A Black child’s classroom lessons are reinforced by a visit to the voting booth in this simple Election Day tale. After voting for a friend in the student government election, Kwame is excited to detail the day’s events to his father at school pickup. Next, before heading to the polls, the two meet up with family members who affirm the priorities that inform their voting decisions. Uncle William’s focus is on protecting the environment, Aunt Ruth is motivated by healthcare, and Grandma Alice wants good schools for Kwame. And at the polling place, Kwame sees his mother, an election judge, working to “help people to vote and make sure the voting process is fair for everyone.” Hampton’s unlined illustrations are dominated by blue, with stripes and stars adding thematic emphasis to this straightforward work of civic participation. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. A list of ways to make a difference, glossary, timeline, and more conclude. Ages 8–11. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

In this narrative from Biden with Satin Capucilli, a farm visit from the first lady leads to a new life in Washington, D.C., for a gray tiger cat named Willow—but not before the farmer assures the kitten that “no matter where you go, we all share the same moon.” After a warm welcome by both Bidens, Berube, working in ink and acrylic, chronicle Willow’s explorations of her new digs: one catalog-like cutaway spread shows her perusing spaces including the Red Room and the Map Room, while other vignettes show friendly encounters with White House staff. But Willow’s favorite spot is the Oval Office, where she sleeps on the big desk and receives presidential skritches. It’s a quietly lovely portrait of a landmark through feline eyes, which concludes with a cozy personal moment: the president and first lady snuggled together under the covers, Willow curled up between them. Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note includes photos of the real Willow. Ages 4–8. (June)

Reviewed on 07/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

Working in flashback, Salomon chronicles the life and developing voice of civil rights champion Myrlie Evers-Williams (b. 1933). Born into Jim Crow Mississippi, Evers-Williams grew up in a place where “hate ran as deep as the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers” and “love flowed stronger than hate and river currents.” The quiet girl finds her purpose at the piano, and dreams of performing at Carnegie Hall. When Jim Crow laws make it illegal for her to attend a private university, pivoting to a state school leads to her meeting WWII vet Medgar Evers (1925–1963). Together, they “created harmony and fought against injustice” until Evers’s assassination sees her working for justice in his honor and, eventually, becoming the first full-time woman chair of the NAACP. Ladd’s distinctive collage bursts with life and color in this homage to a once-shy figure who fought for justice, along the way cultivating skills that would see her playing Carnegie Hall and offering a prayer at President Obama’s second inauguration. Includes a timeline and author’s note. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

This information-forward biography of notable humanitarian and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) highlights the social causes that she became most known for. A child “told she’s homely and made to feel like a failure,” she clung to her late father’s belief that “she’d grow into a brave, generous young woman.” At a finishing school abroad, she begins to come into her own through studies and sports, making it through her debutante ball and working at a settlement house. After she marries, “Eleanor knows she can do more” than act as a society wife to a politician. Early efforts in labor reform grow to national prominence after her husband is elected president, and Roosevelt travels across the country amid the New Deal, asking people what they need and advocating for marginalized groups. As text weights facts over emotional thrust, Mesa’s digital illustrations give the work a stylized, retro feel with crisp graphics and flat lighting. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. A timeline, bibliography, and more conclude. Ages 4–8. (July)

Reviewed on 07/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

The child of a newly elected House representative tours Congress with guides corporeal and spectral in this content-heavy paneled primer. Accompanying their mother to the Capitol in Washington, D.C., brown-skinned Alice voices frustration over how much the parent’s role requires. As Mom attends an event, Alice sets off solo, meeting a snarky spectral feline along with the ghost of James Madison, who explain the legislative branch’s history and function. Wandering the halls, Alice and the cat cross paths with the ghost of Senator Blanche Bruce and a fully alive Senate page, congressional committee staffer, lobbyist, and Capitol Police officer, each of whom reveals more about governance and pivotal historical conflicts (the Civil War, the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack). Begiraj’s basic illustrations have a paper-doll quality, with most characters depicted head-on, leaving ample room for dense, textbook-like speech balloons. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. A glossary and additional info conclude. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

