Obama’s ‘Of Thee I Sing’ book a hit among Brooklyn youth

NEW YORK - US President Barack Obama’s first children book ‘Of Thee I Sing’ has proven to be quite a hit with the youth of Brooklyn.

Obama has written two best sellers for adults, and now his first children’s book ‘Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters’ priced at 17.99 dollars is set to hit shelves this week.

The 31-page picture book for ages three and up celebrates 13 American heroes, from baseball great Jackie Robinson to Sioux chief Sitting Bull and Martin Luther King, Jr., who each embody qualities that Obama sees in his daughters Sasha and Malia.

At Brooklyn’s Central Library, a group of very tots gave the President’s latest efforts a glowing review.

“It’s inspiring. The book encourages people to do what they did. It’s kind of funny and smart,” the New York Daily News quoted Diavione Oliver, 7, as saying.

Her brother Rob, 5, was so thrilled by the book, he jumped out of his seat to point at his favourite pictures.

“I liked the astronaut [Neil Armstrong] because I want to go to the moon,” he said.

And it was not only the kids who liked the book, with parents also revealing that they were very impressed.

“I was just asking the librarians where I can get a copy! I thought it was great,” Gilbert Williams from Flatbush, whose son Umi, 5, enjoyed Albert Einstein’s section best, said.

Tanya Moses, a mom from Flatbush, was pleased that the First Dad is reaching out to the next generation.

“It’s nice that the president would make a book for children. I would definitely buy it,” she said, holding her daughter Savannah Jiggetts, 2.

The book highlights a diverse cross-section of Americans of different genders, races and jobs.

“Its really inspirational language,” Andrea Vaughn, the library’s youth services coordinator, said.

Obama wrote the heartfelt letter to his daughters between the 2008 election and his 2009 inauguration, with publication awaiting award-winning artist Loren Long’s illustrations.

He’s donating his share of the profits to a scholarship program run by the Fisher House Foundation, which benefits the children of fallen and disabled service workers. (ANI)