Barack

This hokey picture book is supposed to be a biography of Barack Obama. However, the story is dull, full of unimportant details (and lacking important details), and incredibly trite. For example, "Barack Obama can be described in one word: lovable." This is a horrible biography.

The settings of this book include Hawaii, Indonesia, Chicago, and Washington DC. Cultural markers include references to Obama's Caucasian mother, African father, and Indonesian step-father. There are also references to the poverty which Obama works to alleviate and the confusion he feels about not looking like any of his friends. The answer, of course, is that his family is the whole world and even though no one looks like he does, his responsibility is to care show more for everyone. This book does a huge disservice to this man and to young readers looking to learn about him.

The language fails on all accounts. Attempts at lyrical, inspirational phrases fall flat. The illustrations do not help, although some of the pictures do look remarkably like Barack Obama. For the most part, the pictures are boring and do not add to the horrific text.

I am amazed at the way this picture book failed to capture any of the thousands of interesting, incredible, engaging details of this man's story. I didn't think a book about such a great man could be so awful.

Not recommended for libraries. show less

Despite the complexity of Barack Obama’s life, the storytelling kept things simple and was at times quite moving. The art was well integrated with the text and often chose poetic angles; one painting showed Barack as a boy with his absent Kenyan father (who was visiting him in Hawaii)—they’re standing in front of a shop window in which their reflections, somber-faced and yet frought with submerged emotion, stare back. This is a great introduction to our future President’s life story and young library patrons interested in him would be well served by reading it.

I loved reading this biography about Barack Obama. It gave me a lot of insight into his life. I never knew about his history and who he was. All I see is who he is, not what made him that way. I hate politics, but I love the fact that I lived to see the day when an African American man made president. Now all I need to see is a woman president and I'll be satisfied. Throughout history we've only had old, white guys. That doesn't give ALL children the hope that they could be president! The only thing that I don't think is right is how much race plays into the factor of voting. You shouldn't vote based on race. We're trying to get our children to see each other as equal, not superior because of skin pigments. Base your vote on what the show more man (or woman) has to offer, not what (s)he looks like. Race should not be THAT big of a deal. show less

I liked the flow of the prose in this book describing Obama's self-discovery. However, Winter's use of the word "lovable" to describe Obama sounded an odd note for me. I could see where he was going with it but it came off as awkward. A lovable politician? Hmmmm....

This book is a picture book biography of our current president, Barack Obama. The story begins with Barack's parents, who originate from Africa and Kansas. The story then goes on to describe what it was like for Barack growing up. His father left, and his mother eventually took him to Indonesia to be with her new boyfriend, but he made his way back to Hawaii to live with his grandparents. From there, it told the story of him finding himself from his various backgrounds, and eventually detailed his entry into government, and - because this was published in 2008 - his win in the 2008 Presidential Election. As a biography aimed at children, I think this book was excellently assembled. It would have been great to use in a class during show more Obama's presidency, but there is not much time left for that option, so it would be well used when teaching about presidents in general. It also gave such a broad overview of his life from the very beginning, so it could be really fun if you were having your students write biographies of their own lives, and presenting this as an example. While there could be a lot of pushback for the book's content, I found it to be rather neutral and unbiased, which I think is a great quality for a biography to have. It presents the facts of Obama's life, without taking an extreme stance for or against his political ideas.
Media: Gouache show less

As the title insinuates, this book is about Barak Obama. While the book does feature his parents, his goes through his journey getting to the be the first black president of the United States. Throughout the story, we get to see some of his struggles and see that no matter what he didn't give up. Besides the pictures, the story is my favorite. I love the way that it's written and that unlike most biographies it had some information on his parents as well. I think this book would be a nice read for younger audiences and an important one since Barak is the first black president. He is a symbol hard work, strength and determination. This book can be an inspiration to a child who doesn't feel like they have what it takes.

Throughout his life Barack Obama had alway felt out of place and not sure where he belonged. But through his life's journey, he discovered that he is a part of a large human family. Because he cares for this family, he wants to help those who need his help. His determination to help a suffering America led him to becoming the first African-American president in history. This book should definitely inspire the youth.