Member Reviews
Thank you to Sourcebooks Kids and Netgalley for the digital arc.
This would be a good choice to introduce students to process of electing the US president, but I found it lacks appeal due to the dry text and the uninteresting graphics.
This was a good idea but my kids were not excited about this. Too young for the teens but not cool enough for the elementary kids.
3 ⭐️
Nice introduction, but the presentation was a little too dry if you are trying to get kids excited about the content.
The book will have to be updated again to explain how someone who got zero votes in the primaries can end up being the presidential candidate for a major political party.
**Thank you, NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.**
This book provides a wonderful introduction to the process of presidential campaigns and elections, including primary votes, caucuses, and the electoral college. Sobel presents the process of becoming president comprehensively and conversationally, with language appropriate for students ages 7-11, but helpful for adults as well. The book is full of fun facts, charts, and attractive illustrations that bring the text to life. I greatly appreciated the bolded vocabulary consolidated in the easy-to-use glossary as well as the index at the end.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback. I read an electronic copy of this book accessed on a tablet.
First and foremost, I will say this is an age-appropriate title (7+ is the suggestion) and very straightforward in its aims & writing style. It conveys (admittedly) complicated electoral processes with ease and clarity, without diluting the educational factor. After reading this, I would've thought it was a middle school target (5-8th grade), and that seems appropriate for the vocabulary and sentence structures.
Imagery is one of the highlights of this book. It has consistent images outlining things like ballots, electoral map, the Constitution, and more. The images complement the text well. In addition to pictures, there are "side bar" fun facts that supplement the text. For example, you can read about how many presidents have been related throughout history, and then there's a "family tree" style image.
A lot of content is covered in this short 50 page book. The pages aren't overly crowded with text, and yet, still a lot gets portrayed. Things like electoral college, ballots, presidential parties, campaigns, conventions, caucuses, etc. as well as "what happens" to presidents if they are sick/die, the order of succession, the Constitution as it relates to the presidency, etc.
Key vocabulary words are highlighted throughout and then a glossary of terms is located in the back of the book.
I will say, I perceived no obvious bias or slant, and no factual errors stood out to me from this book. All in all, I can recommend this to young readers, for libraries or classroom collections, and to parents looking for straightforward and reliable, age-appropriate books about the electoral process in the US.
Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts is an informational book about elections and the government. Each chapter has informational text interspersed with interesting facts. You can hook kids with the interesting facts that will entice them to read the rest of the book.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AND OTHER COOL FACTS is an accessible, informative read about the United States presidential election process. Complex concepts like the electoral college and presidential campaigns and conventions are explained in easy-to-understand language. The well-organized text also includes interesting facts about elections and presidents that will capture reader attention. The book will be a useful addition to school libraries, especially in a presidential election year.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC to read and review.
I received an electronic ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Kids through NetGalley.
The updated version of Sobel's book. Sobel takes Elementary level readers through the process of electing a US President. Various portion of the process are broken down with language that works for this level. I appreciate the fact boxes included with the text to add color and more information. A glossary and resource guide are included at the end.
Sobel uses clear, concise language to capture the information needed for children to follow the election process. A timely release with the current cycle.
This book took some dry content and made it palatable to younger kids. Perfect as a social studies reference for teacher use. It certainly taught me a thing or two about a topic I thought I knew about.
This useful updated edition of the 2016 version will help tween readers as the 2024 Presidential election approaches, by offering clarity on the election process, including facts on the Electoral College, campaigning, and the history of the U.S. Presidency. Updates include information on Biden and Trump. The text is clear and straightforward, making this useful for a wide age range and for struggling readers. Uncredited blue ink sketches illustrate almost every page of the book, and include a map, sidebars, and other page decorations that break up the text. The book ends with an index, glossary, and updated list of related books and websites.
This book was super informative for the younger generation and is vital this year with the upcoming election. They really broke down a lot of our government rules and regulations and the how/why we elect presidents. I look forward to sharing this with my own children.
I think the information is great. As someone who closely follows politics, I try my best to help educate my daughters on what the processes are and answer questions in the way they can understand. This book is a great resources for me as a parent to help explain things but do think my 7 year old will lose some interest while reading through the book because of the lack of colors and illustrations. The content is fantastic but the illustrations and visuals can use some updates. I really like how cools facts and were included throughout the pages that allow for more talking points to expand on different topics. I would recommend this books to parents and other elementary school children to learn about elections. These topics are so important to the preservation of our democracy and so happy to have a good book to help me guide my children in their learning.
This book is especially great for a presidential election year. It explains what is an election, rules to be president, the electoral college, campaigning, families with history, and the order of succession. There is a lot of information but is very concise and organized.
This book is great! Lots of great factual information packed into this book in a very understandable way for children.. . and adults! I will likely grab up a hard copy of this for my son to help him understand more about the presidency, some of our history, and the election during this election year.
Thank you to NetGally, SOURCEBOOKS Kids, and Syl Sobel for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Fun and factual! Clear explanations of the election process while breaking up the content with fun facts and illustrations. Great for children showing an interest in presidents or government.
This is a great book to introduce kids to Presidential Elections. It is appropriately written for a young audience with fun and engaging facts. My students really enjoyed this book.
With this being an election year this is the perfect book to help explain all the ins and outs of the election process. The book is written in easy to read format for kids. When you finish reading it with your student they will have a very good working knowledge about how to get elected President. There are some simple drawings that go along with the text. I like some of the little known facts that are added in the corners that might help you win a trivia night. There are probably some adults that might learn more about the electoral process as well. The main thing I like is the book is written in an apolitical style which is hard to find these days.
I received an ebook ARC of this book. This book is a good source of basic information and facts on the process to elect a president and the historical facts of presidents past. I enjoyed this book.
I really like this new edition! The updates are done very well. This is a great resource for teaching children about presidential elections, and it is especially relevant during election years. At times, the information can feel complicated, but the wording is clear. It doesn't feel too condescending for children, either. The illustrations are also super cute!
Just in time for an election year, this book is informative and perfect for educating the upcoming generation. Or honestly, anyone that wants to understand the voting system better. I know a decent amount, and I learned things from this book. It is put in ways that are easy to understand. There are fun facts and trivia about presidents, voting process and just history in general. Very well done!