This is straightforward history of how, why, and when each cabinet post was created. It also gives a nice summary of each secretary's job, a breakdown of what positions were created under which president, and the expenditures of each department toward the end. The information would be useful to someone just learning about the United States government, and the information is easily understood. However, it also is rather dry and not presented with much creativity (though some of the illustrations add a bit of humor). The book is better for information than for entertainment. (And updated last in 1991, it also feels a bit outdated at this point, though that is not the author's fault.) ( )

I believe The President’s Cabinet and How It Grew is a good children’s book because it is extremely informational. First, while political topics may be very confusing for children, this book provides illustrations that help make the focus a little more relatable for young readers. Additionally, rather than using photographs the book provides creative and colorful drawings that draw the reader in rather than bore them. Next, I liked that after the book gave a brief background about how the cabinet came to be, there is a sort of time line of George Washington’s cabinet and those who follow after him. The message of this book is simply to inform children about what The President’s Cabinet is. This book is well written and illustrated because through creativity, it was easily relatable and captivating. ( )