The Next President

h1 February 19th, 2020 by jules


“And some don’t have a clue yet that one day they’ll be president.”

I reviewed Kate Messner’s The Next President: The Unexpected Beginnings and Unwritten Future of America’s Presidents (Chronicle), illustrated by Adam Rex and coming to shelves in March, for the Horn Book. And that review has been posted over there. As I wrote in my review, there are picture books aplenty about U.S. presidents, but I recommend you make way for this breath of fresh air. To read the entire review, head here.

Today here at 7-Imp, I have some spreads from the book, and Adam also shares some early sketches. I thank him for sharing.



 

Some Early Sketches:


 


(Click sketch to enlarge)


 


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Some Final Spreads:


 


“But no matter who holds the job right now,
the presidents of tomorrow are always out there somewhere. …”

(Click spread to enlarge and read text in its entirety)


 


“When George Washington became the first president of the United States,
there were nine future presidents already alive in America. …”

(Click spread to enlarge and read text in its entirety)


 



 


“And where is the next president now? It’s exciting to think about, isn’t it? …
What are they doing right now?”

(Click either image to see spread in its entirety)


 



 


“… For now, they’re busy growing up, growing into the job.”
(Click either image to see spread in its entirety)


 


(Click cover to enlarge)


 

* * * * * * *

THE NEXT PRESIDENT: THE UNEXPECTED BEGINNINGS AND UNWRITTEN FUTURE OF AMERICA’S PRESIDENTS. Text copyright © 2020 by Kate Messner. Illustrations copyright © 2020 by Adam Rex and reproduced by permission of the publisher, Chronicle Books, San Francisco. All sketches reproduced by permission of Adam Rex.





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