Immediately a title came to
mind, The House That George Built. But before I could consider writing this
story, I had to do research to determine if there was enough "good-stuff" to
make a picture book (unofficial author term which means relatively unknown,
yet captivating facts which lend themselves to a complete story arc with a
satisfying ending). So I hurried down to my local library where I checked out The President's House, a two-volume set of colossal books filled with detailed
White House history by noted historian and author, William Seale. One thousand,
two hundred and twenty four pages later, I knew there was plenty of "good-stuff"
for a story. Now I had to figure out the best way to tell it.
Considering
the book title idea, my first thought was to share George’s story using an
adaptation of "The House That Jack Built" nursery rhyme. From my research I knew
George was intricately involved in the entire building process—from selecting the house
design and plot of land where it would be built, to deciding the best roofing
material—so I was
concerned a revision of that tightly structured rhyming piece wouldn’t provide
enough room for all the interesting facts I’d found. After some consideration,
I decided the nursery rhyme adaption would be a fun, unique way to provide
basic information about the main building elements of the house (brick, stone,
wood), and by adding some lively prose paragraphs, I could share all the
details of George’s huge building project.
But the research and writing of this book was just the
beginning of my adventures with George. The illustration process was incredibly
exciting as I watched the talented, award-winning artist Rebecca Bond bring
history to life with her detailed, historically accurate sketches, which later
turned into breathtaking, watercolor masterpieces.
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| Early sketch by Rebecca Bond from The House That George Built |
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| A final spread by Rebecca Bond from The House That George Built |
Then came something I’d been waiting my entire writing
career to do—I’d
always wanted to dedicate a book to my parents, but for one reason or another
none of my previous books felt right. But George was perfect! First, my parents names are
George and Martha (for real), and they’d created a wonderful home for our
family. So after many years, I finally dedicated a book to my parents.
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| Suzanne Slade visits the White House |
Later, I had the opportunity to visit to the White House.
What a thrill to personally see the magnificent home I’d studied for years. I’d
be lying if I didn’t say my heart skipped a beat the first time I spied that
gorgeous white stone exterior, which I’d learned turned white when it was first
painted with a stone sealer made of ground-up rice. As I admired the stately
two-story design, I remembered the original plans called for three stories, but
without enough stone to cover three floors George had modified the plans to
two. I smiled when I looked up at the massive roof, recalling that the first roof of
impressive heavy slate rock leaked every time it rained.
While working on The House That George Built, I was constantly amazed by the fascinating history I discovered about the President's House (which was renamed the White House by Theodore Roosevelt in 1901), and I hope readers enjoy learning about America's most famous home as much as I did!
Posted by Suzanne Slade, award-winning author of over 90 books for children. You can find out more about her and her books at www.suzanneslade.com.
The House That George Built is a 2012 Junior Library Guild selection and was chosen for the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club.