A child learns the importance of each individual voter in this lively picture book from Soontornvat and Roxas. Young Leo is eager to accompany his dad, a new U.S. citizen, to vote for president, and his teacher soon outlines his classroom’s mock presidential election. Familial discourse around voting (from a cousin, “What’s the point?”), logistical matters including registration, and details around day-of queueing at the polls all represent real-life concerns and tensions, while Leo’s classroom mock election shows just how important a single vote can be. Marvelously textured, dimensional cut-paper, oil pastel, and acrylic artwork clearly delineates the step-by-step of voting in this spot-on depiction of a child’s anxiety and excitement around a crucial process. Leo and his father cue as Southeast Asian; other characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Additional voting information concludes. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

The phrase “wag the dog” aptly describes the hijinks that follow the arrival of a canine White House “staff member” in this energetic epistolary tale. Told through presidential memos appended with sticky notes from first dog Chester Barkingham, the story opens with a sunglasses-wearing agent driving Chester home to the president and first daughter Molly. Upon encountering a government divided by the Rubber Band Bill, the canny canine takes steps to reach a resolution. Via sticky note, Chester playfully suggests that there’s “TOO MUCH REAL FITING/ NEED MORE PLAY FITING,” and offers up a rope so Congress can engage in a literal tug-of-war. While Molly frolics with the new pet and the president issues increasingly urgent memos, Chester bridges divides by introducing naps, food, and fun to lawmakers. In fluid, character-driven illustrations, Byrne’s floppy-eared protagonist proves a savvy leader who believes in the role of positive reinforcement (and pizza). The president and first daughter are portrayed with brown skin; background characters are shown with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

Personal and political history intertwines in a warmly affirming tale of two Black siblings witnessing a milestone event—their mother voting for the first time in 1969 Louisiana. An unnamed narrator and younger brother admire Madear, smartly dressed to vote. Concise narration outlines the U.S.’s history of Black voter suppression before following the family to the polling station, which “felt just like being at church, with people greeting us enthusiastically.” Voting still requires courage, but exiting the curtained booth to friends’ “Amen!”s, Madear discusses how good the action feels. She also speculates on a world in which Black people will be elected to political office, an idea shown as actualized when Madear votes in the 2008 Presidential election. In brown-outlined digital watercolor and mixed-media images by Tate, Madear’s hands-on-hips stance embodies power and pride in an intergenerational book about a woman who “walked into a voting booth... and allowed us to imagine a different future.” Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Creators’ notes conclude. Ages 3–7. (July)

Reviewed on 07/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

Speaking in flashback, a narrator recalls how “i learned what it meant/ to show up and vote” in this work that offers a pulsing message of empowerment and collective action. Though a child is reluctant to head out to the polls on a rainy November day, their “mama said listen,/ we’re on a mission/ that, by definition,/ no one can do for us.” At the polling place, a neighbor helps voters sign in, and the presence of friends and acquaintances inspires a key observation: “looks like the whole neighborhood’s/ got the same job to do.” Musician and activist DiFranco takes a conversational approach to voter education, centering feelings of belonging, pride, and excitement, and describing voting as “where it all starts/ where us people/ have a say.” Baker’s stylized, poster-like digital illustrations amplify the narrative’s we’re-in-it-together vibe, visualizing a vintage polling place and its operations (including a curtained booth) as part of community care. The protagonists read as Black; background characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 3–6. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/12/2024 | Details & Permalink

Collaborators Dyson and Favreau (Unequal) present the ideologies that disparage women and Black Americans and become the framework for contemporary American society in this accessible accounting of voting rights. In a linear chronology, the authors center historical figures like civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer and former Congressman John Lewis. Conversational text delivers a brief biography of the spotlighted subjects, details where they fit in the fight for voting rights, and outlines how their contributions were influenced by those who came before and in turn impact those who came after. The resistance from government leaders, poll taxes, and state legislation that citizens experience in their efforts to expand voting rights are discussed throughout. Additionally, Dyson and Favreau don’t shy away from depicting the conflicts among voting activists, highlighting the exclusion of nonwhite Americans within the women’s suffrage movement. Concerning the current political landscape, the creators address Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and the weaponization of the voter fraud rhetoric that sparked the January 6 insurrection. Concluding solutions and resources make a fitting end to this relevant and inspiring account that shows how the past is not as far removed as one may think. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/12/2024 | Details & Permalink