In 1801, the good people of Cheshire, Massachusetts, were upset to hear the news that President Jefferson was serving cheese from Norton, Connecticut, rather than the better-known Cheshire cheese. Elder John came up with a creative solution: to create a cheese so large that it would last for the rest of Jefferson’s administration. All the townspeople worked together to produce an enormous wheel of cheese weighing 1235 pounds and standing four feet high. And their plan, of course, worked: it’s reported that the cheese was still being eaten in 1805. This little-known, slightly bizarre chapter of U.S. history is brought to life with charm and humor in a picture book that stresses the manner in which the entire community worked together to accomplish a single goal. (Ages 5-9)

In 1801, the townspeople of Chesire, Massachusetts, create a gigantic cheddar cheese to present to President Jefferson at his New Year's Day party.