Getting Elected

April 1, 2012

Gr 3-5-With as much pep as a Sousa march, these titles delineate the hows and whys of U.S. government. Similar to Gareth Stevens's "Know Your Government" (2009), the writing is direct and engaging. The illustrations are a compelling blend of historical photos, stock photos, and period sketches. Each image is captioned with information that supplements the text. Red and blue design elements and borders look crisp and lively against the white backgrounds. While each book stands by itself, as a whole, they emphasize the relationships between the government's many parts. All of the volumes are also available as interactive ebooks.

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2012
Grades 3-5 Although the government is run for the people and by the people, the people can't do all the work. After briefly explaining how citizens elect representatives to make decisions for them, this entry in the How Does Government Work? series focuses on how candidates run for office. The straightforward text follows a fictional mayor, Kate Brown, from the campaign trail to the victory party as she tries to become one of her state's senators. It introduces the Democratic and Republican Parties, as well as third parties, and describes what it takes for Kate to win, including an effective campaign staff, fund-raising, and attending rallies. Each step of the process is reflected in color photographs of actual elections, such as John McCain volunteers calling supporters for donations and Barack Obama casting his vote in the 2008 presidential election. A timely, well-rounded book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)