If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier, Lynne Avril (Illustrator), Lynne Avril (Illustrator), Lynne Avril (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

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.

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

Barbara KatzCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - School 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.

Kirkus Reviews

No scandal mongering or shady PACs weasel their way into Stier's bright-eyed story of running for the office of president. This will be an innocent and charmingly earnest race with lots of different kids tossing their hats into the ring. (Forget for the moment that candidates must be at least 35 years old, one of the bevy of facts presented at the outset.) Stier follows the candidates, and Avril draws them in all their crayon guilelessness, as they brood over entering the race, move from caucus to convention, ponder their positions and spread their wares before the public. Whiners need not apply, as Stier lets it be known that getting your message across is a long, tough job. But the story is refreshing, too; no one is pandering or posturing. Honesty is a virtue here, as is being concerned and well-scrubbed. This is a campaign to yearn for, all issues and not a spin doctor in sight. It's enough to make you consider lowering the age requirement by about 30 years. (Picture book. 6-9)

Product Details

• ISBN: 0807535435
  
• ISBN-13: 9780807535431
• Format: Paperback, 32pp
• Publisher: Albert Whitman
• Pub. Date: October 2007
• Sales Rank: 17,181
• Age Range: 6 to 9