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Children's Literature
The biography of the twenty-fifth president of the United States discusses his personal life, education and political career. There is a nice description of President McKinley, almost like a synopsis to begin with, and then, the bio moves from the political family connections through his personal and political life to his death and a summary of accomplishments. There are clever chapter titles such as "Young William" and "McKinley and the Kingmaker." The text is interspersed with photographs, illustrations, cartoons, and documents. There is a William McKinley's Life At A Glance that should really be helpful to young researchers. My favorite is the chart, William McKinley's Life and Times, which parallels McKinley's Life and World Events. I also like the Understanding William McKinley and His Presidency resources section that contain In The Library, On The Web, and McKinley Historic Sites Across the Country. The U.S. Presidents (Years in Office) lists the presidents with McKinley's name highlighted, which is also helpful to students. There is a Glossary and an Index, and the print font is of a good size. The old photographs and other documents may be a bit uninteresting to some children even though a little color is added to some of them throughout. The book will be a good nonfiction addition for children's libraries of all kinds. It is part of the "Profiles of the Presidents" series. 2004, Compass Point Books, Ages 8 to 12.— Naomi Butler