US president Obama to publish children's book

He usually goes to great lengths to exclude his daughters from the public eye.

But in a surprising move, US President Barack Obama, has published a book with a picture of his two girls on the front, titled Of Thee I Sing: A Letter To My Daughter.

Tribute
The volume, featuring cartoon of Malia (12), and Sasha, (9), walking their dog Bo on the cover, is a tribute to 13 groundbreaking American authors, including the first president George Washington and artist Georgia O'Keeffe. The book celebrates figures Jackie Robinson, who broke down barriers by becoming the first African American baseball player in the major leagues.

It runs at 40 pages and an initial print run of 500,000 copies will be made, at a cost of ufffd17.99 (Rs 1,300). The title is taken from the lyrics of My Country, Tis of thee an early American patriotic song.

Proceeds from the book, which is due to go on sale in November -- just as mid-term elections threaten to reduce the number of Democrats in Congress, willu00a0 go to a scholarship fund for the children of fallen and disabled soldiers serving the nation.

Uniting Americans
Chip Gibson, publisher at Random House, which is also produced Obama's previous works Dreams From My Father and The Audacity Of Hope said the book was intended for children aged three and above.

"It is an honour to publish this extraordinary book, which is an inspiring marriage of words and images, history and story. The book celebrates the characteristics that unite all Americans -- the potential to pursue our dreams and forage our own paths."

It is not the first time a president has published a book aimed at younger readers.

Jimmy Carter's The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer was published in 1995 -- more than a decade after he left office.
And Theodore Roosevelt collaborated with Henry Cabot Lodge on Hero Tales from American History released in 1895 before he became president.

Money matters
Obama agreed with Random House to publish a children's book in 2004, as well as another non-fiction work, as part of a $1.9million (Rs 88 crore) three-book deal.

He also has a $500,000 (Rs 2 crore) agreement from January last year for an abridged young adult edition of Dreams From My Father.

500,000, the number of copies included in the first run of the book, which will release in November