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My Dad, John McCain
Born the son and grandson of military men, Senator John McCain from Arizona was destined for a life serving his country in the armed forces. Like many great men, he occasionally struggled with authority, but once he found his true calling -- flying naval aircraft -- his ideals and commitment to his country took him far.
From the low point of five years as a prisoner of war to the high points of raising a large, happy family and being chosen as the Republican nominee in the 2008 presidential election, Senator McCain has lived an incredible life driven by a love of his country and a desire to serve it to the best of his ability.
This picture book biography, written with great love and insight by his oldest daughter, writer Meghan McCain, shows us the public John McCain and the personal John McCain in a way we've never seen before -- making this American hero come to life before young eyes.
From the low point of five years as a prisoner of war to the high points of raising a large, happy family and being chosen as the Republican nominee in the 2008 presidential election, Senator McCain has lived an incredible life driven by a love of his country and a desire to serve it to the best of his ability.
This picture book biography, written with great love and insight by his oldest daughter, writer Meghan McCain, shows us the public John McCain and the personal John McCain in a way we've never seen before -- making this American hero come to life before young eyes.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 2, 2008
About the author
Meghan McCain
6 books51 followersDaughter of the 2008 Republican candidate for president John McCain. Meghan followed her father during his presidential campaign and accounted it on her blog.
She claimed to have voted for John Kerry in 2004. But changed to Republican in 2008.
Meghan also had a job in the media working for "Saturday Night life" and "Newsweek"
She claimed to have voted for John Kerry in 2004. But changed to Republican in 2008.
Meghan also had a job in the media working for "Saturday Night life" and "Newsweek"
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 16, 2008
Today I met the author, Meghan McCain, at the Ventura County, California, Republican Headquarters. I had her autograph 3 copies: 1 for my son's 1st grade teacher, another for my girlfriend's birthday present and the 3rd for my children. She was so sweet and kind........
.........oh, the book review. Right. Great book for many reasons. But for me, right now, it's excellent in that it's about a boy, becoming a man, and making good choices. Another "HERO" for my son to read about, learn from and follow by example.
.........oh, the book review. Right. Great book for many reasons. But for me, right now, it's excellent in that it's about a boy, becoming a man, and making good choices. Another "HERO" for my son to read about, learn from and follow by example.
January 15, 2013
ISBN 1416975284 - I chose to read and review this book for two reasons. One is that I review more children's books than anything else lately. The other is that I wanted to know how much propaganda and how much truth could make it into a book that is aimed at children between the ages of 4 and 8. I'm disappointed in some ways; McCain fans, however, will enjoy the book.
Meghan McCain tells the life story of her father, John McCain, beginning with his birth on a naval base in Panama. Born into a naval family, it was taken for granted that he would continue the family tradition, but it took a while for him to decide that for himself. Once in the navy, McCain knew he wanted to fly and, despite a crash and a fire onboard an aircraft carrier, he did - until, during the "Vietnam War", he was shot down over Vietnam. Taken as a prisoner of war, he was held for five and a half years before he was able to return home. Soon after, he met Cindy, who would become his wife, and they started a family. McCain could no longer fly, due to injuries from the war, so he began to pursue a career in politics. His political career, up to his two runs for the presidency, cap off the story.
There is, obviously, a great deal of political argument to be made of the information in - and not in - this book. Nothing negative is said, and probably shouldn't be - this is, after all, his daughter writing and she's writing for children. It is, for example, probably for the best that she doesn't talk about her father's years of torture; she just says he was "treated badly". This accounts for a great deal of missing information that, for an adult, is incredibly important. It does not account for the fact that Meghan never mentions John's first wife or his children with her - too bad, because in this day and age, many children would find that something they could relate to - although she does mention her own full siblings and her adopted sister. Sadly, the absence of some very big facts and the presence of some distortions (other POWs were offered the chance to leave, as well; McCain was as much a hero for saying "no thanks" as the rest of them were, but he wasn't unique in that way) does mean that the book is lopsided and inaccurate. For adults, this is a negative; for adults who want "non-fiction" books for their children to contain reality, it's a big negative. On the other hand, there are, without a doubt, parents who just want to introduce their children to John McCain, a man they consider a hero, and those parents will find themselves delighted.
