At the end there are some resources and facts to enhance the story. A good book for younger children to learn some history.

I love how this book is for two ages. Younger students can read “The House That Jack Built” style rhymes on one side of the page. When they’re older, they can enjoy the facts on the other side of the page. Fun and educational!

Written by Ben, age 10:
This is book is a shorter picture history book. The story is talking about all the people who came together to build the White House. It is told in a poem format, that would be really good for preschool or kindergarten kids especially. It is modeled after the poem "This is the House that Jack Built."

I really liked how it is a cool rhyming story that could work as a song. I liked how the pictures helped explain the story a bit better with the different steps. I think it was a fun way to learn historical things and it makes it easier for kids to learn history when it is fun.

The House That George Built is a lovely picture book about George Washington. I thought, when I saw the title, that it would be about the building of Mount Vernon, but to my surprise, it was about building the White House! I had not realized, before, that he had such a large part to play in designing that building. My 3- and 6-year-olds came over to me about the time I started looking at this story on my computer, so I read it aloud to them. They really enjoyed it (although there are few stories they don’t enjoy!). Each two-page spread has a large color picture done in watercolor of various stages of building the White House. Did you know it was built of bricks made from the clay in the hill on which it was built? I didn’t either! There are two levels to the story. One is fairly detailed, giving specific information about the project; the other is patterned after The House That Jack Built, with more added to the rhyme each time it is repeated. This makes it a lovely story for very little children as well as older ones. I’m glad I found it!
I received a free ecopy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had never given any thought to the story behind the White House before. I found this book interesting, and it’s presented in such a non-didactic way that the kids will really enjoy it as well. George Washington always fascinates the kids. This will be good for Presidents Day.