First Garden: The White House Garden and How It Grew

This lovely book provides a brief history of the White House and what has taken place throughout history on its lawns and in its gardens. For example, Jefferson grazed cattle on the South Lawn. Almost 200 years later, Amy Carter, daughter of Jimmy Carter, had slumber parties in her tree house on the South Lawn. In between, Woodrow Wilson grazed sheep on the lawn.

More than one first family has set up a garden on the White House grounds. This book focuses on the garden started by Michelle Obama in 2009. The author explains:

“As First Lady and as a mom, Mrs. Obama was concerned about the health of the American people. She believed we should think about what we eat and where our food comes from. And she wanted her family - all families - show more to become healthier by eating more vegetables and fruits and by eating meals together at the table.”

The author goes into detail about how Mrs. Obama set about putting in the garden with the help of fifth-grade students from a local elementary school. Some of the seeds came from plants first grown by Jefferson in his garden in Monticello. A beekeeper also installed a beehive nearby to provide a home for bees to pollinate the plants and make honey for the White House.

The author reports that it took only six weeks for the First Garden to start producing food ready to be harvested. Soon both salads and desserts were being made with fresh ingredients from the White House garden. Other produce from the garden went to Miriam’s Kitchen, a D.C. organization that helps to feed the homeless.

The author ends with a list of “Good Reasons to Garden” and a number of kid-friendly recipes that were distributed by the White House for dishes made from fresh fruits and vegetables. A list of further resources (including websites) is appended.

The author, who has written two cookbooks, is also the illustrator. She has created lovely watercolors that contrast the different green shades in the garden with the rich colors of vegetables.

Evaluation: Although a new presidential administration has replaced the Obamas in the White House, this book still has much to offer. It will educate young readers, who may be surprised that presidents and first ladies have grown their own food! As a latent benefit, it will teach children that bees are more than just insects to run away from. And it may also inspire them to start their own gardens. show less

A lengthy but interesting story of the ways the White House's South Lawn has been used throughout many administrations, up to and including Michelle Obama's kitchen garden. Recipes included.

The text presents a child-friendly history of the White House and details the start of Michelle Obama's White House garden, inspired by her desire to promote healthy eating for children everywhere. The text is filled with just enough detail and facts to propel, instead of weigh down, the narrative. The illustrations are more than adequate, but not nearly as compelling as the text. The back of the book features recipes from the White House and "good reasons to garden." My third and fourth grade students listened to this book from start to finish without complaint, and it led to a great discussion about healthy eating and the history of first ladies in the White House.

First garden: The White House garden and how it grew by Robbin Gourley

The story begins with a brief introduction to the White Houses’ history and grounds, including a list of all the children who used its outdoor gardens. The author next introduces us to the current presidential family, the Obamas, and Michelle Obama’s decision to create a kitchen garden. More history on White House gardens is interspersed with the creation of the current garden by Mrs. Obama and some of the children from Bancroft Elementary School. Now the garden produces food for the White House, a nonprofit organization called Miriam’s Kitchen, and is a tourist destination for many people around the world

Gourley’s simple watercolors emphasize the colors and show more shapes of the garden and vegetables. Some of the spreads include quotes about the White House in italicized font around the edges of the picture. Some of the portraits of various historical figures have captions, which they need as it can be difficult to identify them from the washed-out features.

The Extras: Additional tips on gardening, healthy eating, and recipes from the White House are included as well as extensive further resources and websites.

Verdict: An interesting book, but will quickly be outdated when the White House occupants change. An additional purchase.

ISBN: 978-0547482248; Published April 2011 by Clarion; Borrowed from the library show less

Great informational book about how Mrs. Obama turned the presidential garden into a garden with healthy, fresh food that can feed many. This book also has great facts about past presidents and how the garden was used in the past. Great for grades 1-4.

This books shows the gardens of the White House through history. The bulk of the book is about how Michelle Obama stated her own garden on the White House property. The book had a few recipes in the back which would make great cultivating activities after the book had been read. It is a little lengthy for younger students so reading in sections might be best for this story. The beginning of the book is about the history of the white house and the land around it. Then it talks about the changes Michelle Obama has made on the grounds in term of her healthy eating campaign.
The books also give many tips on caring for a garden and eating correctly. There are a lot of different lessons that could be taken from this book. The books also had show more online resources to share with children that help provide them with a visual reference outside of using the book. show less

This book is fairly long so I would suggest using it for an intermediate-level classroom. This story is about the history of the White House garden and how it was used to feed lots of people at the White House. This book would be helpful for your students if you were having them read it as a step to learning how to write a book report since it had some great additional resources such as pictures, recipes, and other resources at the back of the book. This book was pretty extensive but it also has a lot of good information about the history of the White House Garden and had a great call to action at the end of the book.