Piven makes presidents, Walter Wick–style, from assemblages of small toys, jelly beans, plastic ears, cutlery, American flag pins, dismembered doll limbs, and other found objects, creating 16 caricatures that riff on Presidential foibles or backgrounds. The combative Andy Jackson’s nose, for instance, is a boxing glove; Jimmy Carter’s, a pair of peanuts; and the current Bush sports a hot dog (for his baseball connection) beneath broken-bun brows. Piven captions each head shot with a brief anecdote or Presidential bon mot. Capped by a complete gallery of thumbnail-sized official portraits, this helps to put human faces on many of our Chief Executives, though it’s neither as richly detailed, nor as politically balanced, as Judith St. George’s So You Want to Be President!, illustrated with Caldecott-winning art by David Small (2000). (source list) (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-10)
