Your Voice, Your Vote

by Leah Henderson, Keisha Morris (Illustrator)

Overview

2024 Great Reads from Great Places Youth List 

Discover both the past and present day's fight to vote with Quetta Little as she learns the power of casting your vote in this ideal picture book from acclaimed author Leah Henderson and illustrator Keisha Morris. The perfect companion for any young reader during election year!

It’s Election Day, and Quetta, her mother, and her grandmother embark on their journey to cast their vote. Trekking through their vibrant neighborhood, they meet obstacle after obstacle before—and after—reaching their voting station.

Unwilling to give up, Quetta’s mother and grandmother teach her about the importance of voting and those who fought for their right—and Quetta comes to discover the power of raising her voice.

With warm illustrations, engaging text, and an insightful timeline, Your Voice, Your Vote will inspire readers to embrace this civic duty in the face of today’s continued fight for voting rights.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062986115
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/19/2023
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	497,644
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Leah Henderson is the author of many critically acclaimed books for young readers, including The Magic in Changing Your Stars; Your Voice, Your Vote; The Courage of the Little Hummingbird; and Together We March. She holds an MFA in writing and teaches in Spalding University's graduate writing program. Because she has serious wanderlust, when she isn’t creating stories, she’s off someplace in the world getting lost, then found, discovering new ones. Visit her at leahhendersonbooks.com.

Keisha Morris is a storyteller and illustrator who grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, and currently resides in Maryland. She earned her BFA in illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and enjoys creating characters whose personalities jump off the page. Keisha is the illustrator of When the Schools Shut Down, written by Yolanda Gladden and Dr. Tamara Pizzoli; The Truth About Mrs. Claus, written by Meena Harris; Words of Wonder from Z to A, by 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee winner Zaila Avant-garde; and All Aboard the School Train by Glenda Armand, and many others. Keisha made her author-illustrator debut with Between Two Windows. When she is not drawing, she loves spending time with her wife, daughter, and two fur babies, Elphie and Ollie! Visit her online at keishamorris.com.

Editorial Reviews

"A loving family working hard to vote puts this civic duty into greater historical context.. A much-needed reminder that voting is a right not to be taken for granted." — Kirkus Reviews

"A child’s-eye view of the voting experience that highlights the joys and frustrations of making one’s voice heard." — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

12/01/2023

K-Gr 3—A celebration of voting begins as Quetta waits impatiently for her mother to arrive home on Election Day. Quetta is excited to join her mother and grandmother on their journey to vote. As they take several buses and a long walk through their lively and diverse neighborhood, they encounter many community members eager to cast their own votes. Quetta is dismayed when they finally arrive at their polling station and the line seems endlessly long. To bolster Quetta's resolve, her grandmother tells her of the many exclusionary practices that Black Americans like her great-grandparents faced and reminds her of the importance of using her voice to create change. When her grandmother's ID is missing just as they finally get a turn to vote, there's a moment of suspense that keeps readers engaged while driving home how precarious the right to vote can be. Quetta and her family are depicted in bright colors that emphasize the excitement of election day, while faded blues depict the obstacles they face. An author's note with suggestions for further reading and a time line provides insight into the battle for voting rights for all. VERDICT A child's-eye view of the voting experience that highlights the joys and frustrations of making one's voice heard.—Alia Shields

School Library Journal

2023-09-23
A Black family makes an important journey on Election Day.

Young Quetta and her mother and grandmother take a long ride on two different buses (standing room only). Once they arrive at their polling place, they see a long line of community members, and they settle in to wait…and wait…and wait. It’s a big day—Grandma has even donned her Sunday hat, though it’s Tuesday. If it’s such an important day, though, why does Quetta’s mother still have to go to work? the girl wonders. And as it begins to rain, Quetta suggests going home. That opens up a conversation between Quetta and Grandma, whose parents and grandparents fought for the right to vote and who explains just how crucial it is to exercise this right. As they reach the front of the line, everyone is told that they must have their IDs in order to vote. Grandma is initially unable to find hers, and a knot forms in Quetta’s stomach. Luckily, all ends well, and Quetta gets to watch two generations of women in her family cast their votes. Henderson’s story of a loving family working hard to vote puts this civic duty into greater historical context. Morris’ digital illustrations have an intimate, collagelike look, with specific details that bring to life the various members of this community.

A much-needed reminder that voting is a right not to be taken for granted. (author’s note, further reading, timeline) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews