Reviews

President Squid by Aaron Reynolds

reader4evr's review

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4.0

A fun read for this upcoming November

geoffwood's review

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I don't really want to give it a star rating because I *imagine* this is the dumb zany talky humor that like third graders enjoy so maybe it works on that level and I have no experience there except distantly in the rearview obviously. It's not enjoyable to read aloud as a bedtime story, though, it's just a bunch of silly blather. The art is ok I guess. I thought maybe there could be ironically amusing political content but you really don't have to read this as political at all and if you choose to, it's gentle and toothless "those clowns in Washington" kinda politics.

wrentheblurry's review

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2.0

Maybe I would have enjoyed this more in a different election year, heh. The artwork didn't appeal to me, especially the bright pink squid. This squid wants to be president, and claims that he'll be the best one ever. He figures he meets the requirements, which include wearing a tie, doing all the talking, and being BIG and BOSSY. Then he interacts with a sardine, and after 'saving' the sardine determines being a king would better suit his needs. Meh.

daniellesalwaysreading's review

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Good book for a very funny kindergarten storytime along with "My teacher is a monster" and "A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea"

missprint_'s review

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3.0

It's exactly what you'd expect from the title and jacket copy. But in this case that's pretty fun.

jallertep's review

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4.0

This political satire made me want to laugh and cry at the same time.

ashleyaewert's review

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5.0

This would be a great teaching resource for giving supporting reasons to back up a claim!

snazel's review

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3.0

I feel like this tale of a selfish, egotistical and unqualified squid who wants to be president (and then supreme king of the universe) would have been more fun before the rise of Trump.

pwbalto's review

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3.0

Gr K-3 -- You might not expect a hot-pink squid to be a likely candidate for president, especially since this squid seems to possess very few qualifications for governance. Sure, he wears a tie, has a huge house, and does a lot of bossy talking, but even young readers - and certainly Squid’s undersea neighbors - recognize that these are not very good reasons to elect a person president. But when he puts all his effort (and all his legs) into doing a good deed for a stranger, he learns that “helping people... is very presidential.” As an added bonus for grownup readers, President Squid’s egotistical bombast can be read as a satirical take on real-life candidates with little political experience. Fun, cartoony illustrations by Sara Varon keep things light-hearted, especially Squid, whose misguided self-aggrandizement is mitigated by his goggle-eyed, enthusiastic demeanor. Great for an election year, or an undersea storytime, paired with Kevin Sherry’s I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean and This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen. —Paula Willey

readingthroughtheages's review

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3.0

If Trump ends up deciding he's going to be king after this presidential election, you'll know he read this book.