Children, especially boys, will enjoy the story which, all else aside, is an exciting tale full of adventure. The oversized book with sprawling, glossy pages gave the illustrator a big canvas to work on and Andreasen's illustrations have me torn - they are, absolutely, well done. The only trouble is that every child I've shown the book to recognizes John McCain's face... and wants to know why he's black. The illustrations are heavy on a sort of cross-hatch pattern of lines that gives the appearance, in several cases, of darker skin than the people actually have in real life. Were it not for this election, I doubt the kids would notice or care about skin color. At the same time, were it not for this election, I don't think kids would recognize John McCain at all. The book is clearly political, since Meghan begins and ends with the idea that her father would be a great president. It's possible that the timing of the release of the book explains the terrible, almost abrupt and incomplete, ending - it would have made more sense to wait until the election was over and end with the results.
The promise of the dustjacket, that "Meghan McCain shows us the public John McCain and the personal John McCain in a way we've never seen before" is not true, it's pure hyperbole. Nothing in this book is new; there is no unique look at the personal side of the man, there are no new and interesting details, there is nothing special here. Anyone hoping for insight will find that Meghan McCain seems to know as much about her father as we do - and maybe less. In the end, this is not a stellar, in-depth biography. And that's okay. The book wasn't written for political activists, it was written for children. But, for failing to live up to the hype, and for cherry-picking reality (and cherry-picking "family"!), I can't find the book to be more than average.
- AnnaLovesBooks
Meghan McCain tells the life story of her father, John McCain, beginning with his birth on a naval base in Panama. Born into a naval family, it was taken for granted that he would continue the family tradition, but it took a while for him to decide that for himself. Once in the navy, McCain knew he wanted to fly and, despite a crash and a fire onboard an aircraft carrier, he did - until, during the "Vietnam War", he was shot down over Vietnam. Taken as a prisoner of war, he was held for five and a half years before he was able to return home. Soon after, he met Cindy, who would become his wife, and they started a family. McCain could no longer fly, due to injuries from the war, so he began to pursue a career in politics. His political career, up to his two runs for the presidency, cap off the story.
There is, obviously, a great deal of political argument to be made of the information in - and not in - this book. Nothing negative is said, and probably shouldn't be - this is, after all, his daughter writing and she's writing for children. It is, for example, probably for the best that she doesn't talk about her father's years of torture; she just says he was "treated badly". This accounts for a great deal of missing information that, for an adult, is incredibly important. It does not account for the fact that Meghan never mentions John's first wife or his children with her - too bad, because in this day and age, many children would find that something they could relate to - although she does mention her own full siblings and her adopted sister. Sadly, the absence of some very big facts and the presence of some distortions (other POWs were offered the chance to leave, as well; McCain was as much a hero for saying "no thanks" as the rest of them were, but he wasn't unique in that way) does mean that the book is lopsided and inaccurate. For adults, this is a negative; for adults who want "non-fiction" books for their children to contain reality, it's a big negative. On the other hand, there are, without a doubt, parents who just want to introduce their children to John McCain, a man they consider a hero, and those parents will find themselves delighted.
Children, especially boys, will enjoy the story which, all else aside, is an exciting tale full of adventure. The oversized book with sprawling, glossy pages gave the illustrator a big canvas to work on and Andreasen's illustrations have me torn - they are, absolutely, well done. The only trouble is that every child I've shown the book to recognizes John McCain's face... and wants to know why he's black. The illustrations are heavy on a sort of cross-hatch pattern of lines that gives the appearance, in several cases, of darker skin than the people actually have in real life. Were it not for this election, I doubt the kids would notice or care about skin color. At the same time, were it not for this election, I don't think kids would recognize John McCain at all. The book is clearly political, since Meghan begins and ends with the idea that her father would be a great president. It's possible that the timing of the release of the book explains the terrible, almost abrupt and incomplete, ending - it would have made more sense to wait until the election was over and end with the results.
