What President Had a Hyena for a Pet? First Book Review

This weekend, I read Presidential Pets by Julia Moberg. In this book, it talks about the pets presidents had. The book also has poems and facts about the presidents and their wild, weird and wacky pets.

I thought this book was great. I think this because I like the fact the book told me about all the weird, wild and wacky pets that once lived with the presidents in the White House. I also liked the fact that it told me what events some of the presidents were there for. And, it told me why some of the presidential pets were very, very, very special.

Our presidents have had a bunch of different animals, not just ordinary pets. There were lots of presidents who had just a dog or a cat, like President Obama. (There was also a president who didn’t have a pet at all, Chester Alan Arthur.)

But, let me tell you about the presidents who had not very normal pets:

* Martin Van Buren had two tiger cubs!

* Another president, James Buchanan, had two eagles, two elephants and a dog!

* Andrew Johnson had two white mice!

* Theodore Roosevelt Jr. had snakes, pigs and cats, a hyena, a lion, a zebra, some rats (YAY!), a badger named Josiah, a dog, a macaw, guinea pigs, a one-legged rooster (WOW!), a raccoon, and bears. (He had more than 40 pets!)

* Calvin Coolidge Jr. had dogs, cats, birds, raccoons, two kittens, a goose, an antelope, a donkey, a bobcat, a lion, bears, a hippo (!) and a wallaby.

Presidential pets can get national attention. George Herbert Walker Bush’s dog called Millie was called the ugliest dog by the magazine the Washingtonian. Even Senator Bob Dole spoke out to support Millie, and the magazine apologized and sent Millie treats.

If I were president, I would have all of the animals in this book combined at the White House. Presidential Pets let me know that the White House can be a place where there are lots of pets and where pets can roam.

Even though I hope to live in the White House, I hope President Obama stays another four years. (I’m barking for Bo!)

Bo, the First Dog