It's voting time. We're getting a new chief. You need a book so you don't look dumb trying to explain the presidency to the kids. Christine Taylor-Butler's Nonfiction children's book "The Presidency"
is the perfect post-election follow-up book to share with your kids. It's also a nifty little reference guide for us parents who might need a refresher course in the American government when the kids start asking the tough questions. Using crisp historical photographs and illustrations, uber-extreme arrows and captions in bold colors and fun true or false facts the book covers all the important stuff on the presidency. The book begins by covering who qualifies for president, the requirements and salary and reads like a poster for a job position opening. Then, continues to discuss the actual job of a president even hitting on vetoing and impeachment, the executive branch and the first president. However, I feel the most meaningful portion of the book is the section titled "Leading the Country Through Crises" which, as you can probably guess, covers the major crises presidents have had to face as the leaders of our country from Lincoln and the Civil War to Bush and September 11th. There's even an excellent two page time line visual which chronologically illustrates the order of events. A perfect tool for young readers trying to make sense of these events and when they occurred in the history of our nation. The book culminates with a section dedicated discussing a day in the life of a president. There's also a nice resource list of books, websites and places to visit included in the book and a helpful glossary for all those tricky words. The book is written with a sense of humor that livens up a topic that would normally be a little too heavy for younger kids but still has enough appeal to keep older kids interested. It's a very accessible book suitable for kids seven and up. And you just need this book so you can appear as if you actually understand the complex, inner workings of our government in front of your future voters.
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