By DPA,
Washington : US President Barack Obama’s first children’s book arrives in stores Tuesday, bringing a light-hearted accent into his days of political and economic travail.
“Of Thee I Sing”, aimed at children aged three and up, features a drawing of his daughters Sasha, nine, and Malia, 12, spunkily striding across the lawn with their portuguese water dog Bo – a popular and oft-photographed view of the White House children.
The book, which Obama dedicates to his wife, Michelle, is written as a playful letter to his children, telling of 13 “groundbreaking” Americans, according to advance reviews of the book.
They include artist Georgia O’Keeffe, scientist Albert Einstein, baseball player Jackie Robinson and the defiant Sioux chief Sitting Bull.
Obama’s two previous books – “Dreams From My Father” and “Audacity of Hope” – were best-sellers, netting him more than $5 million. The proceeds from “Of Thee I Sing” will be used to set up a scholarship fund for children of soldiers who have been killed or disabled.
The title, “Of Thee I Sing”, is a phrase taken from the patriotic American hymn “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”, sung ironically to the tune of Britain’s “God Save the Queen”.
Obama’s Democratic Party took a beating in mid-term legislative elections earlier this month as he struggles to rev up the US economy and end two wars.