Written by Wag Harrison
Join our charismatic friend President Millard Fillmore on his second ghostly tour of the past! This time, President Fillmore takes readers beyond the walls of the White House to forgotten places around the world. Discover how ghastly some of the United States’ presidents actually were! Meet presidents at the bottom of the ocean, in the rice paddies of Cambodia, and even in the office of the president of the Confederacy. Along the way, readers will learn important lessons and gain formative insights into history that has long been ignored. Challenge your upper elementary/middle school student to begin engaging in American History!
$8.99 – $26.95
Wag Harrison is an award-winning writer and educator. Holding graduate degrees in both history and educational leadership, Wag spent nearly twenty years as a teacher and school administrator before settling in as a full-time father. Wag is a lifelong lover of learning and of telling tales from the past. The Presidents Did What, Again? is his second picture book. Wag lives in Bon Air, Virginia, with his wife and three children.
Format: Paperback, Hardcover, E-book
ISBN Paperback: 978-1-958754-69-6
ISBN Hardcover: 978-1-958754-68-9
ISBN E-book: 978-1-958754-70-2
Pages: 34
Release date: 11/7/2023
“In this sequel, historian Wag Harrison again uses humor and telling conversations with the ghosts of presidents past to reveal the story behind a few not-so-proud moments in United States history. The whimsical illustrations help bring the riveting revelations to life. What a captivating and entertaining way to learn the truth about complicated events of the past!”
—Janet Halfmann, author of almost fifty books for young readers, including the forgotten-history stories The Clothesline Code and Midnight Teacher
“Author and historian Wag Harrison brings to light the dusty haunts of past presidential errors through a fun, spooky, and all-around kooky children’s book. Kids and adults alike will enjoy learning the true side of history’s biggest blunders and the long-forgotten mishaps of some of the least memorable US presidents. There’s a reason why these leaders’ legacies have been lost in the textbooks—but should be remembered to avoid repeat mistakes. Read Wag’s book to educate and enlighten a future US president!”
—Elizabeth Javidan, author of Roly-Poly Prole
“Wag Harrison has done it . . . again. As was Harrison’s prior book of mostly the same name, The Presidents Did What, Again? is a lively, informative, and humorous romp through American history. With the ghost of President Millard Fillmore as their guide, readers interact with some of America’s ‘most unimpressive presidents,’ ranging from Zachary Taylor to Richard Nixon, and recognize not only that executive decisions can have often dire consequences but that informed citizens are obliged to learn from the darker moments of their nation’s past. Many books with historical themes tend to lionize political figures and elide, gloss over, or sugarcoat episodes from America’s history. But there is something greater—more substantial, more meaningful, and more lasting—to be gained from attention to mistakes. When an author can craft an historically oriented story with engaging dialogue, a keen sense of purpose, and well-placed jokes, as Harrison has, he’s accomplished what the best teachers strive for in the classroom every day: proof that education can be both rewarding and fun.”
—Brian Pinaire, author of The War of Independence Way
Wally Jones enjoys creating portraits and commercial, science fiction, fantasy, and children’s illustrations. In addition to being an illustrator, he is also an actor, singer, juggler, and ukulele and cello player. Wally spent over a decade as an illustrator and diorama sculptor at a planetarium and nature center in northeast Tennessee, and he has won numerous art awards at science fiction conventions throughout the Southeast. He taught computer graphics and was a department chair at ITT Technical Institute, and he now lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife, Becki.
