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10 reviews for:
When You Grow Up to Vote: How Our Government Works for You
Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Markel
4.07 AVERAGE
10 reviews for:
When You Grow Up to Vote: How Our Government Works for You
Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Markel
4.07 AVERAGE
With short chapters covering everything from garbage collection to becoming President of the United States, Roosevelt’s 1932 original storybook for children covers all aspects of public service, including the importance of being an active participant by voting. Each chapter begins with a bright illustration by Grace Lin and easy to understand descriptions of the various job titles that help towns and cities and states and ultimately the nation function. While the text has been updated and modified to represent how our government works in the 21st century, it is a wonder to read passages where Roosevelt refers to “my husband.” Offering a great overview of our nation’s government and the role of civil service, this book will fit nicely in all elementary libraries. It’s only disappointment is Lin’s black and white drawings which seem so drab compared to those in color.
The subtitle is actually the topic of this "moving up" level book - aimed at second- to fourth-grade readers, which is an update of Eleanor Roosevelt's book of the same title published in 1932. (The back cover has a quote from Ms. Roosevelt, "Someday, perhaps in ten or twelve years, you are going to vote.")
To help children relate to the bigger issues of government, it begins with what is probably meant to be a universally-appealing description of a firefighter, a police officer, and a garbage collector, before moving on to elected officials. Ms. Roosevelt, aiming her text at 6- to 8-year-olds, might not have intentionally obscured how frequently the police were used to protect corporations, wealthy individuals, & racist systems...even though she certainly may have observed it at the time - but the modern co-author Michelle Markel knew in 2018 that it was an issue that even children as young as 8 years old would be discussing.
Because Markel shied away from a simple acknowledgment of the obvious inequities of our justice system, and it was obvious by page 7, I think most conscious teachers and parents will find this work inadequate. Which is so disappointing - because Roosevelt & Markel present a succinctly simplified, child-friendly description of many other things about the U.S. government that most kids don't know, need to know, and won't learn even when they are adults and are voting!
So, I am hoping they revise it one more time, and include updates about the attacks on the Voting Rights Act, the recent progress we've made on gerrymandering, and recent discussions about the Electoral College. The five pages at the end that discuss those three topics are among the best pages in the book. When they do that, they should also re-write the 7n pages at the start of the book, and introduce the idea that exactly *who* the police are "protecting" and what *interests* are influencing them is a debatable point, worth examining.
It's not the worst book - and Grace Lin's illustrations - some in color, some in b&w, showing diverse human beings at all roles & levels of society & the government, are charming in some places, and clearly explanatory in others. (I didn't compare them to the original 1932 edition, but I can't imagine how anything could be better than these!)
To help children relate to the bigger issues of government, it begins with what is probably meant to be a universally-appealing description of a firefighter, a police officer, and a garbage collector, before moving on to elected officials. Ms. Roosevelt, aiming her text at 6- to 8-year-olds, might not have intentionally obscured how frequently the police were used to protect corporations, wealthy individuals, & racist systems...even though she certainly may have observed it at the time - but the modern co-author Michelle Markel knew in 2018 that it was an issue that even children as young as 8 years old would be discussing.
Because Markel shied away from a simple acknowledgment of the obvious inequities of our justice system, and it was obvious by page 7, I think most conscious teachers and parents will find this work inadequate. Which is so disappointing - because Roosevelt & Markel present a succinctly simplified, child-friendly description of many other things about the U.S. government that most kids don't know, need to know, and won't learn even when they are adults and are voting!
So, I am hoping they revise it one more time, and include updates about the attacks on the Voting Rights Act, the recent progress we've made on gerrymandering, and recent discussions about the Electoral College. The five pages at the end that discuss those three topics are among the best pages in the book. When they do that, they should also re-write the 7n pages at the start of the book, and introduce the idea that exactly *who* the police are "protecting" and what *interests* are influencing them is a debatable point, worth examining.
