Madam President

The narrator of one of Lane Smith's picture books has a vital role in the book's success as an audiobook. Enunciation of the text requires precision, and well-placed pauses allow the listener to pore over the detailed illustrations. This production presents a child-friendly explanation of the presidential office. Anna Chiodo takes Smith's humor to heart and exaggerates his punctuation, both of which help to emphasize the story's lighthearted view of the topic. An interview with the author shares the experiences that gave rise to the story--aspects of Smith's childhood and personal connections to Hurricane Katrina--as well as his delight in combining facts with humor. Catchy background music completes the recording. A.R. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from June 23, 2008
Smith, who slyly recast U.S. history in John, Paul, George and Ben
, introduces a zealous, freckled girl with presidential aspirations. Refreshingly, Katy skips the hand-wringing and never questions whether a girl could become commander-in-chief—instead, she behaves as if she is president already, fulfilling official duties at home and in school. Attired in a dark pantsuit, she brashly inserts herself in a Boy Scout “photo op,” attends a pet frog's “state funeral” and treats an oral report as a press conference: “No comment. I'll get back to you on that.” In mixed-media sequences with emphatic type, Smith mingles earnest words with visual jokes, such as the trail of small American flags Katy leaves in her wake. He depicts the heroine wielding the veto (the cafeteria's tuna casserole gets a nay) and, in florid script, crafts unofficial “Hail to the Chief” lyrics praising “the most awesome one of all” and “her rad administration.” At one point, Katy crows in capital letters, “Why, the president is the most important person in the whole wide world!” (Tiny lowercase letters add, “And the most humble.”) Smith gazes into the national future and just as ably skewers the pitfalls of political office. Ages 4–8.