Presidents of the United States
A Pathfinder for Grades 5 - 8

Good books to start with.

There are several excellent reference books about the Presidents of the United States. Use the index of the book to find the words in the boxes below or ask your librarian to help you use the book. Most reference books cannot be checked out.

1. J 031 World Book Encyclopedia, Chicago: World Book, 1999-2003. When looking up a president in an encyclopedia, the same rule applies as when looking up a biography, search by the last name. Also, check the index, for other possible related topics.  Access is available from home for this resource via this link.

2. J 920 Blassingame, Wyatt, The Look-it-up Book of Presidents, New York: Random House, 1996. Provides brief biographies of the American presidents, from George Washington to Bill Clinton.

3. J 920 Krull, Kathleen, Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame, and What the Neighbors Thought, San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1998. Focuses on the lives of presidents as parents, husbands, pet-owners, and neighbors while also including humorous anecdotes about hairstyles, attitudes, diets, fears, and sleep patterns.

4. 920 Rubel, David, Scholastic Encyclopedia of the Presidents and Their Times, New York: Scholastic, 1994. Each Presidents' story is grounded in historical context, with one page dedicated for each year in office.

5. J 920 Weber, Michael, The Complete History of Our Presidents, Vol 1-13, Vero Beach, FL: Rourke Corporation, 1997. Discusses the political lives and times of the men who served as United States presidents, their administrations, and the events which occurred during their tenures.

6. R 920 World Book of America's Presidents, Chicago: World Book, 2001. This 2 volume set gives a brief (4 page) biography of each president as well as information about the office of the presidency, its history, duties and election.

How can I learn more about Presidents?

To learn more about the Presidents of the United States, you will need to use the following important words:

Adams, John	Adams, John Quincy	Arthur, Chester
Buchanan, James	Bush, George	Bush, George W
Carter, James	Cleveland, Grover	Clinton, William Jefferson
Coolidge, Calvin	Eisenhower, Dwight D	Fillmore, Millard
Ford, Gerald	Garfield, James A	Grant, Ulysses S.
Harding, Warren G	Harrison, Benjamin	Harrison, William Henry
Hayes, Rutherford B	Hoover, Herbert	Jackson, Andrew
Jefferson, Thomas	Johnson, Andrew	Johnson, Lyndon B
Kennedy, John F.	Lincoln, Abraham	Madison, James
McKinley, William	Monroe, James	Nixon, Richard
Pierce, Franklin	Polk, James K	Reagan, Ronald
Roosevelt, Franklin D.	Roosevelt, Theodore	Taft, William Howard
Taylor, Zachary	Truman, Harry	Tyler, John
Van Buren, Martin	Washington, George	Wilson, Woodrow
Presidents	Presidents - United States

You can use the keywords above to learn more about presidents. Go to http://www.library.torrnet.com/  and click on NEW! Online Catalog of Books, Videos, CDs, DVDs & More

In the light blue search box, decide what you will search for:

Subject
Word or phrase
Author
Title
Series
Periodical title (Magazines and newspapers are periodicals)

Next, if you add the words juvenile literature to one of the keywords in the boxes above, you will find non-fiction items that the library has. If you add the words juvenile fiction to one of the keywords in the boxes above, you will find fiction items that the library has.

Call numbers to locate other books on Presidents:

352.23 - Executive Branch of government 
920 - Collective Biographies 
J B - Individual Biographies - arranged alphabetically by famous person's last name

Where else can I learn more about Presidents?

Go to http://www.library.torrnet.com/  and click on Magazines, Newspapers and other databases to get to the following databases where you can find information from magazines and newspapers:

• DIScovering Collection, 
  This database designed with the student in mind is available to Torrance Public Library holders. It includes biographical information, historical content and images.  Access is available from home and work for this database.  For remote access click the link above.  The username is    torr56119  and the password is your library card number.

Websites: 

• Presidents of the United States
  Both a resource and gateway to other links, this site provides biographical information about each president, as well as, facts about their the presidency, the election results, their cabinet, and notable events.
•  The White House
  This is the White House's official website. It contains information on the current administration as well as biographies on past presidents, their wives and children.
• American Presidency
  Grolier Encyclopedia has compiled their resources to create this comprehensive resource.

People & Places:

• Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace  
  18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda (714) 993-3393 Mon - Sat 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Closed Christmas and Thanksgiving) Admission: $5.95 for adults, $2.00 for children 8-11, free children 7 and below, Students with ID card and seniors 62 and above $3.95
• Ronald Reagan Presidential Library  
  40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley (800) 410-8354 Open 7 days a week (closed New Years Day, Thanksgiving & Christmas) 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Admission: $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors 62 and above, free are children under 15

Torrance Public Library
(310) 618-5964
http://www.library.torrnet.com