Jackie Robinson, the first black Major League baseball player,
Sitting Bull, the Sioux chief, and singer Billie Holiday are
among the inspirational Americans numbered by Barack Obama in
his lyrical new children's picture book, Of Thee I Sing,
published today. Written before he became the US president,
Obama's book is presented as a letter to his young children,
Sasha and Malia, and is dedicated to Michelle, his wife, "whose
fierce love and daily good sense have nourished such wonderful
daughters". The book, illustrated by children's artist Loren
Long, begins by asking "Have I told you lately how wonderful you
are?" and goes on to offer repeated phrases of praise and
encouragement to the sisters, while introducing them to the
examples of 13 great Americans who shaped the nation – from
Martin Luther King, who "taught us unyielding compassion" and
"opened hearts", to Jackie Robinson who "swung his bat with the
grace and strength of a lion and gave brave dreams to other
dreamers". The list takes in George Washing