The promise of the dustjacket, that "Meghan McCain shows us the public John McCain and the personal John McCain in a way we've never seen before" is not true, it's pure hyperbole. Nothing in this book is new; there is no unique look at the personal side of the man, there are no new and interesting details, there is nothing special here. Anyone hoping for insight will find that Meghan McCain seems to know as much about her father as we do - and maybe less. In the end, this is not a stellar, in-depth biography. And that's okay. The book wasn't written for political activists, it was written for children. But, for failing to live up to the hype, and for cherry-picking reality (and cherry-picking "family"!), I can't find the book to be more than average.
- AnnaLovesBooks
Read
January 27, 2010Meghan McCain, My Dad, John McCain (Aladdin, 2008)
Expecting an objective portrait of a person in any book written by one of that person's relatives seems to me a pipe dream; either the book's going to be a rostrum for praise or a cesspit for excoriation. Given that this is a kids' book, you can guess which one applies here, but then given that this is a kids' book, you also have to wonder whether this sort of thing isn't systematic, even in books not written by family members. (A few turns through kidlit biographies of even America's most notorious attackers of the cultural norms—Benedict Arnold, for example, or Edgar Allan Poe—tend to whitewash the gory details.) I won't use this as a forum for getting into a one-sided discussion about how we need to quit sheltering kids from bad behavior (or perceived bad behavior, depending on your personal mores), but such questions are worth keeping in the back of your mind where kidlit bios are concerned.
Not that there's much to be said in the final analysis about the Great Evils of John McCain; two hundred years down the road, people will probably look back at McCain and think of him as another lovable American rogue a la, say, Martin van Buren (or Charles Randolph Kane, who often seems more real than most of our actual historical figures). Even mentioning him in the same review as Benedict Arnold, though I would never think to draw a comparison between the two, is likely to arouse the ire of those who interpret things far beyond what the text will allow. My Dad, John McCain, on the other hand, will give those folks no ammo. (This is good, because I have a sneaking suspicion most of those folks are just as Republican as I was, long long ago.) McCain's daughter Meghan, whom it must be said really does have a touch for storytelling, lays out some of the high points of her dad's career in what is, essentially, an extended campaign ad. As such, I'm probably coming to this as a reviewer far too late; the 2008 election was over long before 2010. And given its fiction as a campaign ad, it must by necessity lack the substance to have a lasting kidlit-bio stature. But it's still worth at least getting out of your library to compare and contrast general kidlit-bio writing with Meghan McCain's; my use of the word “storyteller” above is not just meant as a synonym for “author”. Storytellers have a particular tone; were this an adult book, I'd probably use the metaphor of the guy sitting next to you at the bar, popping peanuts and talking with his hands, making everyone around him laugh. That's a storyteller, and that's not the kind of diction one usually gets in a biography, kidlit or no. (One, at least this one, would like to see McCain tackle the same info in a longer format; a hundred twenty-eight page young-adult bio, perhaps, that's actually bio and not campaign material.) It tells me Meghan McCain may actually have a future as a biographer, or maybe even a novelist. Time will tell.
And now I've written a review that's probably three times as long as the book I'm reviewing. Loquaciousness has ever been my downfall. End result: not without flaws, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting. ***
Expecting an objective portrait of a person in any book written by one of that person's relatives seems to me a pipe dream; either the book's going to be a rostrum for praise or a cesspit for excoriation. Given that this is a kids' book, you can guess which one applies here, but then given that this is a kids' book, you also have to wonder whether this sort of thing isn't systematic, even in books not written by family members. (A few turns through kidlit biographies of even America's most notorious attackers of the cultural norms—Benedict Arnold, for example, or Edgar Allan Poe—tend to whitewash the gory details.) I won't use this as a forum for getting into a one-sided discussion about how we need to quit sheltering kids from bad behavior (or perceived bad behavior, depending on your personal mores), but such questions are worth keeping in the back of your mind where kidlit bios are concerned.