It's not the worst book - and Grace Lin's illustrations - some in color, some in b&w, showing diverse human beings at all roles & levels of society & the government, are charming in some places, and clearly explanatory in others. (I didn't compare them to the original 1932 edition, but I can't imagine how anything could be better than these!)
A very simplified and basic look at our (United States) government. Beginning with the local, and working up to the federal, every place where a vote might impact your life is mentioned. Clear and factual, and lately updated.
A primer for young readers about the United States government, from local to federal, including discussion of some government employees.
In my mind, it is never too early to start learning about our government and how it works. Voting is a right but also a privilege. A right that should be approached thoughtfully and, one hopes, after careful research, reading, and education on issues. Eleanor Roosevelt’s book, updated by Michelle Markel with helpful illustrations by Grace Lin, is a terrific introduction to our government’s structure and the voting process. My only complaint is that I really, really would like to see Mrs. Roosevelt’s original book now so I could see what was her writing and what was updated. Some changes are obvious: there have been changes in our government after all. But, are her words still in this book? Or just her overall idea of the book?
In my mind, it is never too early to start learning about our government and how it works. Voting is a right but also a privilege. A right that should be approached thoughtfully and, one hopes, after careful research, reading, and education on issues. Eleanor Roosevelt’s book, updated by Michelle Markel with helpful illustrations by Grace Lin, is a terrific introduction to our government’s structure and the voting process. My only complaint is that I really, really would like to see Mrs. Roosevelt’s original book now so I could see what was her writing and what was updated. Some changes are obvious: there have been changes in our government after all. But, are her words still in this book? Or just her overall idea of the book?
With short chapters covering everything from garbage collection to becoming President of the United States, Roosevelt’s 1932 original storybook for children covers all aspects of public service, including the importance of being an active participant by voting. Each chapter begins with a bright illustration by Grace Lin and easy to understand descriptions of the various job titles that help towns and cities and states and ultimately the nation function. While the text has been updated and modified to represent how our government works in the 21st century, it is a wonder to read passages where Roosevelt refers to “my husband.” Offering a great overview of our nation’s government and the role of civil service, this book will fit nicely in all elementary libraries. It’s only disappointment is Lin’s black and white drawings which seem so drab compared to those in color.
This was a cute book for children to learn about not only the voting process but about how a community works as well. It’s written at more of a middle grade level for independent reading but could be for a younger age group with a teacher or parent doing guided reading.
This updated edition of how the government works features illustrations by Grace Lin which is why I picked it up in the first place. But the more I learn about Eleanor Roosevelt and the things she did (including creating this primer of sorts for kids), I'm just amazed.
Originally written in 1932, this book has been updated for today's world. Using simple, objective language, Mrs. Roosevelt deconstructs the different levels of government that exist in a democracy and how they operate, beginning at the local (town, city) level, then on to the state government, and finally the federal government. Each level covers the different jobs to which people are elected, the services they are expected to perform, and the importance of their jobs in the lives of their constituency. The importance of voting and what happens when a person goes to the polls is very nicely explained (and without any partisanship). In the end, young readers will understand just how elections impacts their lives, the life of their community, and of democracy as a whole. Admittedly, civics isn't always the most exciting subject for kids, but if you plan on teaching it, this is by far one of the best books on the rights and duties of citizenship I've ever used to teach kids. Grace Lin's colorful illustrations are simple, informative and reflect the diverse nation we are. My personal feeling is that to be a responsible voter, you need to be a responsible citizen and part of that is knowing and understanding how the government works and why your vote matters. As Eleanor Roosevelt wrote in 1932: "Someday...you are going to vote. You will help choose men and women to govern the country. But to vote well you will need to know about a great many things, interesting things."
Such a lovely reboot of this classic text, really shows the government and how it works in a very concrete way that follows how our Social Studies standards are expressed.
I liked that it talked about city, county, state and federal government all in one book. Not quite sure what ages it would be best for, probably mid elementary school. (It could be both too basic for those with high interest in politics, and too complicated for younger students).