Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson: President and Philosopher
by John Meacham
Adapted by Sarah L. Thomson

Ages: 10 and up
Category: Nonfiction
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Pub. Date: September 2014
ISBN: 9780385387491,
 Hardcover Trade, $19.99

In this special illustrated edition of the #1 New York Times bestselling Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, young readers will learn about the life and political philosophy of one of our Founding Fathers.

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He was one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence. But he was also a lawyer and an ambassador, an inventor and a scientist. He had a wide range of interests and hobbies, but his consuming interest was the survival and success of the United States.

This book contains a note from Meacham and over 100 archival illustrations, as well as sections throughout the text about subjects such as the Boston Tea Party, the Library of Congress, and Napoléon Bonaparte. Additional materials include a time line; a family tree; a Who’s Who in Jefferson’s world; sections on Jefferson’s original writings and correspondence, “inventions,” interests, places in Jefferson’s world, finding Jefferson in the United States today, additional reading, organizations, and websites; notes; a bibliography; and an index. This adaptation, ideal for those interested in American presidents, biographies, and the founding of the American republic, is an excellent example of informational writing and reflects Meacham’s extensive research using primary source material.

Awards and Accolades

“Thomson highlights these traits of intelligence and curiosity and shows how they eventually led to Jefferson’s penning of the Declaration of Independence and his interest in exploring the American West. With the election of 1800…Thomson…begins to show Jefferson’s skill in manipulating the political system. She provides a clear and understandable delineation between the Federalists and the Republicans, and shows the impact these two views of government had on the young republic….There is a surprising paucity of books about Jefferson at this level…and this handsome, well-written, and engaging volume fills that literary gap.”

—The Horn Book