Not that there's much to be said in the final analysis about the Great Evils of John McCain; two hundred years down the road, people will probably look back at McCain and think of him as another lovable American rogue a la, say, Martin van Buren (or Charles Randolph Kane, who often seems more real than most of our actual historical figures). Even mentioning him in the same review as Benedict Arnold, though I would never think to draw a comparison between the two, is likely to arouse the ire of those who interpret things far beyond what the text will allow. My Dad, John McCain, on the other hand, will give those folks no ammo. (This is good, because I have a sneaking suspicion most of those folks are just as Republican as I was, long long ago.) McCain's daughter Meghan, whom it must be said really does have a touch for storytelling, lays out some of the high points of her dad's career in what is, essentially, an extended campaign ad. As such, I'm probably coming to this as a reviewer far too late; the 2008 election was over long before 2010. And given its fiction as a campaign ad, it must by necessity lack the substance to have a lasting kidlit-bio stature. But it's still worth at least getting out of your library to compare and contrast general kidlit-bio writing with Meghan McCain's; my use of the word “storyteller” above is not just meant as a synonym for “author”. Storytellers have a particular tone; were this an adult book, I'd probably use the metaphor of the guy sitting next to you at the bar, popping peanuts and talking with his hands, making everyone around him laugh. That's a storyteller, and that's not the kind of diction one usually gets in a biography, kidlit or no. (One, at least this one, would like to see McCain tackle the same info in a longer format; a hundred twenty-eight page young-adult bio, perhaps, that's actually bio and not campaign material.) It tells me Meghan McCain may actually have a future as a biographer, or maybe even a novelist. Time will tell.
And now I've written a review that's probably three times as long as the book I'm reviewing. Loquaciousness has ever been my downfall. End result: not without flaws, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting. ***
March 4, 2014
My son's opinion: "This book tells a really good story about the life of a man running for president. His daughter wrote it. He did not always follow the rules when he was in college but he ended up learning rules serve a good purpose. He went to war and was a war hero because he never gave up. Not everything in his life has been easy but he never gave up. And he always worked hard. The pictures are very nice too. I really enjoyed this book and I learned a lot about John McCain and his life. I think the moral of this story is to never give up, no matter how hard it gets."
My opinion: As an adult, I think this book is beautifully and lovingly written. It has wonderful illustrations that all ages will enjoy. Regardless of one's political persusion, this book is a great teaching tool about perseverance, dedication and honor.
My opinion: As an adult, I think this book is beautifully and lovingly written. It has wonderful illustrations that all ages will enjoy. Regardless of one's political persusion, this book is a great teaching tool about perseverance, dedication and honor.
October 9, 2008
To be all sorts of fair and balanced, I read this and Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope back to back and will review them together.
Both books seemed a little full of shit (can you say shit in a picture book review?), but the McCain book was better. The illustrations were lovely, and I think the intended picture book audience will understand the story better. The Obama book was sort of abstract and cheesey, and I think the illustrations would only appeal to older librarian ladies (you know, the ones that moderate mock Caldecotts and such). If the books were published without the "tell your parents to vote for me" propoganda and were just straight up biographies, I would have enjoyed them both a lot more.
Both books seemed a little full of shit (can you say shit in a picture book review?), but the McCain book was better. The illustrations were lovely, and I think the intended picture book audience will understand the story better. The Obama book was sort of abstract and cheesey, and I think the illustrations would only appeal to older librarian ladies (you know, the ones that moderate mock Caldecotts and such). If the books were published without the "tell your parents to vote for me" propoganda and were just straight up biographies, I would have enjoyed them both a lot more.
September 26, 2014
While I did enjoy learning about John McCain’s extraordinary life and service to our country, this book did come across a bit campaign-ie.
The first sentence reads: ”There are a few things you need to know about my dad, and one of them is that he would make a great president.”
The last page says: It takes a great man to be president of the United States, and I know that nobody will work harder than my dad to convince people that he’s the right person for the job followed by many other boastings. None of which I am saying I disagree with; however, Meghan McCain just came across as to much of a political speech writer than as a children’s book author.
The first sentence reads: ”There are a few things you need to know about my dad, and one of them is that he would make a great president.”
The last page says: It takes a great man to be president of the United States, and I know that nobody will work harder than my dad to convince people that he’s the right person for the job followed by many other boastings. None of which I am saying I disagree with; however, Meghan McCain just came across as to much of a political speech writer than as a children’s book author.
