Dear Mr. Washington

Dear Mr. Washington
by Lynn Cullen
illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
Dial Books for Young Readers, 2015. Picture Book

For most of us our image of President George Washington is based on the paintings of him by Gilbert Stuart. This is a fictionalized account of what if might have been like for the Stuart children (there were 12 of them) when Mr. Washington was in their home getting his portrait painted. The story includes excepts from "Rules for Good Behavior for Boys and Girls", a primer that George Washington had to study as a child. The Stuart children fail to follow almost all of the rules, with amusing results, but succeed in making the reticent Washington smile. Cullen includes an end note relating the history of Stuart's attempts to paint Washington. This is another good new title just in time for President's Day.

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