Early chapter book about a boy named after George Washington, who wants to find out what he (GW) would have eaten for breakfast. He doesn't stop until he figures it out! Encourages interest in US history.

This book is about a boy who wants to know what George Washington ate for breakfast. He finds out a lot of other cool facts along the way. It helps the reader remember that Washington was a real person.

My 9-year old daughter loved this book we borrowed from the library so much she wants to buy it.

I did not think much of this short, somewhat dated book by children's history writer Jean Fritz. But then the third grade teacher with whom I was student teaching "enriched" my appreciation for the novel by preparing breakfast for our students and having them dress in "colonial" attire. The kids had a blast and many of them began to look into other Jean Fritz works thus expanding their knowledge of American history. Just goes to show what a little nudge can do for a book. (Granted, our hoecakes were actually made from Marie Callender's Cornbread Mix but heck, the kids enjoyed themselves.)

i also forgot about this one & i honestly still barely remember it

This book was hilarious in parts, and a nice departure for a way to learn about George Washington. The cover on the copy I read is very cute, with both Georges in bathrobes. Yes, it's dated; you'd have to explain what a card catalog is to students. I enjoyed reading about a student with the desire to learn. Today George Allen would have a much easier time finding out what the other George had for breakfast; just googling it yielded several hoecake pages. I am sure that Jean Fritz did extensive research herself, in keeping with the many books she wrote on historical figures. One question I still have: why was the librarian hanging out at George's house? Was she that anxious to find out, too?

Not only did this book teach kids about the life and accomplishments of George Washington, but it was a fantastic introduction to research methodologies and an inspiration for endless curiosity. It was a long book, but the way it was written, my 5 year old son, sat and listened and was eagerly waiting for me to flip the page.

What a wonderful book! I love when children are curious about the world and are willing to do the research to learn about it. Highly recommend for second through fourth graders or anyone else that’s curious!

Simple and fun to read. Very informative. enjoyable.

Jacob read for his 15min Read-Aloud challenge...May 2016

One of my favorite kids books from when I was little! So cute and different!

Summary
George Washington's Breakfast by Jean Fritz is about a young boy named George W. Allen who is "...proud of two things. His name and his birthday." George feels connected to George Washington because he shares the same name and they share the same birthday. Ever since he realized that, he wanted to find out everything he could about George Washington. He begins to find out obscure facts like the names of President Washington's dogs and horses. He found out that they both like to count things. George W. even counted the buttons on George Washington's army uniform. The book focuses primarily on George W.'s quest to find out what George Washington ate for breakfast. After reading tons of books and even visiting George Washington's home; Mount Vernon, George W. can't find out. He gets frustrated and hides in his attic where he comes across an old book that belonged to his grandfather. As luck would have it, the book contains the answer he is looking for. He has his grandmother make George Washington's breakfast and feels more connected to him than ever. At the end of the book he is wondering what George Washington ate for lunch...
Critique
I enjoyed this book from a narrative perspective but not necessarily from a biographical perspective. The story is interesting and the writing style is easy to understand but the story doesn't focus on much about George Washington's life. In some ways this is frustrating but it is interesting to find out some things that very few people would know about George Washington. That being said, however, there are no references or indication that the information is accurate. It is a good story but not factually based.
Response
I would not use this book in my classroom because there is not necessarily any truth to the "facts" presented in it. If I were to use it, I would emphasize that there was more to historical figures than what is recorded in history books. They had lives outside battle or the white house. I would encourage children to come up with things they would like to learn about various historical figures and make up answers to creatively write about.