January 21, 2012
I love the way Meghan McCain wrote this story about her dad. I liked it so much that I used it to show me how to write a children's book. Meghan narrated the story by showing the other side of her dad that people may not know like playing football,flying airplanes,was captured by the enemy,and married Meghan's mom Cindy. This history of John McCain makes good social studies,new words, adjectives,nouns,and civic-responsibility. Fifth graders could benefit from this book.
June 14, 2009
Meghan McCain tells her father's life story to children. I met Meghan and she
autographed books for me. Since her father's campaign, she has become a writer for
the Daily Beast and "twitters" daily. Her profile has increased as she defends
her body type from Laura Ingraham and makes political statements.
autographed books for me. Since her father's campaign, she has become a writer for
the Daily Beast and "twitters" daily. Her profile has increased as she defends
her body type from Laura Ingraham and makes political statements.
October 9, 2017
I’ve known and loved the McCain family for a lot of my life. I always love any of Meghan’s books, and obviously, while I don’t always politically agree with him, I have always loved, adored and respected her father as a man, a human being and in his service to this country.
This is a very quick children’s read on a few very basic pieces of his life. I loved the artwork throughout!
This is a very quick children’s read on a few very basic pieces of his life. I loved the artwork throughout!
Read
September 29, 2008Pretty terrible, even for a book about a presidential candidate written by a famil member of the candidate and released near the climax of the campaign.
Many, many more words here:
http://everydayislikewednesday.blogsp...
Many, many more words here:
http://everydayislikewednesday.blogsp...
July 19, 2011
Liked the book - my kids did too. I was surprised to discover how much McCain has done for our country through his military service and beyond. Whether or not you agree with his politics, you will admire this man's sacrifice, character and spirit, especially as told by his daughter.
October 25, 2008
John McCain's daughter wrote this childrens picture book about her Dad. I had to check it out.
February 1, 2010
Cooper and I both love learning about heroes, especially ones who have such an amazing story!
March 21, 2012
Biography of John McCain by his daughter. Takes you through major events in his life and shows his patriotism for his country.
October 10, 2018
This book is all about John McCain. It's written all about his life and it is written from his daughter's point of view. It starts out with his childhood and high school years. His daughter stated that he was a trouble maker in high school. The book then moves into McCain's years in the military and how he was captured as a prisoner. His daughter then moves into all of McCain's political years and how is was in Congress. I could use this book in the classroom when learning about people in American history. This book would be perfect to display John McCain and his character to the students in my classroom.
I really liked this. I have always been a big supporter of John McCain so I enjoyed reading about him and his life.
I really liked this. I have always been a big supporter of John McCain so I enjoyed reading about him and his life.
July 13, 2021
Meghan McCain wrote this picture book biography of her father John McCain when he was running for president in 2008. It's basically a "hey kids, your parents should vote for my dad" mild propaganda book. As a picture book biography, it is okay. It goes over the most pertinent details of McCain's life. However, it leaves out some pretty important details of his life such as his first marriage and his children from that marriage. Also, his name is never once mentioned in the text of the book, it is only in the title. He is only ever referred to as "my dad" or "my father" in the text. I feel like a biography should mention the subject's name in the text at least once. It surprises me that an editor didn't catch this. Overall, an okay picture book biography with some flaws.
November 9, 2018
We read this book in reading club to begin our celebration of Veterans Day. The book was written when Senator McCain was on the campaign trail. It is outdated a bit, but it allows for a perfect moment to discuss with your children winning and losing. Many great lessons to be learned, start turning pages.
February 23, 2019
It felt a bit like a propaganda piece. However, it did give some interesting facts that I never knew about John McCain and it could be used to teach students about how the presidential election works.
January 22, 2020
A touching introduction to John McCain, but a bit too campaigny at times. Clearly this was published during an election year and now has become dated. Still, a good read for kids to learn more about McCain's time in the military and as a prisoner of war, as well as his years in politics.
January 28, 2022
this book is very educational and you can tell her dad meant a lot to her and it shows us that we may go through hard times with our parents but they will always be there. The pictures add a very nice touch to it.
November 29, 2018
Great book!! My former students loved it!
January 30, 2019
Short and sweet.
July 6, 2019
It's a cute book, buuuut, I'm not a fan of John McCain and I'm not a fan of his daughter either. Adorable book, just don't like the author.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews