Thomas Jefferson, by Kathryn Walton

 Publication January 15, 2025

I've always been fascinated by the enigma of Thomas Jefferson, a man with so many aspects to his personality, some good, some bad, some quite troubling. As a result, even though this one is aimed right at young readers, I jumped at the chance to review it. While there certainly wasn't anything particularly new or surprising here for me, a former history major, I found it a satisfying read for children. It even touched on him being a slave owner, albeit without going into any great discussion other than explaining his times while noting how bizarre it was for a man who so espoused freedom to not only own slaves but never release his own slaves during his lifetime.

While I would wish it'd gone more into some of his fascinating inventions, the book does an excellent job of giving young readers a basic overview of who Jefferson was and why we remember him. Although it mentions the death of his father at a young age, the book really begins with his service in the Second Continental Congress. In his early 30's at the time, Jefferson stood out there, especially for his writing skills, being cited as the main writer of the Declaration of Independence. His political career is briefly detailed, too, as is his stint in France. I rather wished it'd mentioned the coincidence of the date of death for both Jefferson and John Adams since it mentions the role of the Electoral College in making Adams the second president, not Jefferson, but, hey, you can't have everything. Grin.

Each section is short and easy to read, accompanied by illustrations with more short bits of interest. I've always been fascinated by the home he built at Monticello, which means "little mountain", so was glad to see an actual photo of it included. Most of the illustrations are based on historical moments, such as the signing of the Declaration and portraits, so quite accurate. There's a timeline, glossary, index, and For More Information section at the end. It includes both print and online sources. Bottom line, for those new to Jefferson, an excellent starter book with suggestions of where to find out more at the end. Thanks #RosenPublishingGroup for this early peek at this book. Jefferson is a man of many interests, so hopefully this will guide young readers to want to know more about him.