I found this book charming, but pretty time relative. I do not know if as a child I had ever read biographies of past presidents while I do remember reading biographies of the current president. Pretty easy story to follow and vocabulary that is not too advanced. I would say that this would be good for middle grade elementary. ( )

This inspirational book mostly focuses on Joe Biden’s early years, and is full of charming anecdotes that will appeal to the recommended audience of 4-8 years. They reveal that he was competitive, but often played the role of peacemaker and defender of bullied peers. His parents believed in him and encouraged him to succeed, and succeed he did. He became a star athlete and class president in high school. He went on to learn a law degree from Syracuse University and then at the age of only 29, was elected to the U.S. Senate from the state of Delaware. In 2008, he began serving as U.S. Vice President under Barak Obama. In 2019, Biden announced his candidacy for U.S. President.

Illustrator Amy June Bates uses soft-focused watercolor, gouache and pencil illustrations that have a Norman Rockwell feel to them.

The book is completed by an album of actual family pictures, a timeline, bibliography, and list of sources for quotations. The last page features “Bidenisms” - expressions that Joe has used over and over and that define his philosophy of life, such as “Out of everything terrible, something good will come if you look hard enough.” ( )