Wackiest White House Pets

2004, Scholastic Press; Parent's Choice Gold Award

"Throughout the centuries, around four hundred pets have lived in the White House. Some were ordinary. Some were not. You might wonder how all of these creatures found their way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

A few pets arrived with their presidents. A handful simply wandered onto the White House lawn. One even turned up in the mail!  But the wildest, wackiest pets were often gifts from kings, queens, and foreign officials."

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Gibbs Davis

Davis is the author of more than twenty children's fiction and non-fiction books. In 2010 she published First Kids which featured Malia and Sash Obama. Davis is regularly invited to speak at several presidential libraries including the Kennedy, Bush, Carter, Truman, and National First Ladies’ Libraries.

David A. Johnson

Johnson (1951 - ) started out as a freelance illustrator for National Lampoon and CBS Records. In addition to illustrating numerous children's books, Johnson's work has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, the Atlantic Monthly and the Wall Street Journal.

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Book Synopsis

Learn about the White House pets from Washington's horses, dogs, jackass, and parrot to George W's cats, dogs, and cow.  Yes, a cow. Filled with humorous anecdotes and hilarious illustrations.

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Informational picture book, 34 pages. White House pets come in some ordinary and not-so-ordinary sizes, shapes, and species.

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Roosevelt's One-Legged Rooster

Learning Options

Family Read Aloud Time
Wackiest White House Pets is a great book for a child to open flat on the floor and wander from President to President.  The informational text may not be great for a cuddle-time, but it is a wonderful way to share history with the whole family.

Classroom Resource
Learning about the White House is relevant for children when the focus includes pets! There are curriculum packets about the First Pets available at the White House Historical Association.

Learning at Home
Wackiest White House Pets is a good introduction to learning the House's history. Elementary years are a good time to memorize the presidents which is easier when associated with a pet. And The White House Museum offers great curriculum resources for older children.

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