"Klaus, a black-and-tan long-haired dachshund, is walking the grounds of historic Poplar Forest, where Thomas Jefferson lived more than 200 years ago. The little dog follows a scent into a rabbit hole and, when he pops out at the other end, finds himself wearing a tri-corn hat. He meets Thomas Jefferson and his granddaughters, Ellen and Cornelia, and realizes he has been transported into the past. The book follows "Colonial" Klaus as he inspects the landscape and octagonal house at Poplar Forest,
meeting members of the enslaved community of people who labor on the plantation to make Jefferson's life and legacy possible. Intertwined with this story are Jefferson's recollections of the special year 1776, when he wrote the Declaration of Independence and helped create a new country. The writing and illustrations evoke a historic sense of time and place that can still be found today at Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest.
"
