Political Activism: How You Can Make a Difference

Children's Literature - Cathi I. White

Many people complain about the laws or rules that govern our communities. Readers can change those laws by getting involved. Instead of sitting back and griping about the problem, take action like the young people in this book. Savannah was concerned about gas and global warming. She found out that under-inflated tires cause cars to waste gas. Savannah took action to make others aware of the problem. As a result, she and others have passed out over 10,000 tire gauges. Young people who see a problem are never too young to get involved. They need to do some research and get the true facts on the problem they want to work on. They can also get others involved to help with their causes. They can write petitions, picket, and write their senators or congressmen. When they come up with a goal and plan, they can put it into action using friends, family, neighbors, political candidates, and others who support their political issue. They may take risks and run across some who oppose them, but if they stand up to what they think is right and believes in, they can make a big difference and possibly help to change things. Young people who read this book will be excited to see others who have succeeded and will be encouraged to carry out their own causes. Teachers could use this educational book to help start a project in their own classroom. This book is part of the "Take Action" series. Reviewer: Cathi I. White

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7

The action plan is similar in each title, but because each author is active in the area she covers, these books are specific about problems and issues youngsters may face in trying to effect change in particular situations. All are successful in breaking down the process into doable steps. Suggestions include brainstorming ideas for what to tackle (school, community, state, national, or global); doing research to learn more about the problem and to discover who may be able to make changes (community leaders, political representatives, etc.); setting a goal and making a plan (including who else needs to be involved, possibly the media); and putting it into action. Throughout, profiles are interspersed of kids who recognized a problem and came up with a plan to address it. Color photographs of these people and descriptions of their successful projects will inspire readers. The authors use an involving, conversational style, although it sometimes results in sentence fragments. However, their approach is effective and sets readers up for success. With regard to research, they discuss biased versus objective sources and note the importance of respecting varying opinions. They warn kids that people may disagree with what they are doing, and how research and preparation will help them state their cases in a calm, mature manner. These titles will help to empower young people who often feel frustrated at their perceived lack of control over their environment to step out of their routine and truly make a difference.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA