Woodrow for President: A Tail of Voting, Campaigns, and Elections (Little Patriot Press) [Hardcover]

Peter W. Barnes (Author), Cheryl Shaw Barnes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 2012 | Age Range: 5 - 8 years | Series: Little Patriot Press

Election year is upon us and what better way to teach children about campaigning, voting, and the election process than through Cheryl and Peter Barnes’ critically-acclaimed book Woodrow for President!

Featuring Woodrow G. Washingtail, a civic-minded mouse with presidential ambitions, Woodrow for President follows Woodrow as he runs for president of the United Mice of America.

Taking children on a journey from Woodrow’s schoolmouse days full of hard work and community service to his time as governor of Moussouri to his bid for president of the United Mice of America, Woodrow for President introduces children to campaigning, elections, volunteering, and more through this fun—and educational—story of one mouse’s dream to become the nation’s “Big Cheese.”

Featuring a contract for voting between parents and kids as well as fun activities such as “find the secret service agent” in every illustration, Woodrow for President is perfect for any child in K-4 who might one day aspire to be the “Commander in Cheese.”

Editorial Reviews

Review

With its rhyming facts and cheerful illustrations, this book is a solid, positive introduction to our political system...clever. -- Books To Borrow...Books To Buy, February 2000

Writer and illustrator Barnes and Barnes create wonderfully entertaining information in amusing poetry and vivdly colorful illustrations. -- The Book Reader, Summer 2000 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Woodrow for President: A Tail of Voting, Campaigns, and Elections

Woodrow G. Washingtail was the governor of Moussouri. Now he is running for president of the United Mice of America! After working hard in school (and registering to vote at age 18!), Woodrow began his life of public service. He started as a volunteer in his community, then ran for town council, then mayor and then statewide office. Now he is in the race of his career, as he campaigns, debates, makes speeches, and meets the voters. Will he win the primaries? Will he win on Election Day? Will he become the nation’s “Big Cheese”? Cast your vote for Woodrow for President and find out!

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Product Details

• Age Range: 5 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little Patriot Press (May 21, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596987863
• ISBN-13: 978-1596987869
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 0.4 x 11.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Attention Teachers! June 10, 2000

By Becki Dios

Format:Hardcover

This is the cutest book about the Presidential Election Process ever! The Barnes' have done it! Teachers should run to get this book and prepare for the fall to teach about the election as it draws closer! The way the book is set up, it goes through every step of the election process in a simple yet clear and complete manner. As a third grade teacher, I will use this book and many others written by the Barnes' to teach my class about the governmental process. I think that children will be amused and at the same time learn a great deal of political information! Enjoy!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for teachers June 10, 2000

By Cindy Green

Format:Hardcover

This is a good teacher resource especially during this election year. My kids really enjoyed the book and learning something about the election process.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Adorable! May 20, 2009

By Frances Stewart

Format:Hardcover

Lovely writing and the illustrations are enchanting! I've gotten this for every grandchild, and wish I had discovered it earlier...

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Introduction to The Electoral Process August 30, 2012

By NebraskaIcebergs

Format:Hardcover

A couple of weeks ago, a beautiful hardcover picture book called Woodrow for President arrived at my doorstep. I received this book by Peter and Cheryl Barnes as part of the TLC Tour Books. Immediately, I proudly showed off the cute and lavish picture book to my husband. Then I set down to read it. :-)

One of the quirks I've picked up as an adult is I prefer to first look in the children's section of the library when I want to know more about topic. Children's books give me the basics, and then some, without bogging me down with endless information. I especially appreciate that trait when it comes to topics that I'd otherwise never read about such as the electoral process. Through Woodrow for President, even though it is about a mouse and the United Mice for America, I gained an appreciation for exactly how many steps a citizen might undertake before running for president: sit on the town council, become mayor, get voted state governor, campaign in all fifty states, hold a primary election, compete in debates, attend a national convention, await nomination, work the campaign trail again, and finally hope to receive presidential election. Wow!

That said, I was still somewhat surprised that I liked Woodrow for President. As a teacher, I resent when information is disguised as a story. It's difficult enough to turn my students onto the joy of reading without force-feeding them facts. Make no mistake, the style in Woodrow for President is an informational one but Woodrow is such an easily likeable character, because of his valuing hard work, knowing right from wrong, and marrying the hometown girl. Okay, that makes him sound stiff, but he's nice and cute--and I liked him.... And while I normally don't like rhyming picture books, the rhymes rarely sound forced and so mostly make for an entertaining read.

Then we have the illustrations. As an adult who reads to a young audience, I hate when every last page is loud with color. Granted, some of the pages in Woodrow for President are a little cluttered, but over all the pictures relate to the story rather than being there just to entertain. They're also colorful without being overwhelming and painful, as well as detailed without being chaotic. In essence, they're just darn cute! It's also piles of fun to look for the mouse Secret Service agent hidden in each drawing. If my middle-aged husband can become absorbed in the search, I know children will too.

All the above is my reaction as an adult. In following the reviews of bloggers who shared Woodrow for President with younger readers, I noticed they reported mixed opinions. From my own experiences with introducing books similar to Woodrow in style and design, I have to wonder if the target audience of kindergarten to grade four would choose Woodrow of their own accord. Younger kids may complain about its somewhat text-heavy pages, while older kids will likely disdain its overly cute illustrations. Yet I could see reading Woodrow for President as part of an elementary social studies class and from there it gaining popularity. You'd be surprised at how many books I've first heard about because a teacher introduced in class and then students embraced it.

This review is growing overly long, considering the shortness of most picture books, and so I'll wrap it up with a few last observations. I don't often see my students checking out the extra pages in an informational book, which here include information about past presidents, campaigns, and elections, along with a contract to vote that parents and children can sign. Maybe because adults are the ones expected to check out these pages, the pages are labeled as being for parents and teachers. Oddly though, except for the contract, they're mostly written as for a younger audience. Personally, I think the contract would have been more meaningful if written in kid-friendly language. These criticisms aside, I love extras in a book and so appreciated seeing the abundance of them in Woodrow for President.

If you remember at the start, I mentioned showing Woodrow for President off to my husband because of its cute and lavish package. After reading Woodrow for President, I paraded around with it again. What an awesome book to use to teach children about the electoral process. I'm delighted to have received a copy for being a TLC host! Read more ›

4.0 out of 5 stars Woodrow For President August 23, 2012

By Maureen

Format:Hardcover

I found this book to be a great and timely one in this election year. Read this with our 5 and 7 year old boys, and the oldest was especially interested. What captured both boys were the drawing, they were really interested in finding the Presidential Seal...kind of like an Ispy.
As we traveled through the White House, the rhyming prose gives a look at the House and the Election Process. They rhyming is excellent and does not seem forced, and the Children stayed attentive.
The back of the book is for the Parents...filled with some interesting facts and resources. I also think that you can share some of the tidbits that are offered here with the children.
While the beautiful illustrations are sometimes small, after a teacher has read this to her class, the book could be passed around in single or in pairs to look them over and maybe find the Seals.
I actually would give this book a 4+ stars...found it so interesting and full of great facts.

I received this book from TLC Book Tours, and the Publisher Little Patriot Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for teachers August 15, 2012

By Morgan

Format:Hardcover

This is a really cute, educational book. I think this is a great way to teach kids about the political process. The book is all rhyming, so it is cute and keeps your attention. In the back, this book has resources for parents and teachers. These are great tools to use to talk to kids about this after reading the book. This is a great book as well as a great educational tool, and I will definitely be putting this one in my classroom.

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

3.0 out of 5 stars A simplified look at the electoral process. August 14, 2012

By Heidi Grange

Format:Hardcover

Explaining the electoral process to young children can be a difficult thing to do. This book does a nice job of helping readers understand what running for president requires. The descriptions are of course simplified and idealized. If only elections were this neat and tidy. But all the major steps are included: political parties, conventions, campaigns, debates, voting, etc. I enjoyed the use of a mouse society to present the facts mixed with a story, this makes all the information easier to swallow. I also enjoyed the play on words, such as 'Moussouri' rather than Missouri. While the rhymes were occasionally forced, the content is just right for upper elementary students.

The illustrations are pleasant and quite detailed. The addition of the secret service agent to search for in the illustrations is fun. Unfortunately, while the detailed illustrations do a fantastic job complimenting the text, it makes the book hard to use as a classroom read-a-loud, unless the teacher has a document camera or can enlarge the pictures in some way. If that is the case there are many different things that could be discussed in terms of humor as well as the election information.

Reviewer received a copy of this book in return for an honest review. No other compensation was received. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I appreciated the emphasis on 'public service' rather than the greed and power that sometimes seems to motivate candidates and his/her political party, not to mention the money that has come to play such a large role in the process. While this is idealistic, I believe it is an ideal well worth seeking. I recommend this book for parents and teachers who wish to help their young students to understand the importance of voting and participating in a democracy.... The additional information at the back of the book about the major points included in the book is helpful in further explaining the text. Read more ›