PEW!

A literal big cheese’s trip to the White House.

In 1835, Col. Thomas S. Meacham, a landowner in Sandy Creek, New York, wanted to give a gift to President Andrew Jackson—something that would “show off the talents of his farming community.” He decided to prepare a very large cheese, a 1,400-pound cheese to be exact. “Four feet in diameter, two feet thick” (the illustrations take a bit of liberty on exaggerating cheese size—unless everyone back then was only 4 feet tall), the cheese made its way along rivers and canals until it reached its final destination in January 1836: the White House. There, it sat in splendor in the entrance hall slowly being consumed until, in the ensuing hot, humid summer, it began to stink. A lot. The president decided to have a cheese party on Washington’s birthday, Feb. 22. Ten thousand people came, and the cheese was finally finished. This narrative competently imparts the facts and relays the basics of cheesemaking. The illustrations vary among double-page spreads, spot illustrations, and single-page images, and while they are historically accurate in their depictions of dress and architecture, they lack a certain pizzazz overall, simply mirroring the narrative. Most people, including Meacham, are White; a few people of color are shown but mostly as workers (probably enslaved people). (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A slice of history, accurately presented.