Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Duck for President
Illustrator: Betsy Lewin
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Simon and Schuster, 2004 ISBN: 978-1416958000
Taking care of a farm is hard work and by the end of the day Farmer Brown is both filthy and rather stinky. The animals on the farm are also expected to do their share and by the end of the day they look decidedly the worse for wear as well.
One day Duck decides that he is fed up with the current state of affairs. Why should Farmer Brown be in charge? Why should the animals have to do all the chores that he gives them? It is time for a change and Duck decides that they should hold an election.
And so a voter registration booth is set up, Duck announces his candidacy, and the election is held. Needless to say Farmer Brown loses the election and Duck finds himself in charge of the farm. He quickly discovers that running a farm is hard work. So, looking for a way out of his new responsibilities, Duck decides to take his political career to the next level: he will run for governor. But, as he soon finds out, being at the top is not all fun and games.
In this funny picture book created by the team who brought us "Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type," and "Giggle, Giggle, Quack," we meet a duck who has a definite aversion to hard work. He comes up with lots of very creative ideas to avoid said hard work and ends up in a very unexpected situation. As the story unfolds little children will get a general idea about how a campaign works and what to expect during a campaign year.
With its clever references to past presidents - which grownups will appreciate – and its funny illustrations, this is terrific book to read with children.
Readers might like to visit www.duckforpresident.com to vote for Duck and to find out more about the book.
