If I Ran For President

If you ran for president, you would 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.

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