When I was given the opportunity to review the book The Remarkable Ronald Reagan: Cowboy and Commander in Chief, I jumped at the chance! Ronald Reagan was the president of my youth. I was nine year’s old when he was elected in 1980 — just old enough to begin paying attention to a bit of politics and current events. As a result, parts of this book were very nostalgic for me. (And I can’t believe I have dated myself so throughly now.)

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The Remarkable Ronald Reagan: a
welcome addition to our presidential studies.

The first thing I noticed about the book were its illustrations. It is a beautiful book. Leslie Harrington’s drawings of President Reagan and the First Lady are very realistic, and the colors are vibrant and eye-catching. The main theme running through the book is the realization of dreams. The text shows how, through hard work, Reagan was able to make his dreams come true.

I loved the book’s focus on positive virtues. Without being too heavy-handed, author Susan Allen, focuses on responsibility, kindness, hard work, and service. The story follows Reagan from his childhood, movie career, military service, and finally his political career. It focuses on his role as a communicator and defender of freedom. The story handles tough topics like the Reagan divorce, Challenger explosion, and the assassination attempt in a way that is non-threatening for young children.

While the book and illustrations are both treats to children, I have to admit that my favorite parts were the “appendices” in the back. There is a timeline of highlights from Reagan’s life; a page about his correspondence, including a five-year correspondence with a seven-year-old Washington DC student; and two pages of his most famous quotes. My favorite: “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.”

The kids were happy to discover a couple of different timeline events in the book (from our memorized history timeline). Olivia said her favorite part was when Ronald Reagan became an actor. Spoken like a girl on her way to drama camp in a few weeks. John liked the description of the ranch and the horse riding. Every spring, at the end of our timeline, we work for a few weeks on memorizing the order of the US Presidents. I think The Remarkable Ronald Reagan will make a wonderful addition to our presidential book basket. A bit of history study, a bit of virtue study, all rolled into one appealing package.

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If you would like to win your own copy, head on over to Teaching Stars where Kristen is giving one away!

I received a copy of this book free in return for my review. The opinions expressed are my own.

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