Woodrow for President: A Tail of Voting, Campaigns, and Elections

by Peter W. Barnes, Cheryl Shaw Barnes

Overview

Election year is upon us and what better way to teach children about campaigning, voting, and the election process than through Cheryl and Peter Barnes’ critically-acclaimed book Woodrow for President!

Featuring Woodrow G. Washingtail, a civic-minded mouse with presidential ambitions, Woodrow for President follows Woodrow as he runs for president of the United Mice of America.

Taking children on a journey from Woodrow’s schoolmouse days full of hard work and community service to his time as governor of Moussouri to his bid for president of the United Mice of America, Woodrow for President introduces children to campaigning, elections, volunteering, and more through this fun—and educational—story of one mouse’s dream to become the nation’s “Big Cheese.”

Featuring a contract for voting between parents and kids as well as fun activities such as “find the secret service agent” in every illustration, Woodrow for President is perfect for any child in K-4 who might one day aspire to be the “Commander in Cheese.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596987869
Publisher:	Skyhorse Publishing
Publication date:	05/21/2012
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	523,236
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

The list of Regnery authors reads like a "who's who" of conservative thought, action, and history.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1–3—The election process is explained through the story of Woodrow G. Washingtail, "all-American mouse of renown," who seems like a candidate on whom most people can agree. He is such a responsible community member that he is asked to run for town council. From then on he becomes mayor, state, senator, governor, and finally president. Along the way, campaign organization, political parties, primaries, debates, national conventions, and voting procedures are explained. The rhyming text is awkward at times, but children can learn a great deal about how elections work, and the story is secondary to the book's educational purpose. Adults will recognize references such as "ask not what your nation can do for you…" and "be your own point of light," but the book maintains a bipartisan, objective tone. While the watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations are not highly polished, they are appealing and cheerful. For election-year stories that are somewhat more entertaining, try Doreen Cronin's Duck for President (S & S, 2004), Jarrett Krosoczka's Max for President (Knopf, 2004), or Kelly DiPucchio's Grace for President (Hyperion, 2008).—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

School Library Journal

A mouse with a smile as wide as Ike's and outstretched arms as expansive as Nixon's runs a successful campaign for the presidency. Woodrow G. Washingtail of Moussouri, born with a political spoon in his teeth, grows up to be an "all-American mouse of renown" and marries his Bess. He leads an exemplary small-town life, runs for town council, mayor, state senate and "governor of the whole state!" He then declares his candidacy for the nation's "Big Cheese" as the choice of the Bull Mouse party. The husband-and-wife writing and illustrating team go on to describe the entire presidential campaign process, with information on political parties, primaries, debates, conventions, campaigns and inauguration. Woodrow is, of course, elected as "the hope of all mice, the hope of a nation" after an all-around clean and wholesome crusade. The entire "tail" is written in quatrains with an AABB rhyming scheme. Unfortunately, maintaining this structure often leads to awkward scanning and phrasing. A surfeit of puns wears thin, as Hairry King conducts an interview, Mousechusetts attends the National Convention and Senator Ed Mouse-ski debates. Amateurishly drawn full-page cartoon illustrations owe much to Richard Scarry, but are crowded and too full of toothy smiles. Vote--but not for this candidate. (resources for parents and teachers, additional information and activities, reproducible "contract to vote.") (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews