When I Am the Leader

"When I am a representative,

I will be a member of the House of Representatives within the United States Congress

I will more or less fulfill the people's interests and objectives."

Do you ever have a difficult time trying to explain politics to kids? What about the election process? If so, When I am the Leader is a great book to start the conversation. Not only does it describe the roles of elected officials, it also highlights occupations in education that children are familiar with. For  kids who already have aspirations of what they want to be when they grow up, When I am the Leader is a great readr. It describes more than 20 occupations, many of which are determined through elections. The book explains what it means to be a senator, school principal, police officer, mayor and many other professions.

The rhyming prose makes the book easy to read, and makes up for the lack of color in the illustrations. The back of the book features a substantial notes section, which is helpful for classroom lessons. This book is effective in teaching children what it means to be a leader, because it focuses on the duties of each occupation, not on how much  money is made, which can be why many children do or don't want to go into a specific profession.

If you know a child who demonstrates leadership abilities and/or qualities When I am the Leader is a great way to instill future ambitions in them. When I am the Leader is written by Fannie T. Brown and is available at BarnesandNoble.com. Or if you live in, or plan to visit Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, you can find the book at the Grand Strand Cultural Arts Foundation, which is located at 1208 Hemingway Street in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Grace for President

Girls rock! Do you agree? If so, you will love the picture book Grace for President, that teaches children not only about the election process, but to be ambitious and believe that they can achieve anything they set their minds to!

Grace for President, begins with an innocent question from a young student and turns into a race for school president!  In school one day, Grace is shown a large poster featuring all of the past U.S. presidents, and she notices that none of them are women. Grace then asks her teacher "Where's the women?" - to which her teacher responds, informing Grace that there's never been a female president, which bothers Grace, who then decides she will run for class president! Grace wants to show her classmates that women can be president too! Besides, how hard can it be? Or so Grace thinks to herself.

The next day, its announced that Grace has an opponent from another class - one who happens to be the Spelling Bee champion, AND captain of the soccer team. Grace realizes running for president won't be as easy as she thought, but she doesn't let it discourage her and presses on, working hard to win the election. She does doing everything from handing out cupcakes to joining the school safety squad and creating a school beautification committee.

Grace for President is an absolute treat of a picture book for many reasons. It's simplistic style of educating children about politics in a way they can understand and can relate to. It's non-preachy lesson, and fun illustrations featuring diverse children of all races and every skin shade. And most importantly, it encourages young girls and children in general to be ambitious through a fun civic lesson that has the reader wondering what will happen next! If you find these ideals important, purchase Grace for President today!

Grace for President

Author: Kelly DiPucchio

Illustrator: Leuyen Pham

Available at: Teaching for Change bookstores, Amazon.com