Book Talk Thursday ~ The Worst of Friends

I am so blessed to be able to travel all over the beautiful state of Virginia. This week while I am in Charlottesville, the home of our third president, I am going to share a book about him in Book Talk Thursday!

I think I have said it before, but I love that Virginia is a state so rich in history. Every time I turn around, there is something new to learn. I have lived here since I was 13, and I still have yet to see it all!

At our spring book fair, I saw this awesome book and couldn't pass it up: Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the True Story of an American Feud.

The book tells the story of two of our Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, and their friendship. They began as great friends despite their very different personalities. Their families were close, doing many things together and helping each other out. Then when it came time to make decisions about a new country, they disagreed on different issues, splitting into two political parties.

Their friendship ended, until correspondence started later in their lives. It makes me wonder when Thomas Jefferson said this:

They kept in touch but never saw each other again, dying on the same day, July 4, 1826.

This book is great for helping children realize that even though we are different, we can still be great friends. I used this with my fifth graders as we did some comparing and contrasting. We talked about how the two men were different and alike. They really remembered the information about them and used it in their own learning.

It also helps us all to remember that:

I love reading fun books with students where they can learn something new! It really brings learning into real life as they learn more about the world around them!

So, today I have brought a little love from Virginia to you!