nce upon a time, a Virginia farm boy named George Washington was playing with a hatchet in his parents’ garden. He came upon his father’s favorite cherry tree, which he proceeded to chop and chop until the tree fell crashing to the ground. When George’s father confronted him, George replied with words that have been duly recorded in history books ever since:

At that moment, a gust of wind arose and knocked the guilty boy off his feet. From out of the sky came a huge and mighty fire-breathing dragon.

The fearsome creature scooped up George and carried him off to its lair, in a magical land populated by flying pigs and winged monkeys. There George was adopted by a dragon family and treated with kindness.

Of course, that whole story is a fantasy, beginning with the part about the boy and the hatchet. Young George Washington never chopped down a cherry tree. He never said “I cannot tell a lie.” That’s just a story a pastor named Mason Weems invented in the early 1800s, and schoolbooks have been repeating it ever since.

The real George Washington was just a regular kid. In fact, every president in United States history started out like you and me. Sure, many of them grew up to achieve amazing things. But as children, they went to school, played sports, fought with their brothers and sisters, and did all the crazy things kids do.

So in this book we won’t even pretend that George Washington chopped down a cherry tree. But we will tell you about the time he tried swimming across the Potomac River—and nearly drowned.

And you’ll read about how a young John F. Kennedy was always fighting with his big brother Joe.

And you’ll read about how a young Dwight Eisenhower dealt with bullies, older brothers, and a savage barnyard goose.

You’ll read about how young Ronald Reagan overcame his bad eyesight, picked up a pair of glasses, and became the legendary lifesaver of Dixon, Illinois.

And you’ll read about how, as a boy, Barack Obama moved to a new town in a different country and found his way—with some help from a friendly ape named Tata.

This is Kid Presidents, the book that proves any kid can grow up to be president. Because every U.S. president started out as a regular kid. Just like you.

So if you want to make your country a better place—and you’re willing to work very hard—who knows where you’ll find yourself someday? Maybe you’ll go all the way to the White House, just like all of these crazy kids.