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Overview
Imagine starring in commercials and traveling in your own campaign bus! Or seeing your face on bumper stickers and T-shirts!If you ran for president, you would get to do these and other fun things, but you would also have to do a lot of hard work. You would study the nation's problems, tell the American people about your platform, select a running mate, and debate your opponents on live television. Finally, in November, Election Day would arrive. You would keep your fingers crossed and wait for the results-will you be the next president of the United States?
A multicultural cast of children imagines what it would be like to run for president. The entertaining yet informative text is a good conversation starter for discussions on the election process. A note about this process accompanies the story. The author, Catherine Stier, is no stranger to politics-her previous book, If I Were President, looked at the various responsibilities of the president.
Synopsis
If you ran for president, you would have to do a lot of hard work. You would study the nation's problems, tell the American people about your platform, select a running mate, and debate your opponents on live television.
Children's Literature
As the presidential elections approach in the United States, this timely book invites the child to imagine himself or herself as a presidential candidate. It is the job of leading the country, and he or she must consider if they are ready to tackle it. Step-by-step, the child follows his peers (girls and boys of multi-ethnic backgrounds) from the moment they make their announcement to run, to campaigns, participation in primaries, debates with other presidential contenders, party conventions, and Election Day. It provides succinct explanations of the voting process, the popular vote versus the electoral vote, and political parties. The book provides a child's view of the hard work involved in campaigning and debating key issues, but also the fun of meeting people from all over the United States. The imaginative and informative illustrations complement the straightforward narrative. This book would make an excellent contribution to a social studies class leading to further discussion of the democratic process. Reviewer: Lilliam Oliva Collmann
Editorials
Children's Literature -
As the presidential elections approach in the United States, this timely book invites the child to imagine himself or herself as a presidential candidate. It is the job of leading the country, and he or she must consider if they are ready to tackle it. Step-by-step, the child follows his peers (girls and boys of multi-ethnic backgrounds) from the moment they make their announcement to run, to campaigns, participation in primaries, debates with other presidential contenders, party conventions, and Election Day. It provides succinct explanations of the voting process, the popular vote versus the electoral vote, and political parties. The book provides a child's view of the hard work involved in campaigning and debating key issues, but also the fun of meeting people from all over the United States. The imaginative and informative illustrations complement the straightforward narrative. This book would make an excellent contribution to a social studies class leading to further discussion of the democratic process. Reviewer: Lilliam Oliva CollmannSchool Library Journal
Gr 1-3
This title is a step above the usual election books, both in content and entertainment value. Six children take turns explaining the election process as if they were running for president. They discuss their decision to run, campaigning, primaries and conventions, debating, being interviewed, meeting the public, voting, and being sworn in on Inauguration Day. Stier does a good job of explaining election details, both in an introductory note about electoral votes and in the text itself. The fact that one must be 35 years of age is only mentioned in the note. The author adds flavor by providing humorous examples, such as the need to smile despite indigestion. However, the multiple narrators can be confusing. One must rely on the illustrations to know which child is speaking, and sometimes it is not apparent at first glance. The lively cartoons cheerfully clarify the action and reinforce the concepts. Libraries will want to consider this kid-friendly title.
—Barbara KatzCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.