Books About the Election for Children

Posted by on September 24, 2004

[posted from Cathryn Berger Kaye to National K-12 Service-Learning listserv]

Every four years we have a chance to make The Presidential Election Connection. Here are literature suggestions, teaching tools and more. Read, share, spread the word! We still have ample time to engage students in the civic life of this process. Every student can get involved. Feedback is welcome. If you have
suggestions on ways to engage students, post them. Keep us inspired.

Gearing up for the fall election? Check out this assortment of books, both
fiction and nonfiction, to inspire kids of all ages to get involved! And remember reading a picture book to older kids is a great way to get off the ground.

Duck for President by Doreen Cronin. In this sequel to Click Clack Moo, Cows
That Type, the duck gets the idea to run the farm. After beating Farmer Brown in an election, he sets his sights on being governor and beyond! Preschool through Gr 2.

Vote! By Eileen Christelow. It’s time for a mayoral election, but what does it mean to vote? How does a person register? What happens in a close call? In this mix of cartoon-style art and text, many questions about the process are answered. Includes a historical timeline of voting rights and resources. Grades
1-4.

Election Connection: The Official Nick Guide to Electing the President by, Susan Ring. A book jam-packed with election information from every possible angle. In addition to opportunities to complete questionnaires and design your own political bumper sticker, content goes beyond the basics to include: the process of voting, “spin,” debates, campaign strategies, and more. Grades 3 – 6.

A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhull by Kathlenn Krull.
Could a woman run for president of the United States? In this newly released picture book, meet dynamic Victoria Woodhull, who did just that. She declared her candidacy and ran against Ulysses S. Grant for President in 1872. Victoria rightly described herself as being “too many years ahead of this age.” She believed woman deserved the right to vote and helped set the course to make this a reality. With beautiful art, we follow Victoria from her childhood to be the first woman to speak before an all-male Congress! A free service learning teacher guide for this book written by Cathryn Berger Kaye is available at http://www.abcdbooks.org. Grades 4-12.
Please note the teacher guide will be available on this website by October 1, so keep checking! (If you are in the Los Angeles area, author Kathleen Krull will be speaking at the Elementary Community Service Assocation meeting at the Skirball Museum on October 19. Contact me directly for more details.)

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer. When 16-year-old Hope moves with her aunt from New York to Wisconsin to work in a diner, she finds more cooking than expected. To the town’s surprise, diner owner G.T. announces his candidacy to oust the corrupt mayor. Hope and other teens rally together, adding the vital ingredient of youth action to the campaign. Grades 5-12

THIS NEXT BOOK IS A MUST! The content can be used in many grade levels. Vote for Larry! By Janet Tashjian. Get ready to meet Josh, a 17-year-old who is convinced that indeed young people do have much to contribute to politics. In this sequel to The Gospel According to Larry, an engaging young adult novel about materialism, Josh (along with his alter-ego “Larry”), returns to run for a local city office. Instead, he sees a larger need and runs for President of the United States. Set in the fall of 2004, this contemporary glimpse into the election illuminates many social issues that will grab and motivate teen (and adult) readers to get involved. Grades 7-12

Select excerpts from The Complete Guide to Service Learning (Free Spirit Publishing, 2004) by Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A. printed with permission.

A Web Connection: http://www.november2.org is a nonpartisan website encouraging voter registration and voting on, you guessed it, November 2. They have a fabulous 90 second video and photos to view on their website (great educational tools). Information, ideas, ways to get involved all there.

Contributed by Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., National Service Learning Consultant and author of The Complete Guide to Service Learning (Free Spirit Publishing, 2004). To contact Cathy, email cbkaye@aol.com and visit her website at http://www.abcdbooks.org