If the Walls Could Talk Family Life at the White House

In case you've ever wondered, the walls at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue have eyes and ears -- and, what's more, they don't miss a thing. Now, listen up because the walls have a thing or two to tell you!During PresidentJohn Tyler'spresidency, the White House was such a mess that it was called the "Public Shabby House."PresidentWilliam Howard Taftwas so large that he had to have a jumbo-size bathtub installed -- one big enough for four people.PresidentAndrew Jackson's"open door" policy at the White House resulted in 20,000 people showing up for his inauguration party. (The new president escaped to the quiet of a nearby hotel!)PresidentAbraham Lincolndidn't mind at all that his younger sons, Tad and Willie, kept pet goats in their White House bedrooms.Children all across the country sent in their own money to build an indoor swimming pool for wheelchair-bound PresidentFranklin D. Rooseveltso that he could exercise.PresidentHarry S. Trumanknew it was time to renovate the White House after a leg on his daughter's piano broke right through the floor.Hear these funny, surprising stories and more about the most famous home in America and the extraordinary families who have lived in it.

Jane O'Connor is an editor at a major publishing house and has written more than seventy books for children, including the New York Times bestselling Fancy Nancy series, which is comprised of over 50 titles so far.