ALA Booklist (Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 1998)

Harness presents facts within a fictional framework in this history picture book for older children. Bored by the White House guide's presentation to her class, Sara is happy to be snared by the ghost of George Washington, who takes her on his own tour. Within each new room they enter, ghosts of the former presidents tell Sara a little about their presidential experiences and offer commentary on the events of the other periods. In the Treaty Room, for example, James Madison teaches Sara about the Constitution, James Monroe talks about writing the Monroe Doctrine, and Woodrow Wilson explains why sheep grazed on the front lawn during his presidency. Thought balloons are used to convey much of the information, with biographical facts on the presidents found in the page borders. Like Alice Provensen's My Fellow Americans (1995), this presents history as real people with real personalities rather than as dry, dusty textbook facts, and the tantalizing tidbits presented may pique student interest enough for them to follow up on their own. (Reviewed March 1, 1998)

Horn Book

During a White House field trip, Sarah is plucked from her group by the ghost of George Washington and given a behind-the-scenes tour. Other White House ghosts randomly join the tour, contributing historical comments in dialogue balloons. As an introduction to the White House, the book holds some interest, but the dialogue lacks punch and the color artwork is busy. Brief presidential biographies are included. Bib.

Kirkus Reviews

A factual picture book offers a good look at the White House and thumbnail sketches of its occupants, past and present. The premise is that Sara and her classmates are to visit the White House, looking up facts ahead of time so we wouldn't be stupid on the tour.'' While she's in the East Room, George Washington yanks her physically into his painting, and begins showing her around the house, where they meet different presidential ghosts. Each gets a summary and portrait; factual material is mixed with personal comments to Sara, the tone of which is often quite glib, e.g., Truman tells of his surprise at the metal detectors in the building:That makes me mad!'' Despite such lapses, Harness (Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington 18371865, p. 58, etc.) presents a wealth of information, from floor plans to a time line of important events in US history. The illustrations are terrifically cluttered, a design explosion that sometimes results in mottled colors, but more often renders a real idea of what the rooms of the White House are like. The least successful painting appears on the jacket, where various presidents float in the air and sit on the roof of this famous building. (Picture book. 7-10)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Harness leads a tour of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with an overview of its residents throughout history, including George W. Bush. Ages 7-10. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Jan.)

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6--Sara is excited about going on a field trip to the White House. Once there, she is unexpectedly pulled ("Magic Schoolbus" fashion) into a portrait of George Washington and given a grand tour by Mr. Washington himself. As they move from room to room, Sara meets the ghosts of the men who made this very special house famous. The approach is neither chronological nor alphabetical. Instead, each room is associated with a few presidents. Readers will find Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower in "The Map Room" briefly discussing D day while Millard Fillmore and Richard Nixon discuss their similarities in "The China Room." Numerous speech balloons are full of little-known facts and imagined opinions. For example, Harry Truman tells Sara about the deteriorated state of the White House in 1945 while exclaiming that the current need to check visitors with metal detectors "makes me mad!" Sidebars contain additional facts including dates of birth and death, nicknames, and term dates. An illustrated time line and an explanation of the office of the president is included, and the five still-living presidents are given brief treatment on a separate page. While the detailed watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations and the curious tidbits of information make this volume a potentially appealing browsing item, be aware that its lack of traditional organization and presentation of opinion as fact hinder its use as a source of reliable information.--Alicia Eames, New York City Public Schools