I was sent a book to review titled A fresh bill on capitol Hill Duck for President and found it to be a thought provoking book due to the upcoming elections. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't think that any of the candidates actually resembles a duck. It's just that the book got me thinking. It is written on an elementary grade level but could be used in any grade to get the kids thinking and talking about elections, and yes, politicians.
The funny thing is that the very same day I received the book, my grandson in first grade told me that one of his friends brought the same book to school and read it to the class. My grandson loved it and thought it was funny. A duck enters the political arena and campaigns with the promise that he is a duck, not a politician. Challenges one faces when running for president are presented throughout the book as Duck leans on his friends for support.
The book has references to past elections that I'm sure will be lost on younger students. It also is a book about always looking for a better life, so there are lots of teachable moments. It is sort of predictable but does have a different twist at the end.
The illustrations make the characters seem lovable. Farmer Brown dresses just like my grandfather did when I was young and looks a lot like him, overalls and all. The setting reminds me of the old days, but the dialogue is very current as it mentions CNN, Secret Service agents, voter registration, and yes, sticky ballots.
If you would like to win the book for your class, just leave a comment on this post, and I will have my grandsons draw for a winner. I'll announce the winner in a blog post, and you can send me a private message on where to send the book. Hopefully, I will get more than one comment.:) Although I only have one book to give away, I found it for only a $1.00 at AbeBooks.com which seems like a good deal.
Numbers are used throughout the book, so it could also be used for a math class. It would be easy to design a great lesson based on Duck for President.
