Madam President by Lane Smith

I recently discovered that we will elect a new president in November. OK, not recently, about 2 years ago really, and frankly, even though I'm sort of an election news junkie, I have about reached the point of exhaustion with this one. In any case, when school starts in the fall, I know elections will be a significant part of the teaching going on. Knowing this, I have been on the look out for some good new books dealing with politics and elections. My partner Karen blogged See How They Run which looks like a great resource for the classroom but due to its paperback format I passed on purchasing it for the library.

I reviewed a preview copy of Mike Lupica's new Comeback Kids book called Long Shot.

Recently I finally got my hands on Lane Smith's new picture book called Madam President.
The book describes the job of president through the eyes of a little girl. Lane Smith always blends humor with the information. For example, one of the president's duties is to give executive orders. The order given by the young girl is "More waffles please!" A president must attend state funerals, in this case the funeral of a pet frog.

The president must choose a capable cabinet, you know, Secretary of State, Treasury, Education, Naps, Pizza, Fantasy, etc. Smith has all of the positions illustrated with a map of Texas for the Sec. of State, a piggy bank, and other humorous depictions. All of it's fun, and all of it will lead to some very teachable moments.

The book is a list of all presidential duties and they are all shown through the eyes of a child. While it humorous to adults, I really believe it will make the most important job in the world make sense to young kids.

As always award winner Lane Smith's illustrations are interesting and a joy to look at. He includes real pictures with his cartoon drawings and some of the illustrations have collage look to them. I plan on sharing this one in THE PIT in November.

My name is Bill and I approve this book review.

Big Plans for THE PIT!

I know it's only July, but I've been compiling my list of possible picks for THE PIT since school ended. I just read one that has definite possibilities. I'll keep you posted on others I've run across during my summer reading.

Big Plans by Bob Shea is just a whole lot of fun and will make a hilarious read aloud. In case you've forgotten, Bob Shea wrote one of last year's PIT favorites, New Socks. The story revolves around the class trouble maker sitting in the corner, already I can relate to this book! As he sits there after writing the proverbial "I will not..." statements, he hatches his BIG PLANS for the world that he intends to take over.

Just like New Socks, Bob Shea is a master of creating a voice for his character. The chick in New Socks is full of self confidence thanks to his new orange socks, and the ornery little boy in BIG PLANS just oozes comic villain personality traits. As he goes through his list of what he will do and how people will react he continually repeats the catch phrase, "I have big plans, big plans I say!" All he needs is the "AHH-HA-HA-HA!" laugh to complete the picture. The kids are going to love him as much as they loved the jelly bean shaped New Socks chick. Shea throws in a new twist in this book, just what every boy with BIG PLANS needs, a side kick. In this case, a mynah bird he meets while climbing a mountain. The bird's catch phrase "I'm in" adds even more laugh out loud to this incredibly fun story.

This book has the illustrations of Lane Smith of Stinky Cheese fame and they more than compliment the strong story line. Smith combines his drawings with collages and even a real photo of the White House when our hero takes over for the president.

I know this book will appeal to all of the students that pass through my library, and I can't wait to share it with them. For more reviews of Big Plans, go here, here, and here.