Read stories about how we elect our leaders.
Fiction
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Par)
When Amelia Bedelia runs into her principal, Mr. K., and plants the idea that students should vote on the rules, he decides that her class should be the first to come up with new ideas for running the school.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Cro)
When Duck gets tired of working for Farmer Brown, his political ambition eventually leads to his being elected president.
Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Dip
When Grace discovers that there has never been a female United States president, she decides to run for school president.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Ban)
Life on the farm with Granddaddy is full of hard work, but despite all the chores, Granddaddy always makes time for play, especially fishing trips. Even when there isn't a bite to catch, he reminds young Michael that it takes patience to get what's coming to you. One morning, when Granddaddy heads into town in his fancy suit, Michael knows that something very special must be happening—and sure enough, everyone is lined up at town hall! For the very first time, Granddaddy is allowed to vote, and he couldn't be more proud. But can Michael be patient when justice just can't come soon enough?
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Win)
As an older adult, Lillian recalls that her great-great-grandparents were sold as slaves in front of a courthouse where only rich white men were allowed to vote, then the long fight that led to her right—and determination—to cast her ballot since the Voting Rights Act gave every American the right to vote.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Smi)
A little girl imagines what her day would be like if she were president of the United States.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Cza)
Election season is here and Monster is ready to vote! But why cast your ballot when you can run for president instead? With speeches, debates, and a soapbox or two, Monster's newest tale is a campaign encouraging kids to take a stand and fight for what they believe in.
(Juvenile Early Readers - J-ER Man)
Pedro and his friend Katie Woo are both running for class president. Pedro knows he can do great things for his class, if only he gets past that speech!
(Juvenile Graphic Novels - J-GN Pizza And Taco v. 1)
Best friends Pizza and Taco agree on nearly everything until Pizza declares himself the best of all, leading to debating, voting, competing, and finally defining what being the best really means.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Rey)
You might not expect a hot-pink squid to be a likely candidate for president, especially since this squid seems to possess very few qualifications for governance. Sure, he wears a tie, has a huge house, and does a lot of bossy talking, but even young readers—and certainly Squid's undersea neighbors—recognize that these are not very good reasons to elect a person (or cephalopod) president. But when he puts all his effort (and all his legs) into doing a good deed for a stranger, he learns that helping people is very presidential.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Bar)
George Washington crossed the Delaware in the dead of night. Abraham Lincoln saved the Union. And President William Howard Taft, a man of great stature—well, he got stuck in a bathtub. Now, how did he get unstuck?
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Rod)
Lion is king of the jungle, but the power has gone to his mane. He's rerouted the river so it fills up his new swimming pool, and the other animals are not happy. In fact, they decide they don't want a king at all—they want to vote for a president.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Cla)
Donkey and Elephant will stop at nothing to win readers' votes. Their tactics include smarmy compliments, shameless self-flattery, and even bribes of candy and peanuts. The campaign soon degenerates, and insults such as "BOOGER-BREATH," and "SMELLYPANTS" are flung, along with mud. The candidates apologize to each other, but both are shocked when there’s a twist ending!
Nonfiction
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 324.6 Son)
Elections are part of the foundation of our democracy. Readers will learn how elections work, whether it's voting on local rules or electing the president of the United States. The book also highlights why voting is so very important and how kids can become involved, even when they're still years from casting their first vote.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 324.62 Rub)
For over 200 years, people have marched, gone to jail, risked their lives, and even died trying to get the right to vote in the United States. Others, hungry to acquire or hold onto power, have gone to extraordinary lengths to prevent people from casting ballots or outright stolen votes and sometimes entire elections. Perfect for students who want to know more about voting rights, this nonfiction book contains an extensive view of suffrage from the Founding Fathers to the 19th Amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to today's voter suppression controversies, and explains the barriers People of Color, Indigenous people, and immigrants face.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 324.6 Shu)
Every time you make a choice, you can say that you voted for it. This simple and lighthearted introduction to voting moves from making choices about food and fun to the steps and strategies involved in choosing a classroom pet. It then explains how those same principles apply when we choose and vote for leaders at the local, state, and national level.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 324.7 Sti)
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.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 323.34 Dio)
For Black women, the fight for the right to vote was only one battle. An eye-opening book that tells the important, overlooked story of Black women as a force in the suffrage movement—when fellow suffragists did not accept them as equal partners in the struggle.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 323.1196 Low)
The story of the youngest person to complete the momentous Selma to Montgomery March, describing her frequent imprisonments for her participation in nonviolent demonstrations and how she felt about her involvement in historic Civil Rights events.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 324.623 Box)
Women's suffrage in America came down to a single voter in Tennessee who voted "Yes" because of a letter his mother had written, urging "Vote for suffrage and don't forget to be a good boy." This is the story of the letter that gave all American women a voice.
(Juvenile Picture Books Nonfiction - Ej 324.6 Mcn)
The students of Stanton Elementary School, a polling place, find out all they can about voting, then encourage everyone in their neighborhoods to cast their ballots.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 324.973 Ch)
Using a campaign for mayor as an example, shows the steps involved in an election, from the candidate's speeches and rallies, to the voting booth where every vote counts, to the announcement of the winner.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 324.6097 Bon)
Slim but mighty, this book packs a powerful punch by combining the tenets of diversity and citizenship with fundamental facts about United States government. While the volumes aimed specifically at our political system are very much introductory, the series works well as a whole by conveying the importance of tolerance, cooperation, and peoples' rights in addition to how responsibility can extend beyond the individual.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 320.973 Rus)
America is the greatest democracy in the world...isn't it? Author Elizabeth Rusch examines some of the more problematic aspects of our government but, more importantly, offers ways for young people to fix them.